What is the premise?
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| 14. Apparent Defeat During the drive, the hero is losing to the opponent. About two-thirds to three-quarters of the way into the story, the hero suffers an apparent defeat. He believes he has lost the goal and his opponent has won. This is the hero's lowest point. The apparent defeat provides an important punctuation to the overall structure of any story because it is the moment when the hero hits bottom. It also increases the drama by forcing him to comeback from defeat to win at the end. Just as any sporting event is more exciting when the losing home team comes back to win, so is a story when a hero the audience loves battles back from what seems like certain defeat. KEY POINT The apparent defeat is not a small or temporary setback. It should be an explosive, devastating moment for the hero. The audience must really feel that the hero is finished. KEY POINT You wantonly one apparent defeat. Although the hero can and should have many setbacks, he should have only one moment that clearly seems to be the end. Otherwise, the story will lack shape and dramatic power. To seethe difference, think of a car barreling down a hill and either going over two or three nasty bumps or smashing into a brick wall. Casablanca Rick's apparent defeat occurs fairly early in the drive when Ilsa visits him after the bar closes for the night. Drunk, he remembers their romance in Paris and the terrible ending when she failed to show up for the train. When she tries to explain what happened, he bitterly attacks her and drives her away. 15. Second Revelation and Decision Obsessive Drive, Changed Desire and Motive Just after the apparent defeat, the hero almost always has another major revelation. If he doesn't, the apparent defeat is real, and the story is over. So at this point, the hero gets anew piece of information that shows him that victory is 30 still possible. Now he decides to get back into the game and resume his quest for the goal. This major revelation has a galvanizing effect on the hero. Where before he wanted the goal (desire and drive, now he is obsessed with it. The hero will do virtually anything to win. In short, at this point in the plot, the hero becomes tyrannical in his quest to win. Notice that while he is strengthened by this information, he is also continuing the moral decline he began during the drive. (This is another step in the moral argument of your story) This second revelation also causes the hero to change his desire and motive. Again the story turns in anew direction. Make sure that all five of these elements—revelation, decision, obsessive drive, changed desire, and changed motive—occur, or this moment will deflate and the plot will flag. Download 0.98 Mb. Share with your friends:
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