Is Your Black Moment Only Gray?by Janet Lane Walters Everyone talks about the black moment in a story, but most of the time they think of a separation between the hero and heroine. This is not necessarily so. The black moment is the instant the hero or heroine is convinced he or she has lost. What often happens is that the lead-in to this instant has been slighted by the writer. There are some steps that move the hero or heroine to this moment. First there is the moment of revelation -- when the hero or heroine realizes what he or she wants. A change must be made followed by a choice and a decision. Then comes the fear of having lost. In a romance, there are two major characters, the hero and the heroine. One of them stands to lose the most if he or she loses love. This should be the focus character. The other, who stands to gain the most, should precipitate the moment of revelation for the one who stands to lose the most. There are a number of reasons for the failure of the black moment: 1. The wrong focus character. Ask yourself if the hero or the heroine has the most to lose if love is lost. Remember that the past is always with a person in the present and colors the future. 2. The wrong time. Ask yourself if you have done the proper build up to the black moment. The reader needs to see clearly what will be lost. If the moment comes too soon, the reader feels cheated, and if too late, the point of the catharsis will be missed. 3. An outside influence as the precipitating cause. Ask yourself if the moment has developed from the character's experience and inner fears, or by someone stepping in and adding a new problem that wasn't there before. 4. The focus character is weakly motivated. This goes back to character development. A strong character needs strong motives and attainable goals. 5. The characters' internal conflicts are solved too soon. Sometimes, as soon as the hero and heroine make love, their internal conflicts are solved and the only thing left to complete the novel is the outside conflict. Even if the hero and heroine are working together to solve an external problem, their inner conflicts must be maintained. 6. The use of coincidence or misunderstanding as the precipitating cause. Both of these problems are easily solved. Don't let the hero or heroine overhear something that solves the problem. Don't base the black moment on something that could be easily discovered by asking a single question. 7. The moment is too abrupt. The black moment, like all other major scenes, must be played out to the nth degree. Janet Lane Walters is the published author of five novels, a number of short stories, poetry and non-fiction books. She is currently treasurer of the Hudson Valley RWA. This article originally appeared in the June 1997 issue of A Word About Romance. GDRWA thanks the Hudson Valley chapter for allowing us to reprint it.
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