The Catholic Writers Guild

Act Two- is the mainstay of your novel. It is the ongoing, recurrent obstacles which your character faces on the journey to their destination or goal. In Act One we met the character. We watched as they either willingly or kicking and screaming left their comfort zone. We know the goal. It can be a physical,  emotional, spiritual, social or even a material goal.     Act Two is about the journey and reaching or failing the goal is all Act Three.

It’s all about the Journey – Why do you think a reader will read a 300 -600 word novel instead of a synopsis? In the synopsis, he would discover the beginning, the middle, and most importantly the ending of the story. It is because the plot or story is not about the ending or the destination, it is about the journey! There are different kinds of journeys. When I think about a journey my mind travels to certain stories. Bilbo and the Hobbit, Dorothy and the yellow brick road, Lassie and the journey home. Why are these stories so powerful. It is not about the journeys themselves but the changes that these journeys produce in the characters. Bilbo learns to love adventure instead of comfort. Dorothy learns to appreciate her home. Lassie finds her family and learns that perseverance pays off. The outward journey is just symbolic of the character’s inner journey. The plot or the story that your reader is interested in is the inner journey of the character. It may be positive or negative. But whatever it is, it is all about the transformation of your characters. There are many journeys that a character can take. Let’s examine them.

Emotional – Your character may never leave their setting. However, he or she takes an emotional journey that changes them. Do they fall in love? Does that love help them to overcome insecurities or fear? Or does it turn them into a stalker? A mother lies to herself. She denies that her son is a murderer, but as the evidence piles up, she has to face the truth. Does the truth destroy her? Or does she find peace in faith or in helping others? A child goes up in an abusive home and as a result is afraid of others. He hides behind a mask and becomes an actor. However, when fame strikes, he can no longer hide. Does he rise to the occasion, or become reclusive and paranoid? These are examples of what an emotional journey looks like. It is so powerful because most of us have experienced emotional journeys ourselves. It draws us into the plot. We hang on every line wondering what will become of the character and his transformation.

Physical – Your character can make a physical journey. He may be an immigrant or be kidnapped. She could be a refugee. He may join the service and go to war. He may get an assignment and move to another state. Or the physical journey may be more personal. She is an artist and goes blind. He loses his legs in Iraq. She is a model whose beauty is destroyed in a fire. He is a construction worker who loses his arm. She is a bullied high school student who loses an amazing amount of weight  during summer vacation. These are all physical journeys but it is not about the surface story. The plot is about how the character deals with the change. Do they grow or deteriorate. How are they transformed.

Spiritual – Although our world seems to be in denial about the importance of faith it is a powerful part of who we are. One of the most powerful journeys that a character can make is a spiritual one. A faithful Hasidic woman gets a badly needed job outside the community and falls in love with her Muslim boss. Does she leave her community or deny her feelings? A Born – again Christian travels to India and while learning the culture becomes a Hindu. How does he deal with his wife and his children. Will he go along with family and deny his new beliefs or make a break  from country and family. Or how about  a terrorist who is committed to his cause. Undercover in an ‘enemy’ country, he learns to love the principles of the land. When it is time for him to bomb or kill, what does he do? Spiritual journeys can be the most powerful as they cause deep struggles within the character. Again, it is about the character and how the journey changes him.  

Social – A change in social status is a journey that can transform a character negatively or positively. He gets the promotion he has always dreamed of, but does the long hours at work keep him from home and destroy his children? She buys the lottery ticket and becomes an instant millionaire. Does she hoard her money or give it away? Does she know who her real friends are? How does the money change her? He gets caught embezzling and evading taxes. He is instantly plunged into poverty and disgrace. Does his family desert him? Does he become honest? She deserts her true love for a rich man. Does she regret her decision, or does she learn to live with it. Again, it is not about the social change, it is about how the character deals with it.

Material – An actual change in the character’s surroundings can trigger a journey. His house burns down, does he rebuild or kill the fireman who refused to  save it?  He loses his family in an earthquake. What does he find as he searches for his wife and children? Does he find faith or despair? A child loses his parents. Does he adjust to his new life or become bitter? Again it is not about the material change but how the character responds to it.

So Plot is all about the journey, not the destination. Try to reflect on the types of journeys you have had in your own life. We are all on a journey to another and eternal life. How are your travels? What road are you on?

Karen Kelly Boyce lives on a farm in NJ with her retired husband Michael. She has two grown children and two grandchildren. She is an award-winning novelist and writes a children’s series for Chesterton Press