Story structure doesn’t have to be boring or legalistic. In fact, it’s vital for maximum reader engagement and emotional involvement. Story structure makes stories stronger.
Story elements we’ve covered in this series so far include the novel’s hook, inciting incident, key event, midpoint, and crossroads.
All of these elements help with building tension, raising stakes, and bringing us toward our story’s climax.
But before we get to the final showdown we first have the dark night of the soul.
This moment is crucial to fulfilling our story’s full potential and power.
The Dark Night of the Soul
What is it?
This is the moment toward the end of our story when all is lost.
This is when the protagonist has tried and failed, they are alone, and they are beat.
The dark night of the soul is when they think the story is over and there is no chance to win.
They are in an impossible situation with no way out.
Why does it matter?
The dark night of the soul is powerful because it takes our character (and us!) way past our comfort zone. The stakes are higher and more personal than we thought possible. Our emotions are all over the place.
We aren’t sure our hero can triumph.
(Spoiler alert: this will make our win later all the more powerful.)
What does it look like?
Everything has gone wrong for our hero and is worse than anyone thought was possible.
Think of the worst thing that could happen to your hero, do that, and then take it one step further. Evaluate the things our hero (and our readers) took for granted and take them away.
They may be deserted by friends and allies. Cut off from assistance. Their plans have been given to the enemy. They’ve declared their love and been ignored. Their dog is sick.
Anything they may have counted on should be challenged.
Beyond making the climax more meaningful in the end, the dark night of the soul is a powerful moment in and of itself.
This time when all is lost is a great chance to show how the protagonist has changed since the beginning of the story. It may also be used to reflect the story’s theme. Having a powerful thematic moment gives us an opportunity to elevate our story from being simply entertaining to being a deeper read about something that resonates and matters.
Forcing our character to experience a dark night of the soul leads them to yet another crossroads, where they must decide to move forward despite the fact that they may fail.
Our character must face themselves honestly. They must face defeat and decide to act anyway, thus (finally!) leading us into our climax.
For Further reading:
What’s the Dark Night Moment All About – Writers Helping Writers
Seeing Theme in the Dark Night of the Soul – Save The Cat
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