45 Master Characters (50 page)

She may have found where the killer lives but arrives only in time to watch the next victim die. She has failed terribly, but searches for a clue. (Guilt)

She's like Little Red Hiding Hood with a basket that holds nothing of use to her against the Big Bad Wolf. Only brains and courage give her the strength to continue on to Grandma's house unharmed.

This stage is often seen in horror films with female protagonists. The woman meets the killer and begins her descent into hell as the killer stalks her. Think of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in
Halloween
. Alone with nothing but the clothes on her back, she must try to survive the ordeal.

Examples of Stage 4

Inanna descends and is judged at each of the seven gates where she is disrobed and humiliated. Each garment taken from her was worn over one of her chakra centers. (See the previous seven issues faced.)

All of her seven Me (attributes of civilization) are taken from her and she is left naked in front of the dark goddess Ereshkigal. All of her old illusions, false identities and defenses count for nothing in the underworld. She says she wanted to gain power and knowledge over death by witnessing another's funeral rites rather than by experiencing it herself “… but to enter the underworld can bring Inanna the possibility of being witness to only one funeral, her own.”

Dorothy is given the ruby slippers to help her on her journey. She ventures into the forest and meets several helpers along the way.

They come upon the Wicked Witch of the West who tries to burn the Scarecrow. Dorothy tells her, “I don't want any trouble, we've come a long way already!” and the Witch replies, “You call that long? You've only just begun.” They then descend into the dark forest of creepy wild animals.

Rose and Jack descend through the bowels of the ship as her fiance´'s goon chases them. They hide and she seduces him. Jack is falsely arrested. Rose refuses to get on a lifeboat and risks her life to save Jack.

Mademoiselle Reisz plays the piano and it unleashes Edna's painful emotions. She swims in the ocean again and goes out too far and panics. She tells her husband but he says he was watching her the whole time.

Something has changed inside her and she decides to test the waters of their marriage. When her husband orders her inside for the night, she disobeys him and he turns it around on her by staying outside longer than she can handle so she has to go in first. She tries to crush her wedding ring, she refuses to go on a business trip with him, she refuses to see callers and keep up with their social life and she decides to spend all of her time painting. Her husband goes to the doctor to find out why she's suddenly talking about equal rights.

Lester Burnham descends when he tells his wife, “This hasn't been a marriage for years but you were happy as long as I kept my mouth shut … I've changed.” He goes jogging and smokes pot, and his wife tries to stop him.

Lester quits his job and blackmails the boss. He comes home and shouts at the dinner table and throws food around. He buys a Pontiac Firebird because it's what he always wanted. He's trying to find himself.

Remember to raise the stakes of her inner conflict here as well as her outer conflict. What assets would her archetype use? What flaws would she fall back on?

Since this stage is driven by inner conflict, find five ways to externalize the character's feelings. Very often people facing the death of a loved one will come home and clean out their cabinets as if they're trying to clean out their lives and their emotions. So think about externalizing feelings.

Remember this is the stage where her fears will be used against her.

Come up with several fears for her to face, keeping in mind that Stage 6, Death, is where she'll face her biggest fear.

This stage ends with a mini climax.

Stage 5: The Eye of the Storm

Sarah collapses on the basement floor. She listens for a sound in the darkness, but all is quiet. She breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes her muscles a bit. She thinks back and realizes she didn't step on any of the sharp pieces of glass from her broken bubble. She is unharmed and OK.

In the distance she sees a light. She thinks it leads to the other side and that her journey is completed. That is until footsteps approach.

After facing her fears and possibly the villain as well, the hero comes to terms with what just happened, and she feels she handled everything well. She gains a false sense of security. Somehow she stuck things out. She thinks this is the end of her journey and takes it easy for a moment.

She won't be getting off that easy, however. She still has to step up to the plate and actively reach for her goal; facing the problem isn't enough. For now she licks her wounds and pats herself on the back, eager to return home and tell everyone what has happened.

She gets a small taste of success, however false, which will later fuel her motive to succeed again, knowing how wonderful success feels. She feels safe for the time being. Sometimes the reader is given clues that the journey isn't over yet, especially if the book is barely half over!

Examples:

• She's told not to testify and she'll be safe.
  

• She spends time with her lover and feels OK again.
  

• She accomplishes something she has been trying to do for a long time and may try to substitute it for her real goal.
  

• Maybe her husband returns home and he's an easy way out of her loneliness.
  

• Her abuser is arrested.
  

• She's told she'll get promoted after all.
  

• She's told not to worry her pretty little head because it's all over now.
  

• She's told she really is valued and was just imagining things.
  

Often this false sense of security is conveyed in a montage or scene sequence showing happiness and hope.

The hero relaxes a bit and possibly takes a chance she shouldn't take. The villain watches from afar laughing, scheming and waiting.

Supporting characters want to take her home. They're afraid if she breaks out of the mold they're all in, what will become of them. Their world will have to change, too, if she's successful. “What will become of us if she is able to leave?” they think. “We'll have no excuses left of our own to stay in our own perfect worlds.”

She may meet someone else who seems worse off then her. She may help this person thinking the reason she's here is to help others. She doesn't have to go through it, but soon she'll realize the only way out is through her own pain.

Examples of Stage 5

Inanna meets Ereshkigal, the dark goddess, and cries with her, sharing her tears as part of the funeral rites she came to witness. She thinks she's successful that Ereshkigal welcomes her and since she is the only one ever to meet Ereshkigal in person and survive. She feels safe.

Dorothy stepped into the light, made it through the poisoned poppy field and now stands at the gate of Oz — they made it! They're granted entrance and are treated like royal guests.

Rose gets on a lifeboat, thinking Jack will be able to get on his own boat after her. It seems as if they'll both survive this ordeal, but she has her doubts.

Edna's husband leaves on a business trip and sends the kids to their grandparents' house. Edna is alone, quiet and content. She makes new friends and does new things. She wins money at the races and meets a new man named Arobin.

She decides to move into a smaller house by herself. She wants to be self-sufficient, no longer her husband's possession.

Lester seems happy for the first time in his life. He jogs and is in shape. He gets a chance to sleep with the young girl he fantasizes about but he makes the honorable decision to turn her down. He seems to have gotten his act together.