Ascent to the Climax for Writer and Protagonist

I have the great pleasure of working with a writer who is as fascinating and inspiring as his story. 

The inspiration for his story hit about 15 years ago. He's been writing off and on. Well, more off than on... plagued with negative beliefs and internal antagonists and fear of the great unknown.

He signed up for on-going plot consultations and started showing up for himself. He crossed the threshold from the Beginning not only of his writer's journey into the Middle but also on the the story he wanted to craft, he moved from a few scenes in the Beginning to an actual writing discipline (meaning he shows up for his writing for a specific daily word count).

Next big step was writing the Crisis. That he did this week. He faced his greatest fear along with his protagonist. In so doing, both he and his character died to who they have always been. Truly. I hear the change in the energy of his voice. I sense the change in his focus and consistency by his success.

Starting today, he and his protagonist walk into who they are meant to be. 

He makes the ascent to the Climax for both himself and his protagonist. A time of great transformation. 

The true celebration is still several weeks away. Not until he finishes this first draft and his protagonist prevails in the Climax has he accomplished what he set out to do 15 years ago.

His journey and his progress thus far is huge. He and all of you out there living a writer's life are why I do what I do. As a writer crafts a story, you reinvent and revitalize your own life. Mine, too... Thank you....

5 Key Scenes

1. Scene, moment, conflict, dilemma, loss, fear, etc. that forces protagonist to take immediate action -- Inciting Incident
2. Scene or event that symbolizes the end of what was. The protagonist's goal shifts or takes on greater meaning and turns the story in a new direction, launching the character into the actual story world itself -- End of the Beginning (*)
3. The moment the protagonist consciously makes a total commitment to achieving her goal and does something that signifies she has burned all bridges back and thus can only go forward -- Halfway Point
4. Scene or event that symbolizes an all-is-lost moment -- Crisis (*)
5. Scene or event that, just as it looks as if all is permanently lost for the protagonist, she saves the day -- Climax (*)

Think of these 3-5 scenes/events as energetically holding more meaning and symbolism than the others.

Caution: Writing May be Hazardous to Your Health

Not every writer I work with admits to her flaw(s) but many do. The more prevalent flaws I encounter operate exactly like the protagonist's flaw in a story = the internal flaws of feeling not good enough, smart enough, or producing enough do more to sabotage the writer (and protagonist) from achieving her goals than any outside antagonist ever can.

Writers who have labored for years start when hopeful and stop when fraught with insecurity and fear (both of success and of failure). They do this over and over again. Sadly what often happens as they strive for their dreams with perseverance and determination is only to give up in the end.

Then there are the writers who find strength and determination not within their own personal power but with drugs and alcohol. These writers concern me the most because of my own demons I have struggled with over the years. 

These writers often start when sober and stop when the drugs and alcohol become more important than the writing. Often what triggers the angst is the writing itself. In supporting these writers through a writing project I am always asking myself if what I am doing is helpful or even healthy for an addict. 

Heavy-duty addicts in my experience are generally too sensitive for the world around them and they believe that being numb is the only way they can deal with life. In guiding these writers deeper into their writing projects, we wade deeper and deeper into the pain that first brought on their self-abuse through drugs and alcohol. 

Recently one writer kindly wrote to me: You keep coming up with new ways to help us poor struggling writers.

I try, yet still after all these years and all these writers I have worked with, I have not found a way to help a writer write about their nightmares without having them relive the pain as they write. Yes, if the writer can slog through the Middle and survive the Crisis, they come away not only better writers for it, they come out stronger in their own personal lives as well.

My only saving grace is the confidence I hold in the writers I work with and all those of you out there I will never have the honor of helping that you are better than the addiction and that you are strong enough to find solace in leaving the drama on the page. 

Scene Organization

Whether you like to work out the elements of your story on the page or are a pre-plotter, everyone benefits from a bit of periodic organization. 

See how many of the key scenes you can identify in the story you're imagining, writing, or perfecting:

1) Set-up: The set-up you create in the Beginning makes the journey the protagonist undertakes in the Middle feel inevitable. 

2) Inciting Incident: A moment, conflict, dilemma, loss, fear, etc. that forces the protagonist to take immediate action.

3) End of the Beginning: The protagonist's goal shifts or takes on greater meaning and turns the story in a new direction, launching the character into the actual story world itself.

4) Halfway Point: The moment the protagonist consciously makes a total commitment to achieving her goal and does something that signifies she has burned all bridges back and thus can only go forward. 

5) Crisis: The all-is-lost moment.

6) Climax: Just as it looks as if all is permanently lost for the protagonist, she saves the day.

For more on key scenes:

Beginning, Middle, End

Character Makes the Plot

Last night, I furiously jotted down notes during my book group's discussion of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Although I avoid reading and watching violence of any kind, I read this book like one possessed. For a couple of days I was addicted to Lisbeth and have thought of her often since then. 

Yes, there is an interesting mystery plot, historical plot, political plot, dramatic action plot, and possibly other ones as well, but what drew me in was Lisbeth's plot and ultimate transformation.

In the group, I asked why? What about this character drew us in so deeply and emotionally, especially since the protagonist has such a flat affect and shares so little of herself emotionally -- her internal landscape is essential bare.

The following are comments made by the other writers and one non-writer in the group (my personal thanks to each of you for contributing):

• Rarely in literature is there such an unusual female protagonist survivor with special needs (autistic / aspergers) and one who is so violent 
  
• She doesn't belly up and lay down and take the abuse inflicted upon her by a flawed system and pathological men. She fights back and wins
  
• She is young and strange and smarter and wiser than the men in the story
  
• When she is off the page, the story lags. As soon as she appears, the story picks up momentum
  
• She has been abandoned by everyone in her life, as a reader I couldn't abandon her, too.
  
• She starts out a victim but does not remain a victim
  
• Another reason the plot and this character work well together is that it shows good reversal of conflict: a "misfit" wins and the "powerful" loses
• Her visits to her mother show her humanity
  

Writers often encourage me to write a book on character to compliment the book I wrote on plot. I always explain that in my mind character is such a key element to plot that it is impossible to separate the two. Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple is based on the belief that plot is made up of dramatic action that overtime transforms the character (Character Emotional Development) to provide meaning (Thematic Significance). 

The End of the Beginning (1/4) of Lisbeth's inner plot line happens when her new guardian of the state changes the terms (1/4 mark in this book is page 161, merely twenty pages off the actual page count of 181).

At the Crisis (halfway point) for her inner plot, Lisbeth understands no one is going to save her. Only she can save herself and other women like her. In this scene, Larsson both foreshadows what is to come and also gives the character the insight for what is needed for her ultimate transformation. 

In the end, she is able to outwit the villain by standing in her true power. She is able to show her transformed self at the Climax because of the dramatic action that happens to her earlier in the story. 

Thematic significance statement: One person no matter how young or wounded is able with cunning and patience to conquer evil.