Advanced Brilliant Writing: Make Your Plots Wider and Your Characters Deeper (Go! Write Something Brilliant) (5 page)

Nevertheless, as they sit in this darkness, they’ll need to search for truth, the
light
so to speak. They’ll be looking for an
Epiphany
. . . .which is the next stage of character growth. The Epiphany should be a truth, a realization, and something that touches the core of their beliefs and changes them.

The key here is to create a Black Moment that assaults their values—what they believe about themselves.

For example, in my book
Nothing But Trouble
, PJ Sugar believes that she is faulty, that she just can’t help but get into trouble. And, I confirm that in her Black Moment by accusing her of a crime she didn’t commit, although all signs point to her guilt. Not only that, but because of her actions, her nephew’s life is in danger, and the man she loves believes that she is guilty. She realizes that she has to stop believing she is flawed, and start living in the truth – that she’s exactly who she should be, and spiritually, God delights in her, despite her cracks. She has an entire paradigm shift, which allows her to see herself and the world differently.

My Book Therapy partner Rachel Hauck recently wrote a book called
The Sweet By and By
. Her character Jade has to realize that a choice she made as a teen, and which has tainted her life since, was
her
choice. Not her mother’s choice. Not made because of others’ pressures—it was her decision. She feels if she admits it, she has betrayed her last port of call, her last safe haven. It’s not easy to turn on yourself. But she cannot move on with her life without facing her sin.

The Black Moment is a combination of a repeat (in some way) of this darkest moment, and the lie becoming so huge it feels overwhelming.

For example, Jerry Shaw, based on his childhood memories with his brother, believes that he can never measure up. And he’s lived his life based on this lie. In his darkest moment, he believes that not only will he not measure up to his brother, the hero, but he, in fact, will become the most hated man in America, an assassin.

In
The Patriot,
Benjamin Martin believes that there is no honor in war, and that the sins of his past (when he committed a brutal crime in the French-American war) would repay him in some way. When Gabriel, his oldest son, dies (the second of his sons to die), he believes this lie to be true.

Of course, in
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,
the lie is that Frodo can overcome the power of the ring. And the Black Moment is when he rips it from his neck and puts it on his finger and then gets his finger bit off, only to be left dangling off the cliff, ready to be lost forever.

In short: You want to devastate your character and bring them to their knees. A Black Moment has to come out of the character’s journey. Make it sincere to your character and the story. Don’t come up with a Black Moment so dark it doesn’t resonate with your character. Hence, the key to finding your character’s black moment is to ask the following questions:

Book Therapist Question:

• What is the darkest moment in your character’s past—something that has changed them as a person?
  
• What did they learn from this dark moment?
  
• What lie do they believe as a result of that event, and how has this affected their life?
  

We have a Christmas tradition in our family that we started when the children were young. We do a jigsaw puzzle every holiday season. We started with a 30 piece puzzle.
Now that the kids are teenagers and adults we do 2000 piece puzzles. It’s a great feeling to put a puzzle together, to complete a section and see it come to life. But the best, the triumphant moment is hunting for a piece for hours, trying thousands . . . only to finally discover the right one. One of our sons has an “Aha!” dance he does, another taps the piece, making sure everyone knows of their triumph.

And when that piece completes a picture, it’s even more satisfying.

The
Epiphany
is the missing piece of the puzzle. It’s that recognition of some faulty belief or wrong action that has handicapped your character and then the realization of what I call the
Truth That Sets Them Free.

For Jerry Shaw, it’s the recognition that his brother trusted him all along, and the realization that being a hero just means doing the right thing.

For Benjamin Martin, it’s the recognition that Gabriel knew what he was fighting for—freedom—and never surrendered his honor (embodied in the flag he was sewing). He realizes that yes, he can fight with honor on the battlefield.

In Cellular,
Ryan recognizes that he no longer cares what his former girlfriend thinks of him. And it’s the realization that he is responsible—enough to save the heroine’s life.

In
Titanic,
it’s the recognition that Rose has survived, and the realization that she can live differently, free of who she is “supposed” to be, even without Jack.

In
You’ve Got Mail
, it’s the recognition by Kathleen Kelly that she has forgiven Joe Fox, despite the crimes he’s perpetrated by closing her store, and the realization that she wishes he might be the man on the other end of the computer.

How do you find the Epiphany Truth?

Go back to the construction of the Black Moment and ask specific questions.

Book Therapist Question:

• What can they look past and recognize?
  
• What can they look forward and realize? (Or: What Truth sets them free?)
  

What do I do now?

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.

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 not all right. And, although he doesn’t do a lot of soul-searching (because it’s a high action flick), we do see him shaken.

He has to confront the belief that he doesn’t know everything. That he can be wrong . . . but that it will still turn out okay. And then he
tests
this belief by going with the Russian captain who is on a mission to shoot his own man, which, militarily, makes no sense, while the
American
captain is forced to keep the sub from being blown up. (Again, making no sense).
But
, it does make sense within our character change grid. Instead of following his logic, which Jack Ryan must do, he has to trust his future to faith. To
hoping
he got it right, and trusting that everything will work out.

