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| Janalyn Voigt |
It’s always darkest before the dawn. A wise writer proves out this proverb and leads the main character by steps to a “black moment,” a time when despair wins the day and lies seem true. Formidable obstacles stand in the way of ever obtaining the desired goal, and all hope dies. Defeat seems eminent, even inevitable.
The black moment in Gone with the Wind, comes when Scarlett returns from the burning of Atlanta. She has been through many hardships, having delivered a baby, escaped in a rough cart, and endured Rhett’s abandonment just when she needed him most. She comes home to find her mother has died and her father is out of his wits. The slaves, much of Tara’s finery, and the life she knew, are all gone. Starving, she devours a lone radish she finds in the vegetable garden. But she can’t hold it down.
To bring about your main character’s black moment, you must determine his or her proficiencies and ruthlessly shatter them. This causes the reader to worry, which brings about engagement and leads to page turning.
Here are Scarlett’s proficiencies and her losses:
· Her ability to win a man: Rhett leaves her.
· Her father’s support : He can no longer take care of her.
· Her mother’s nurture: Her mother is dead.
· Her sister’s support: They are both ill with fever.
· Her home: Tara, ravaged by war, will never be the same.
· Her position: Her world has changed completely. Scarlett will never be a pampered Southern Belle again.
· Her power: All but two slaves are gone.
· Her self-reliance: She can’t even nourish herself.
Action Step
Determine your main character’s proficiencies and decide how you will take them away to create a gripping black moment.
Thanks for reading. I hope you can take a moment to comment. Stop by next week to read how the black moment leads to the epiphany.
© 2011 Janalyn Voigt
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