For years, I struggled to show the change or growth of a character throughout a scene. One of the most helpful tips on how to show this came from Shawn Coyne in the Story Grid podcast. He explained that the end of the scene or his 5th commandment Resolution needs two things.
- An interesting recap of what happened at the climax FROM THE CHARACTERS PERSPECTIVE . What does the outcome mean to them? For example, if there was a big soccer game and the team lost, maybe the character still thinks it is a win because she finished a game after breaking her big toe. The reader already knows what the team lost, but the outcome needs to be presented from the character’s POV.
- The resolution needs to show how their worldview has shifted . For example, using the scenario above, the character won the soccer game with a broke tow, and now she thinks she is invincible.
Unfortunately, I am typing this from my notes and I did not record the podcast episode number. However, the website should also explain it well.
STORY GRID: Commandment #Five