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writercises Original Posting 2/21/2020
(Whoops! There's a couple more chapters in the Positive Change Arc... so here we go again!)Deep breath! In Chapter 12, Weiland turns to the third act! Time to heat everything up and go for the gusto! Conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist, a major confrontation! But what's happening inside?That last plot point bushwhacked him, and made him really face up to what's going on here, showed the Lie and the Truth, and showed him that he really believes the Truth. What he Wants? Hey, that may have gotten lost completely. But... he did the right thing, he knows it's right, and... here come consequences!Weiland assures us that the third act is a scramble to get back in balance before running into the climax. But the interior battle is to decide if the Truth is really worth it.Weiland picks out four road signs, or landmarks, for the character arc in the third act. The first one needs to start right after the third plot point, and the last one needs to come just before the climax, but the others will be spread and grow in the first half of the third act.First, up the stakes! You had a scene in the third plot point where the character found out the cost of the truth. Here, the character reacts to that. And the stakes go up! Add problems, emotional, physical, whatever you can think of. You want to show the hero standing up despite the worst that can be thrown at him.Second, keep the character off balance. He needs to start seeing how the Truth gets into everything. So what are the little doubts and questions that he has?Third, prove the change in the character. Again and again, show us how they have changed! Let them reject the Lie physically.Fourth, and final, renew the attack on that new Truth, that new paradigm. Have someone, usually not the main antagonist, attack it! You want to really make the character fight against their own doubts and fears. And... here comes the climax!As usual, Weiland provides a list of question you can use to check the character arc in the third act.1 How does the hero react to the third plot point (or second doorway of no return)?2 How does embracing the Truth mess up the hero's life and pursuit of the plot goal?3 How are you going to up the stakes and force him into physical and emotional trouble?4 How do these problems make the character worry about whether or not the Truth really is the right answer?5 How does he push back those doubts and cling to the Truth?6 What doubts does the character still have about the Truth?7 How does inability to reject the Lie keep the hero from complete happiness?8 How are their attitudes and actions different in the third act than in the first act? How can you subtly reinforce these differences before hit climax?9 How are you going to test their devotion to the truth? Which character or situation will you use to temper or force your hero back to the Lie?The third act is where you can tie up loose ends in your story. For the character arc, that's mostly testing the new dedication to the Truth and showing more growth away from the Lie, in preparation for the Climax!This should be exciting and tense, but it's also the place where you finish setting everything up for the climax. Where we get the real character transformation!Exercise? Take a look at a book or story you really like, and what happens between the third plot point and the climax. Does it have Weiland's four signposts? How does it answer her questions?Get set! Climax next!
(Whoops! There's a couple more chapters in the Positive Change Arc... so here we go again!)Deep breath! In Chapter 12, Weiland turns to the third act! Time to heat everything up and go for the gusto! Conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist, a major confrontation! But what's happening inside?That last plot point bushwhacked him, and made him really face up to what's going on here, showed the Lie and the Truth, and showed him that he really believes the Truth. What he Wants? Hey, that may have gotten lost completely. But... he did the right thing, he knows it's right, and... here come consequences!Weiland assures us that the third act is a scramble to get back in balance before running into the climax. But the interior battle is to decide if the Truth is really worth it.Weiland picks out four road signs, or landmarks, for the character arc in the third act. The first one needs to start right after the third plot point, and the last one needs to come just before the climax, but the others will be spread and grow in the first half of the third act.First, up the stakes! You had a scene in the third plot point where the character found out the cost of the truth. Here, the character reacts to that. And the stakes go up! Add problems, emotional, physical, whatever you can think of. You want to show the hero standing up despite the worst that can be thrown at him.Second, keep the character off balance. He needs to start seeing how the Truth gets into everything. So what are the little doubts and questions that he has?Third, prove the change in the character. Again and again, show us how they have changed! Let them reject the Lie physically.Fourth, and final, renew the attack on that new Truth, that new paradigm. Have someone, usually not the main antagonist, attack it! You want to really make the character fight against their own doubts and fears. And... here comes the climax!As usual, Weiland provides a list of question you can use to check the character arc in the third act.1 How does the hero react to the third plot point (or second doorway of no return)?2 How does embracing the Truth mess up the hero's life and pursuit of the plot goal?3 How are you going to up the stakes and force him into physical and emotional trouble?4 How do these problems make the character worry about whether or not the Truth really is the right answer?5 How does he push back those doubts and cling to the Truth?6 What doubts does the character still have about the Truth?7 How does inability to reject the Lie keep the hero from complete happiness?8 How are their attitudes and actions different in the third act than in the first act? How can you subtly reinforce these differences before hit climax?9 How are you going to test their devotion to the truth? Which character or situation will you use to temper or force your hero back to the Lie?The third act is where you can tie up loose ends in your story. For the character arc, that's mostly testing the new dedication to the Truth and showing more growth away from the Lie, in preparation for the Climax!This should be exciting and tense, but it's also the place where you finish setting everything up for the climax. Where we get the real character transformation!Exercise? Take a look at a book or story you really like, and what happens between the third plot point and the climax. Does it have Weiland's four signposts? How does it answer her questions?Get set! Climax next!