Yesterday we talked about incorporating the first couple beats of your story into the first Act, and especially the first scene. Today, we’re going to continue the conversation by show how we might use Why/Why Nots to help move our character forward in his journey toward Act 2. ACT 1 Review: Life Inciting Incident The Big Debate (Romantic) Quest You’ve already established your character’s home world and had them meet in a way that helps the reader to feel sympathy for your characters. You’ve also shown that they have an interest/need for something more, namely, a romance. Finally, you’ve hinted at the stakes of the story, and perhaps even woven that in with the Why Not (or obstacles) between your characters. E.g., having your character say, “The […]
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So, how do you make it BLACK? (Setting up the Black Moment)
Yesterday we talked about the elements of the Black Moment – gathering up the pieces. Today, let’s put them together! First, you need to start with…The Hint… At the beginning of every great novel, or movie, there is a hint at what a character’s greatest fears might be. It can be something they experience and never want to repeat. It can be something a friend has gone through. It can be something they witness…but we need to see if (even if we don’t recognize it as the hint…although now you will!) Because it will give us that dark foreboding we need to make the fear seem…well, dark. One of my favorite hints is in a movie called The Hostage…the hero is negotiating the release of a […]
Read the RestIt’s bad…very very bad. (aka: Crafting the Black Moment!)
I love the black moment in a novel. (or a movie!) I just saw Avatar…(so, spoiler alert!!)) The black moment is when the humans come after the blue people in the tree and take it down despite his efforts to stop it. Of course, he’s lost the girl, he’s lost all hope of getting his legs back, and all hope of being a blue person, too. He’s a nobody. Just like he was when he started. This is a great black moment, and one where we are fully invested to root for him as he tries to save the day. A great black moment is Personal and Overwhelming. It’s also Plausible and sets up the Epiphany of the novel. We’ll talk about the components of the black moment […]
Read the RestThe Ten Point Romance
Last week I mentioned that I’d show you how the 10 Points of a Romance fit into developing your story — Instead, we had a lively MBT Chat about it on Monday Night! To see how to incorporate the 10 Points into YOUR Romance, read the chat notes here! Your Book Therapist
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