Key Point: True character change involves a challenging and changing of basic beliefs, leading to new moral action by the hero.
self-knowledge
[ self-nol-ij, self– ]
noun
knowledge or understanding of oneself, one’s character, abilities, motives, etc.
Look! A learning moment. Take advantage and take notes. Anyway, what you need to know, for yourself and your characters, is self-knowledge boils down to your/their beliefs about the world, its issues and about yourself/himself/herself/ themselves. This is the ideal they carry of what makes a good life and what they are willing to do to get it. Now, these beliefs can be a simple or as complex as you wish. Your character needs to stand on one side of the issue. Your story could revolve around that very belief changing for them to step over that imaginary line and side with those they didn’t before. Yay! Growth! Or they could become further grounded in their belief. Now, make them take some moral steps to prove their stance.
I hate to use this but…Lord Damp Nut (Trump) Supporters. I do not and will never understand their belief system, but THEY believe it with intense conviction. They are willing to show it in any way available. Your character needs this same level of conviction in their belief or in finding their own truth.
My deepest conviction is coffee is cheaper than bail, and me having said coffee has saved many lives. Let’s go refill those empty cuppas and grab us some nibbles. Mine will be a couple maple sausage links that the Hubs made for breakfast this morning. Yum. He loves me. I know he does. Grab something to satisfy your tummy and meet me out on the reading rug with your copy of The Anatomy of Story by John Trudy. We are on page 80 at the moment. Come, read along. To do so you must buy a copy. Today. Now. We’ll wait. Well, not really, but you get the point.
Mr. Trudy is going to give us…er… (reads ahead) …6! Six common character changes we see in literature. He isn’t limiting us to these 6 but wants us to learn from them so we can design a strong story and moral shift in our own works.
#1. Child to Adult: This is known as the coming-of-age storyline. Sadly, many assume this is the story of the first sexual experience. It can be, but why? Argh. Some of the best are stories like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Sixth Sense, Big, Good Will Hunting, and my all-time fav- Stand by Me. These are true stories of change. The characters were placed in challenging moments that would forever impact their lives.
#2. Adult to Leader: This is the type of story where your MC realizes they need a better path in life, and in turn, tries to help others find the same path. These are stories like The Lion King, Dances with Wolves, Hamlet, Saving Private Ryan, and yet another favorite- Braveheart.
#3. Cynic to Participant: This is the character that has everything but over time sees that he/she/they can help so many others with their skills. The examples Mr. Trudy gave are Han Solo from Star Wars, and Casablanca. My example: Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.
#4. Leader to Tyrant: Trump. Not all leaders change for the good and we have a real-life version of that right here and right now. Now there are examples in the world of literature and movies- A Few Good Men, The Godfather, and Macbeth. But what better example than one you can watch on the news today. Disgusting.
#5. Leader to Visionary: A character goes from helping a few to seeing how their ideas could help the greater good. These tend to fall into religious types of storylines. The Moses story has been adapted in a multitude of ways for just this purpose. For example, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the character Roy has visions of a mountain which he creates out of mashed potatoes. I love that scene. He finds and climbs the mountain in his visions and sees the future of our universe in the form of a spaceship. Yes, I love this movie too.
One of the problems with this storyline is making sure you show your readers how your MC is becoming said visionary. Don’t get stuck in the rut wear you settle for your MC seeing a bright light near the end and filling in the blanks that way. This can work in some stories, but if you pay attention to those that use this tactic, it is because they didn’t developed the advancement of the visionary.
#6. Metamorphosis: This one is easy to use in horror, superhero, fairy tale, and intense psychological dramas. Your MC may go under an intense transformation in these storylines. In these instances, your character may turn into another person, animal, or thing.
This is aa radical change from who they were to begin with. It is assumed they were weak or frail and change into something stronger or with powers. This can be a good or bad thing based on the direction you take it. Hero or villain. We aren’t just talking superhero type stories. No. You could have a character move from one place to another and completely change who they are. The MC could suffer a mental break and become different that way.
Horror movies referenced are: The Fly, The Wolf Man, and Wolfen – the original of one of these is, yes, a fav of mine. Can you guess which one it is?
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I have decided that once we are finished with this gem, I will be going into formatting, self-publishing, and how to do it.
Polish your sparkle and keep twirling.
Find joy. Be joy. Enjoy.
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