So, we’re almost to the end of our Heroes’ Journey! We’ve had our character change (and we touched on the Black moment in that discussion) and we’re off to storm the castle in our last battle. He’s been changed by events, and is a new man, and is trying to apply everything he learned…. But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s go back to that Black moment and just touch on the elements that make it profound. 1. Attack their Greatest Fears – emotionally and physically. Since the beginning of the story, you know what your hero fears the most…and you’ve been slowly pushing him to this place. You know that Frodo fears succumbing to the ring, or worse, his own hobbitness. You know […]
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He’s a new man
So, now that our hero has confronted his Darkest Moment, and seen the light, we’ve come to the last step of character change…the New Man. The changed person he/she has become, complete with new skills, new beliefs, and new courage. New Man usually happens before the finale – before the final storming of the castle, so we can see our New Man using his newfound skills/character change. Sometimes they are even tested… For example, remember the scene in the Hunt for Red October where, after they’re on the submarine, and AFTER Sean Connery says (in his terrible Russian, I might add), to Jack Ryan “Oh, I remember you – you wrote that book, and got it all wrong” – jack has a mini black moment there. A realization that he’s […]
Read the RestThe Black Moment in Character Change
It seems ironic that today we’re talking about the Black Moment in character change, the day after we have one of the closest political races in history. Half of America is waking up looking at the blue skies, the other half see the gloom. Regardless, it’s an opportunity for everyone to examine what they believe. And, if you’re a McCain follower, it’s an opportunity to say, what now? How then shall I go forward? A Character at the crux of their Black Moment needs to ask the same questions. If you’ve been following My Book Therapy, think back to the beginning of the year when we started developing our characters. We talked about a character’s greatest fears, and why they had them, and then used that to create the Black […]
Read the RestTraining for Battle – More Character Change
Ack, we left our character on his second attempt to change, and with a mini victory….and then Rachel and both had to finish our books. *grin* Yesterday we both turned them in, yay!, so this week we’re going to finish the journey on character change! We’re been through acts 1 & 2 – showing him the need for change, and the cost and rewards, stirring up a desire inside him, and giving him a taste of victory. Now, as the Act 2 fades out, we’re going to move him into….training for Battle. (or tackling the change inside). This is the fun part of the book (which is why I’m moving it back to Act 2- the section where all the fun and games happen). You’re going to put your character […]
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