The secret universal force
We’ve all been there … trapped in a situation or predicament, barely hanging on. We’re so tired, that we don’t think we can stand it another second. The only problem is, we’re stuck. And someone coming to save us? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. We’re ready to give up/give in, but some small part of us can’t and won’t. That small voice grows and morphs into a hurricane force of determination that seizes control of the situation/predicament and kicks our butt clean out of the miserable situation/predicament.
That, my friends, is the Positive Power of Desperation in action. Get to know it. It is your friend.
Desperation Transformation … Zero to Hero
The Positive Power of Desperation is as essential to your protagonist as it is to you. This is the secret force that pushes your main character to transform into the heroine she is meant to be.
Blake Snyder (Mr. Save the Cat!) gives a nod to the Positive Power of Desperation when he describes the Dark 
Night of the Soul moment in a story (Blake Snyder Beat Sheet). The protagonist is worse off than when the story started, plagued with confusion, doubt, and remorse. It’s a scary and painful place. The protagonist is standing on a precipice, and must face an ugly truth about themselves–a deeply buried flaw–for their transformation to happen. The Positive Power of Desperation is what propels the hero through his cocoon, transforming him into a butterfly. This is the heart of every story … what really counts. It’s the hero’s moment.
In the Hunger Games, the All Is Lost moment comes with Rue’s death. Katniss bottoms out in the Dark Night of the Soul as when prepares Rues body and sings her a parting song. Katniss has to face how she’s lived her life being satisfied with mere survival. At the end of her song to Rue, Katniss lifts her hand in a signal of defiance. She’s done playing by the Capitol’s rules and she’s not afraid to show it. In the words of Master Cat, Jessica Brody, in her Hunger Games Beat Sheet:
She turns to the sky and lifts three fingers upward, a symbol that was established earlier during the catalyst moment as an act of defiance. Katniss’s transformation from survival-obsessed girl who will do anything to win, to the leader of a revolution is nearly complete!
How has the Positive Power of Desperation transformed your life…
Or the lives of your charcaters?
Elizabeth Fais 
Elisabeth, this is a thought provoking blog. Going from survival mode to i’m going to win mode is the first key for success.
Indeed it is. You have to “want” it from the core of your being. Then the change happens!
Thanks for sharing this. That moment of desperation followed by determination and change IS the story and needs to be clear to have impact. I love the way you communicate this here. I bought Save the Cat months ago but still haven’t read it. Maybe I’ll start this week.
“This is the secret force that pushes your main character to transform into the heroine she is meant to be.”
It’s scary to push a character that hard, at least for me. I like them and want them to win the day without a scary, messy, bleak moment. Which means I need to save this post and read it often.
😉
If you haven’t read “Save the Cat!” by Blake Snyder, you should. It will help you put the messy, scary phase of a story in perspective so it’s easier to write. We have to “live” what are characters go through, which is why it can be tough to make them go through that mess.
You’re not the first person to suggest that book. I really should get ahold of a copy.
Thanks!
Excellent post about a critical element of fiction. I’ve had enough of these moments in my own life that I always feel awful when I do it to my characters. Although, the more I do it, the more I enjoy it, mostly because I can see the power it gives to a story.
It’s all about creating a “satisfying” story. Music needs certain elements to be satisfying. So do stories. I know. I have a hard time putting my characters through that phase, because I have to live it with them when I write. I have to think of it as “tough love.” 🙂
Great post, Elizabeth. And thanks for the wonderful reminder that we have to put our characters through the tough stuff that we in our own lives like to avoid. I’ve got Save the Cat at the top of my list of craft books to read. Seems like a good one.
Save the Cat! helped me put together a strong story structure at the outset, saving me months of rewrites. And it’s concepts are presented in a way that I can relate to and actually apply to my own stories. I can’t say enough good things about it!
Dear Elizabeth, your blog is wonderful! I would like to quote your comments on desperation in a book. Please feel free to look up my work on human behavior to see who I am and to feel comfortable that I will quote you respectfully. I’ve supplied my email address below and am hoping to hear from you directly. For the book, I would need to know how you would prefer to be identified. Sincerely, Maryann Karinch
Hi Maryann,
My sincere apologies for taking so long to reply. I am honored that you would like to quote portions of my blog in your publication, and am happy to give you permission based on approval of the context in the publication. I’m sure this will just be a formality. Your web site and list of publications is quite impressive.
Thank you for your interest. Please let me know what you need from me to move forward with your project.
Best regards,
Elizabeth