by Kay Layton Sisk from the May 2, 2022 issue
Observations: This week I wanted to put a spotlight on the Black Moment.
Often in fiction there is a moment in the story when it seems as if all is lost. The reader wonders how the protagonists will overcome all the obstacles. In Pretty Woman, it's when Vivian is driven away from the Beverly Regent and Edward. In A League of Their Own, it's when Dottie leaves the team to start her new life with her war-injured husband. In Romancing the Stone, it's when Jack leaves Joan by diving off the wall to chase the alligator that swallowed El Corazon, the jewel.
You may not think so but many times Woman's World stories have Black Moments too but they're subtle enough that sometimes I call them Gray Moments. In this story, the Gray Moment comes when Annie has to leave to go to her meeting.
Clearly the stakes are not as dire in a Woman's World story as they are in movies. Sometimes in movies and novels, the reader will not be able to see any way out of a disappointing or even tragic ending, but unless it's a tragedy, things will work out. Edward comes to his senses and goes after Vivian. Dottie returns to play the championship game. Jack shows up on Joan Wilder's doorstep with a yacht and crocodile-skin boots.
In this story, Annie and Brad figure out a way to meet again to discuss restaurants in the neighborhood. There isn't the rush you might have felt when you watched those movies--and if you haven't watched them, they are MUST-SEES. But there should be a warm glow of contentment and satisfaction when you read the end of your Woman's World story.
If there isn't, keep revising.
Photo by Benny Mazur via Flickr Creative Commons License
