I don’t do character charts. They are the opposite of helpful for me.
Instead, whenever I endeavor to begin a new story, I sit down, write the protagonist”s back story, and thanks to Jeff Gerke and now, Lisa Cron, I search for….
A dark, significant moment from the character’s past
This could be anything….
As a child, the character could catch his mom having an affair.
She could discover she was an “oops” baby while eavesdropping.
Bullies might call her ugly or fat or any other mean thing bullies like to say.
Whatever moment we choose, it should lead to…
A false belief
The character who caught his mom having an affair might believe that only fools fall in love.
The character who eavesdropped might believe she’s a mistake or a burden.
The character who was bullied might believe she’s unlovable when she’s herself.
This false belief results in…
A debilitating fear
The character is afraid of opening his heart to a woman.
The character is afraid of being a burden to her parents.
The character is afraid of rejection.
This fear gives rise to what craft book writers refer to as…
The fatal flaw
Otherwise known as the knot or internal issue. Basically, it’s any practice or habit or personality trait that shields the character from the fear, but will ultimately lead to his or her death. Whether that death be physical, emotional, spiritual, social, or psychological.
The character pushes women away, because that way he’ll never find himself in the same position as his father all those years ago.
The character is an overachiever, because enough success will make up for being a mistake.
The character starves herself and acts like the popular kids, because that way, she won’t be rejected.
Once we’ve decided, we should remember to….
Let the fatal flaw steer the plot.
Each conflict should rub against it. Jeff Gerke calls this the escalating arms race–where external forces continually and more aggressively challenge the protagonist’s old way of doing things. In return, the protagonist holds on to the old way even tighter. Because that knot is important. Take it away and our character will have to face his fear.
Which is the crux of the story, isn’t it?
As much as we might say story is about achieving a goal, it’s really about facing fear. Ironically enough, the very thing the character has been avoiding or flat-out fighting (facing that fear) is exactly what the character needs to accomplish the sought-after goal.
Let’s Talk: What false beliefs have you held onto in the past? What fears have you had to face?
In my debut novel, my protagonist definitely has a dark, defining moment (hello, prologue) in her past that leads to false beliefs and fears and a fatal flaw that she must overcome. If you’d like to give the book a try, you can read the first three chapters for free here.
If I haven’t already sent you a welcome packet, I’d love to! Sign up buttons are at the top and bottom of this page.
Chin-Grabbers for Everyone:
I was composing a tweet recently and typed, “All the rage”