Character in fiction and memoir is built on the convoluted pathways of false belief. As readers, we witness the journey along these pathways: the unconsciousness of a character at the start of the book, the changes as they grow more aware, shedding their limited views of self and life. It makes for a great structural model for story, both memoir and fiction, and this week I want to share how that false belief pathway is built, using the W storyboard.
I began working with the concept of false belief, or false agreement, about eight years ago when I wanted to understand how my characters could show this growth. If they started out unconscious, maybe victim to their limits, you could almost say they have a certain agreement with the status quo. They follow certain ideas, beliefs, creeds, to get along. A story starts when that status quo begins to break up. That's the triggering event or inciting incident. (This video explains more.)