Last week we discussed your character’s subjective image of himself, and now I want to talk about how and when to expose your character’s core self. We all have an ideal self-image we try to portray to the world, but in moments of high pressure, the truth will slip out. For your characters, that moment should occur in the book (if not, you don’t have enough conflict and tension in the story yet).
The Moment Of Truth
Everyday your character will get up and attempt to be the person he believes he should be. He’ll use his intelligence, moral compass, and strength to reach for that ideal self-image. But despite his preparation, his courage, and his convictions, he won’t be able to control his instincts when faced with intense stress. His mind will fail, and his emotions will run him. Will he give his life to save another person? Can he keep silent against injustice when it’s self-serving? Will he take the easy path to his goal even if it’s wrong? Sometimes, in the moment of truth, he’ll prove he is exactly what he projects to the world. Other times, he’ll show he’s only a hypocrite.
How To Reveal The Character’s Core
The easiest way to show your character’s true colors is by giving him a choice on how to achieve his goal. One option will be an easy yet wrong path, and the other will be a harder yet right path. The wrong or right options don’t have to be linked to morals but to whatever lesson your protagonist needs to learn (or the good trait they are trying to portray to the world). If the character is striving to be an honorable man, you create a choice between goodness and self. If the character sacrifices goodness to get what he wants, the reader will see his selfish core. But make a character sacrifice his wants for the greater good, and readers will see him as virtuous. One simple decision under pressure, and the character reveals his core.
As an example, let’s say our character is a reporter and has spent the whole book hating his ex-wife. He only talks negatively about her, he goes out of his way to make her life miserable, and he is constantly dating other women. One day, he’s on his way to a big interview that could jump start his whole career, but his ex-wife calls him crying. Her mom’s in the hospital with very little time to live, and she can’t get a ride there. She asks him to take her. His assistant offers to take her to the hospital for him, or he could skip the interview and be there for his ex-wife. Time’s ticking. His ex is sobbing, and his boss is yelling at him to get moving. He must decide. It’s tense and emotional, and he acts on instinct. He goes to his ex-wife. In that moment of truth, he reveals his core: she still cares for her.
When To Reveal The Character’s Core
When you reveal the character’s core depends on which character it is. Some characters’ reveals will have a bigger effect at the midpoint, others at the climax. Let’s look at the top character types and when their reveals would make the biggest impact.
Protagonists
The protagonist is your main character, and you want her internal arc to carry the whole story. The climax is when the stakes are the highest and the pressure should reveal the character’s true core. If you’re writing a character’s positive change arc, this is the place for the protagonist to rise and prove she is worthy at her core. However, if you have a negative change arc, this will be where the character proves she is not honorable and falls short. Some protagonists will have their cores revealed slightly before the climax, but generally they are as close to the climax as possible.
Let’s use the book Shadow and Bone as an example. Warning, there will be some spoilers. The protagonist, Alina, has her reveal right before the climax. Her situation is unique because the magic amplifier she wears at the climax actually influences her so the moment when she is truest to herself is before the climax when she isn’t wearing the amplifier yet. She is hunting a stag, and, if she kills it, her power will be amplified enough to maybe defeat the antagonist. Yet when she has the chance to kill the animal, she can’t do it. She knows the world is in danger, she and her lover might even die, but she can’t take an innocent life. Her core self won’t let her.
Antagonists
The antagonist is the person working against your protagonist. He isn’t the star of the story, but he is just as important. When to reveal his core will depend on what kind of story you’re telling. You can reveal the antagonist’s true self as soon as the first pinch point so the readers know exactly what kind of evil the protagonist will be fighting the whole book. Or, if you want to keep the antagonist a secret for a while, you can reveal his core at the midpoint as a plot reveal. Another way you can reveal his core would be near the climax. That timing is especially effective if you want to keep the antagonist’s true nature in doubt up until the end. Perhaps the protagonist thinks she can sway him to her side, and it isn’t until the last possible moment that we know if he will choose good or evil.
Back to our example of Shadow and Bone, the antagonist’s core is revealed at the second pinch point. Part way between the midpoint and the climax, we discover the one we’ve been trusting is actually the villain. Alina is told the truth, but it isn’t until we see the antagonist next that the moment has come. The Darkling kills the innocent stag and threatens to torture Alina’s lover unless she does as she’s told. When push came to shove and his plan almost unravels, he resorts to violence to get what he wants.
Side Characters
There are several different types of side characters you can have in your story, such as sidekick, contagonist, love interest, etc. These characters won’t typically have a major scene where they reveal their core self, but there are times they will still need that moment of truth for your story to work. Side characters who need a moment of truth are those who start on one side but switch to the opposing side by the book’s end. This reveal will typically happen at the midpoint or one of the major plot points after it.
In Shadow and Bone, there are numerous side characters. Genya is introduced as a sidekick, a friend to Alina who helps her adjust to life as Grisha. Yet after the antagonist reveals his core, we learn that Genya is really a henchman working for the villain. There are moments of doubt though. Alina isn’t sure if Genya is really on the Darkling’s side or hers. At the climax, Alina finds a way to escape the antagonist and offers to take Genya with her. As people die and chaos reigns, Genya has her moment of truth. She rejects Alina’s offer and remains with the Darkling.
Final Thoughts
When tension and emotions are high, the truth will come out. Your book should always have a moment of truth where you reveal your protagonist’s core self. Depending on the number of POVs and your story’s length, you could have three or more reveals about other characters. Just remember, the bigger the character’s role in the story, the stronger the scene needs to be when the true self is revealed.
Thanks for reading!
Write a tale
Leave a trail
0 Comments