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writercises Original Posting April 19, 2019
"Every great ending is a Final Battle inside or outside the main character. Sometimes a mixture of both."So, in Act I, we had Disturbance and Trouble Brewing to kick off the action and warn us that the final battle was ahead. In Act II, we had The Kick in the Shins to remind us, and the Mirror Moment when the main character really decides they have to do it. The Doorway of No Return #2 slammed shut behind us, Mounting Forces gathered, Lights Out made us sweat, the Q Factor gave us hope, and now…The Final Battle!Okay, so this is the focus of Act III, the ending or resolution of the whole story. Outside? We're looking at physical forces. Big or little, will the main character have the courage to fight? Will they win? Inside? A psychological battle! Will the Lead have the courage to be transformed?So why do we have this piece here? Well, this is the point of the story, what everything leads up to. It's the resolution, the satisfaction, the completion. The Final Battle is what makes the story happen.James gives us a hint. Go back and look at your Mirror Moment. If it was a "I'm going to die" moment, the Final Battle is likely to be physical. If it's "Who am I and what have I become?" Then the Final Battle is likely to be interior, a dilemma, psychological.And, we have a reminder. The arc of the story is a quest for courage. If it's courage to fight overwhelming odds, the Final Battle is against outside forces. If it's the moral courage to do the right thing, then the Final Battle is against inside forces. Don't forget you might have a tragedy, where the main character loses and dies (physical death!), or doesn't do what's right and dies professionally or psychologically. (I have to admit, I'm a Disney kid, I love a happy ending, though!)It seems to me that part of the trick to getting this right is really going back and looking at what you have promised in all the other pieces. Remember those pieces I mentioned at the start? Make sure that The Final Battle lives up to all those. Yes, it's a battle, so you can have loose ends and chaos, but… Try to take care of the issues you raised in those other parts. Of course, some people start by outlining or even writing up this part first, and then make the rest of the story match up with it.
"Every great ending is a Final Battle inside or outside the main character. Sometimes a mixture of both."So, in Act I, we had Disturbance and Trouble Brewing to kick off the action and warn us that the final battle was ahead. In Act II, we had The Kick in the Shins to remind us, and the Mirror Moment when the main character really decides they have to do it. The Doorway of No Return #2 slammed shut behind us, Mounting Forces gathered, Lights Out made us sweat, the Q Factor gave us hope, and now…The Final Battle!Okay, so this is the focus of Act III, the ending or resolution of the whole story. Outside? We're looking at physical forces. Big or little, will the main character have the courage to fight? Will they win? Inside? A psychological battle! Will the Lead have the courage to be transformed?So why do we have this piece here? Well, this is the point of the story, what everything leads up to. It's the resolution, the satisfaction, the completion. The Final Battle is what makes the story happen.James gives us a hint. Go back and look at your Mirror Moment. If it was a "I'm going to die" moment, the Final Battle is likely to be physical. If it's "Who am I and what have I become?" Then the Final Battle is likely to be interior, a dilemma, psychological.And, we have a reminder. The arc of the story is a quest for courage. If it's courage to fight overwhelming odds, the Final Battle is against outside forces. If it's the moral courage to do the right thing, then the Final Battle is against inside forces. Don't forget you might have a tragedy, where the main character loses and dies (physical death!), or doesn't do what's right and dies professionally or psychologically. (I have to admit, I'm a Disney kid, I love a happy ending, though!)It seems to me that part of the trick to getting this right is really going back and looking at what you have promised in all the other pieces. Remember those pieces I mentioned at the start? Make sure that The Final Battle lives up to all those. Yes, it's a battle, so you can have loose ends and chaos, but… Try to take care of the issues you raised in those other parts. Of course, some people start by outlining or even writing up this part first, and then make the rest of the story match up with it.