TECH: Truby’s 22 Steps, 19-22

[mbarker]

Original posting 2022/3/9

And the last of the bunch! Climax (or battle), what does it mean?, what am I going to do now? and where are we now? All from  https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

19. Battle
During the battle, the goals of the protagonist and the opponent should be crystal clear. There should be no confusion about what each side is fighting for. The story’s plot and subplots usually converge of this point. The winner of the battle achieves their goal.

My comment: The climax, the face-off between the hero and the villian, the final showdown. This is where the whole plot has been aiming, now make it come alive!

20. Self-revelation
The moment after the battle where the protagonist comes to a deeper understanding of their self and what they fought for and perhaps won. The revelation should be meaningful and life-altering. Show, don’t tell, what the protagonist learned/understood. The revelation can be moral and/or psychological.
At the same time, and usually surprising the audience, the opponent can have a change of heart through the protagonist’s revelation.

My comment: Okay, so here the protagonist sees what they have done to themselves, and what they have done, in this story. Final revelation, as the battle fades away...

21. Moral decision
The moral decision is the course of action that the protagonist will take once the self-revelation happens. The protagonist, if that’s the route they’re going for, can even choose to dismiss the moral and/or psychological revelations. It is through the moral decision that the audience learns what the protagonist is truly ‘made of.’

My comment: Now that the hero knows themselves, what are they going to do? What are they planning to do with the rest of their life?

22. New equilibrium
The new stasis in the story world. The ‘new normal’ the protagonist lives in once the goal has been achieved or lost.
 
My comment: And what about the world around them? Has it changed? What happens to it in the aftermath of that battle?

So, we have the battle, and the results of that, both for the protagonist now and in the future, and for the world around them. 

It's interesting that these 22 steps really don't say much about the plot. There's a lot of reflection on the character, the setting or world, and so forth, and on how the revelations of the story affect the character.

Go ahead. Make Truby's steps your own! Take your work in progress, and see how these steps fit your work. Make some notes about the things that don't quite fit, too. And think about whether you want to incorporate some of these steps in your process, your outlining, or whatever.

Write?