Call it Research: A Movie with Character

So, yesterday I had one of my "crawling out from under the rock I've been living under" days.  For me, that usually means it's the end of a semester and I'm feeling like I'm down to my last few brain cells.  I just want to be entertained!  I could read, but usually I want a movie.  I got lucky and found "The Next Three Days," with Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks.

What a surprise -- in a great way!  I don't think I've watched a movie that had such a complete arc for the hero's journey for some time.  One other example I thought fit this characteristic was "The Firm."  That movie also inspired a blog on Action Scenes where I explored proactive and reactive types of action.

The movie "The Next Three Days"is another hero's journey wrapped up (or rather unwrapped) in an action thriller.

Don't Rush It...

My work in progress is getting some rearranging in the middle. I've been realizing that the heroine is not angry...yet. The hero hasn't spilled the beans on what makes her angry...yet.

What I'm discovering is there is more to be added before I get to these emotions. As there should be! My word count is pitiful and my muse has been fickle. It's been a hard thing to remember that writing while uninspired will still result in building blocks created. I've forced myself to write and discovered some scenes to bridge the gap.

Padding a scene is one thing, but there's only so much padding that can be done when emotions jump. There is still a big, missing chunk. How do the hero and heroine get from grief to anger? I've really had to think about how the emotions would transition. Imagine you've been reunited with someone you've loved and lost. How much emotion would you suppress after the initial relief? Would you walk on eggshells for a while? Would you try to maintain a status quo? Is there even room for humor and happiness in between the grief and anger?

That's where my hero and heroine are emotionally in the middle phase of the book. Before the plot begins to roll along to solving the big mystery, they need a time out. The danger can't be forgotten, but it needs to be held at bay. (A restraining order literally came to mind!) In the interim, the hero and heroine have an interlude. A brief period of time when they deal with the status quo of their new reality.

It's quite fun, actually, in a dark humor sort of way. The hero is a ghost, so imagine the adjustment for the heroine. Does she have a need to treat him like he's real? Does she hold the door open? Does she cringe if someone sits where he's sitting? Does she have to tell him to 'shut up' when he's interrupting her conversations with 'real' people? How does a 'real' person react and how does she cover? (This gets tricky!) It's an opportunity for humorous situations but with tension of both internal and external conflicts lingering. What would she do to maintain the status quo of this new reality?

So, I have a big chunk of middle transition. Then, the status quo is shattered.

Do you have a status quo in your middle? Have you tried to rush things?