Story Structure #24: Act III, Stage 11: The Resurrection

For a complete story, reader needs to experience an additional moment of death and rebirth similar to the Supreme Ordeal, but different – Climax (not crisis)

The Resurrection

Final purging and purification before re-entering Ordinary World – Once more they must change
- Show change by behavior or appearance, not by just talking about it
- Demonstrate that Hero has been through resurrection
New self must be created for new world
- Heroes had to shed old selves to enter Special World, must now shed personality of journey and build new one suitable for return to Ordinary World
  - Reflect best parts of old selves and lessons learned along the way
- Cleanse Hero of smell of death (think: poorly integrated Vietnam vets)
  - Tunnels, immersion, symbols
- Heroes must be tested again to see if they retained learning from Supreme Ordeal
  - To learn something is one thing, to bring home knowledge as applied wisdom is another – Field Trial
    - Was Hero sincere? Will Shadow prevail?
Stakes are at their highest now – broad – whole world affected
Hero must be the one to act – not be rescued
Maybe a difficult choice to test Hero’s values
Climax options:
- Quiet climax – gentle cresting or wave of emotion
- Rolling climaxes – series of climaxes of subplots, or series of climaxes on different levels (mind, body, spirit, etc…)
- Catharsis – purifying emotional release or breakthrough (climax needs to provide catharsis)
  - Sudden expansion of readers’ awareness
  - Laughter, tears
  - Catharsis is the logical climax of character arc
Resurrection is Hero’s last chance to make major change in attitude or behavior
- May backslide, then reappear
- Hope may seem dead, just before success
- Last-minute threat may appear
- Proof of Special World may disappear, causing doubts – hard to explain to others!
Calls for sacrifice by Hero
- Opportunity for Hero to show he has incorporated all lessons into himself
- Outward signs that Hero has changed – appearance or action

Field trial… intense stuff. Catharsis… intense intensity. There will be no doubt of what our Heroes have come through once they’ve been through Stage 11!

A printable version, for your reference, can be found here: Stage 11: The Resurrection

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