This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is. - Diana Nyad

Protagonist: Exploring Her Changes

You’ve done a lot of open ended writing to find your story, now it is time to start adding some structure. A life story that someone else reads is very different than a simple retelling of what happened to you. If you are putting your life into a story form that others may read, you want to follow some basic conventions that any reader will expect. 

This week we will explore three very basic parts of your story structure - how your character is at the beginning of your story, what happens, and how she is different in the end. Your protagonist must change if you are writing a traditional story.

Writing a whole story arc can be challenging, so I’m breaking this down for you in a way that I believe is easier to conceptualize. Today I just want you to imagine her at the end of your story. Your protagonist is different as a result of what she goes through. Write about how she is different. The four prompts may seem similar, but they focus on different ways she may have changed (understanding, thinking, feeling, and the last one is more open if it is something else.)

Remember, stories don’t have to end on a positive note. She may end the story with new insight, awareness, or personal growth, but she may also end this stage of life feeling defeated, confused, or giving up on her goal. (Remember, a lot of great literature is the latter, so don’t feel bad if that is how your story ends.) Don’t try to construct a positive spin if that doesn’t feel right to you.

Please choose at least one of the following prompts:

• At the end, she understands....
• After everything happens, she decides...
• In the end she feels differently, she feels...
• She is different at the end of the story. She is different in that she...

Please take some time to think and feel deeply about these questions.

No matter how difficult and painful it may be, nothing sounds as good to the soul as the truth. -- Martha Beck