Comments on Dawn's Rise: Story Structure Part XI: Resurrection

@JD: In my latest WIP, my Hero pretty much goes ov...

2010-01-07T08:25:45.213-08:00

@JD: In my latest WIP, my Hero pretty much goes over to the Dark Side before she's resurrected..

@Cat: Do you read your own stuff? In "Treason", "...Missy plunged into the ocean and sank below the surface..." Umm...if you look at my comment above, I say "the MC will actually leave the screen for a moment" which is what happens with Missy. That's your Resurrection. Good job! :)

Oh, I know. I have those. They learn independenc...

2010-01-07T07:54:34.042-08:00

Oh, I know. I have those. They learn independence. They can stand up for themselves. They accept the way they are, flaws and all. Etc.... My characters have growth. I just don't know if they die and resurrect!

Who knows: )

Yes. The hero must change. You are so right. Hate ...

2010-01-07T04:28:43.103-08:00

Yes. The hero must change. You are so right. Hate that Know it All do it all character. So unable to relate. Find myself rooting for the bad guy just because his flaws are more relatable. Great post!

Thanks! @cat- what irreversible change hap...

2010-01-06T13:57:12.210-08:00

Thanks!

@cat- what irreversible change happens to your character during the story? What does he learn? What does he decide to do differently from now on? That's the essence of the Resurrection, the rebirth of the character into someone greater than what he started the book as. You can find it! :)
But before you answer, you might want to read next week's installment as well...

Wonderful point. I hate how it makes me really ...

2010-01-06T13:31:34.780-08:00

Wonderful point.

I hate how it makes me really think about my books! So afraid to fail and all. My brain just doesn't process books in such an abstract way. Maybe that's why my Honor's Professor got so frustrated with me...

I love that you're discussing the concepts in ...

2010-01-05T06:25:23.301-08:00

I love that you're discussing the concepts in the book from your own interpretation. I read this a few years back and really enjoyed it, and so this is a great reminder of the stages of the HJ!

Thanks so much!

Good point. The Hero must change. For sure. I love...

2010-01-04T20:34:11.224-08:00

Good point. The Hero must change. For sure. I love the example you used with the quarterback. I understand. This is the point too when the reader gets the impression that the Hero may loose too. But of course he/she wins in the end, and grows :o)

Great post!

You've made this section of the story much cle...

2010-01-04T18:39:32.215-08:00

You've made this section of the story much clearer to me. Thank you, thank you!

Yep, Villains, just Try Harder. They never think t...

2010-01-04T15:26:37.143-08:00

Yep, Villains, just Try Harder. They never think to themselves, "hey, maybe I should just stop being such a dick and then maybe people will like me." They just think, "I really need to be more of a dick."

Interesting point about Death.
You can't have Resurrection without Death or some facsimile. In a lot of movies, the MC will actually leave the screen for a moment, with the audience not knowing if he's alive/dead/gone/in the potty. He is now in the Netherworld, in the Crucible of Change. When he returns, he is reborn. If anyone's seen Avatar, this moment is glaringly obvious.

But for your thoughts, here's an example. In Cars, this moment comes during the final race when a car crashes, and our Hero Lightning McQueen dies (stops the race and loses), has to travel into the Land of the Dead (goes off the track) and literally brings this car back to life to finish the race, and by doing so, resurrects himself. Nothing actually dies, except McQueen's dream of winning the Piston Cup. This was his Worst Fear, and after he faces it, he's changed.

Hmmm... The villian fails because they don't c...

2010-01-04T14:42:18.579-08:00

Hmmm... The villian fails because they don't change/grow like the hero does. What a great way to put it! And thinking of it that way is a cool technique to make sure you know what the villian wants and what makes him tick... Flushing out the villian to know those things will make for a much better story!

Also, I don't know if I think something close to the hero has to die for him to succeed... though perhaps it needs to at least SEEM like something close to him dies (be it a person/idea/etc)... as though he feels like he's lost everything/something significant...