Section 06 – Test by Contagonist

Section 06
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Test by Contagonist

TESTS BY ANTAGONIST’S FRIENDS
Story Creation Step 6 is the Step at which the Hero is in a near-continuous ‘test’ with the Antagonist’s friends.

The Hero’s Learning ProcessIn Step 6, the Hero is, in whatever sense fits your story, being tested. Through those tests – and through the tests to come, especially in Step 7 – the Hero begins a gradual, subtle learning process. A process that will lead to a major change or discovery later in the story, and that will allow him or her entry into the Adult World. This could amount simply to the Hero discovering more about what is going on: for example, who his/her enemies are, who his/her friends are and generally how things work in the Adult World.

EXAMPLES* In The Go-Between, Leo reads one of Marian’s letters and realises that their relationship is not innocent as he was told. However, he still has little grasp of the Adult World and doesn’t fully understand what is going on between them.
* Jem and Scout, in To Kill A Mockingbird, suffer insults and slurs at school because of the role their father is playing in the Tom Robinson case.

TIMELINEThe scenes in this Step should take up about 22 percent of your story.