Or how about
Independence Day?
Remember the Black Moment in the aliens’ Mother Ship, when our heroes can’t disengage and fly away after uploading the virus?
They realize that they have to sacrifice their lives, and that it’s worth it. (Something that the scientist, David Levinson (played by Jeff Goldblum) wasn’t ready to do at the beginning of the movie). Only
then
are they willing to shoot off the nuclear rocket, and then race for their lives out of the ship (against all odds).

In some way, we need to see that our character is a
New Man
. . . and the best way to do this is to test him by making him fi
ght for the truth through:
Final Battle, Loss, Reminder, Victory.

The
Final Battle
is the final challenge they must face. Storming the castle, running after the girl, facing the villain—whatever they’ve been preparing for the entire book.

The
Loss
represents an obstacle in the way, some derailment of their quest—from a defeat to a death, but some element of loss. It can also occur when the “lie” attacks him a final time.

The
Reminder
is just that—a reminder of his Epiphany, the truth that has set him free, reminding him that he is a New Man. Your character grasps this Epiphany, this truth, and holds on for dear life, making it a part of him.

Finally, the
Victory
is the New Man changed, the accomplishment of his goals, and the happy ending.

So, let’s sum up the elements to illustrate the New Man:

• Final Battle
  
• Loss
  
• Reminder
  
• Victory
   
  

I like to use
The Patriot
because it is an actual battle, but that is the metaphor for the ending section of a story. See, armed with the
truth
, your New Man will face their last challenge. In that last challenge, they’ll come face to face with their former beliefs, or the lie, falter, and then forge ahead in victory.

In
The Patriot,
Martin’s militia is asked to fight on the line – fight honorably, and they rise to the challenge. But, as the battle ensues, they falter and begin to retreat. Martin, meanwhile, has in his sights Tavington—the man who killed both his sons. He is running forward to kill him when he realizes that his men are fleeing. So, he has to make a choice—does he go after Tavington, embracing revenge or help his men stay in the fight? The loss is the opportunity to face Tavington, but also the loss of the honor of his men. (And, the lie raises its ugly head)

Martin turns around and sees his men running and, in a very metaphorical moment, he throws down his weapon and grabs a flag (the truth!) Then he turns and calls his men back to action – choosing honor over revenge.

The Patriots surge over the hill, then of course, Benjamin is free to fight Tavington, having defeated the belief that he can’t fight honorably, and realizing he can choose honor over the bloodthirsty man he’d been.

In
Eagle Eye
, Jerry Shaw, dressed as a guard, breaks into the Senate chambers, intent on saving the life of the President. He realizes that he is powerless—the bomb is about to go off. In the final battle, he makes the choice to run into the fray, shouting. He looks around and realizes that he has to play the part of assassin in order to stop the attack, losing his honor and seeing the lie that he will never be a hero. But the reminder is that he knows that indeed, he’s a hero, someone just like his brother. So he climbs up on the desk, closes his eyes, (holding onto the truth!) and fires the gun over his head. And he earns a barrage of bullets.

But Jerry Shaw has saved the life of the president and the heroine’s son. Victory.

After your epiphany,
test
your New Man. Give him an opportunity to be the person he’s longed to be and your reader will cheer.

And it doesn’t hurt to let your hero get the girl in the end. It makes for the
Happily Ever After
we all long for.

Book Therapist Question:

• Do you have a New Man moment in your story?
  
• How can you build in the Final Battle, Loss, Reminder and Victory into your finale?
  
  • Final Battle
    
  • Loss
    
  • Reminder
    
  • Victory
    

So . . . there you have it, the process of character change for your character.

But how, you say, do you get your reader to fall in love with your character and believe in that change?

You have to make him reveal his heart . . . or, peel back his layers.

You’ve plotted your character’s emotional journey. Now how do you translate him onto the page without making feel like a plastic or cardboard cutout? How do you make a reader see your character as you do? How do you make your character come to life so that your reader cries with him, falls in loves with him, rejoices with him?

Remember the last time you fell in love? You saw him or her across the room, and something about their physical appearance intrigued you. It told you something about them—perhaps they were brave, or strong, or creative, or disheveled, or rough-edged. You probably noticed their mannerisms, maybe how they talked, how they smiled, how they handled themselves. Even before you met, their clothing and demeanor gave you a general impression about them.

Then you met them. You found out their name, where they were from. You saw how they treated the waitress, or the hotel clerk, or an employee. Perhaps you saw their habits, their music, their tastes in décor, their car. Hopefully, you also saw how they reacted to situations of joy or stress. This gave you a hint about their internal character, what they were good at, even hinted at their values.

After a first date, you might have discovered their life goals, and perhaps what he or she wants most right now. You maybe have talked about your childhood, or your dreams, and what struggles you have in finding them. You may have gotten a glimpse at a major event that shaped their lives. All of this revealed their purpose in life, the
Noble Cause
that drove them to make the choices they made.