Emotional Arc
The synopsis is finished. All the pieces came together at last. Somehow they always s
eem to do that about 2 a.m. I'm not sure why that is -- desperation, perhaps?
Or maybe it's just that the few brain cells I still have functioning at that point get right down to things and see with considerably clarity because none of the other fuzzy brain cells which would ordinarily be going, "What about this?" or "Have you thought of that?" are still awake.
Dunno. It's done, though. Great relief. And I think it works.
I re-read Noah Lukeman's chapter on The Journey in his book The Plot Thickens. It's another way of thinking about the emotional arc that a character takes from the beginning of the book to the end. He makes good distinctions between "surface journeys" and "profound journeys."
Surface journeys are what happens in the life of a person when they experience things like physical change, material gain or loss, friendship, enmity, or even romance. Those can change circumstances, but they may not have a real effect on who the person is. He or she may or may not change because of them.
It's the profound journeys that reflect change. They are the ones that may result from a surface journey, but they are much deeper. They change who a person is. And that's what I was dealing with last night.
I knew that what happened between Flynn and Sara six years ago had an effect on both their lives. It changed who they were. It actually changed Sara's life much more than it changed Flynn's. Her journey might even have been called profound. But it wasn't finished. It's still not finished.
But what happens to them both when they come together again has significant impact on both of them. It starts a surface journey -- a romance, a physical journey -- to Ireland, a change in life circumstances for both of them. But it's the inner journey that they both make that underpinned the whole synopsis, that is the story I'm telling in their book.
It was the last bit -- the change of mind and heart -- that I was struggling with at 2 a.m. I knew what had to happen. I just didn't know how. And I needed the story elements to tell me. Stripped to their basics, bless them, they did.
Remember when I talked about yesterday's distraction being today's inspiration. That's exactly, in the end, what happened. So all I can do is say, Thank you, James.
eem to do that about 2 a.m. I'm not sure why that is -- desperation, perhaps?Or maybe it's just that the few brain cells I still have functioning at that point get right down to things and see with considerably clarity because none of the other fuzzy brain cells which would ordinarily be going, "What about this?" or "Have you thought of that?" are still awake.
Dunno. It's done, though. Great relief. And I think it works.
I re-read Noah Lukeman's chapter on The Journey in his book The Plot Thickens. It's another way of thinking about the emotional arc that a character takes from the beginning of the book to the end. He makes good distinctions between "surface journeys" and "profound journeys."
Surface journeys are what happens in the life of a person when they experience things like physical change, material gain or loss, friendship, enmity, or even romance. Those can change circumstances, but they may not have a real effect on who the person is. He or she may or may not change because of them.
It's the profound journeys that reflect change. They are the ones that may result from a surface journey, but they are much deeper. They change who a person is. And that's what I was dealing with last night.
I knew that what happened between Flynn and Sara six years ago had an effect on both their lives. It changed who they were. It actually changed Sara's life much more than it changed Flynn's. Her journey might even have been called profound. But it wasn't finished. It's still not finished.
But what happens to them both when they come together again has significant impact on both of them. It starts a surface journey -- a romance, a physical journey -- to Ireland, a change in life circumstances for both of them. But it's the inner journey that they both make that underpinned the whole synopsis, that is the story I'm telling in their book.
It was the last bit -- the change of mind and heart -- that I was struggling with at 2 a.m. I knew what had to happen. I just didn't know how. And I needed the story elements to tell me. Stripped to their basics, bless them, they did.
Remember when I talked about yesterday's distraction being today's inspiration. That's exactly, in the end, what happened. So all I can do is say, Thank you, James.
posted by Anne McAllister at 12:27 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you James for being Anne's inspiration.
Anne- does this mean we'll see James's name on the dedications page.
Hi Christa,
You very well might see James's name there. On the other hand, my upcoming book had a dedication which got left out! So, even if I put it in there would be no guarantee it would show up.
We could hope, though!
ps: watch for the Santorini dedication in The Boss's Wife For A Week, where they assure me a variation of it has made the book. Don't know for sure though.
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