Lessons Corner: The Character's Internal and External Journeys

In the very first blog of Lessons Corner, we referred to the two 'things' that every story possesses. Today we discuss these two things, known commonly as the character's external and internal journeys. We will give special emphasis to the internal journey, as it drives the story in a way the external journey cannot.

Fair warning: this is gonna be long but informative blog.

The Two Journeys

The external journey is the most obvious part of a story. Aladdin (1992) is about a thief who must steal a magic lamp but ends up awaking a genie that grants him three wishes. The Matrix (1999) is about a man who is guided out of a false reality and becomes true reality's savior. By external journey, we refer to the plot of the story, and this tends to be what we discuss with other people. Especially if there is a good plot twist!

But a story isn't only about plot. Nearly every story ever written centers around a character who must engage those events. Being human, those events impact them personally. They also meet others along their journey which help shape them into a different person by the end. The arc of this transformation we refer to as the character's internal journey.

You may notice we seldom talk about this internal journey. We don't discuss how Aladdin can't accept his station in life and that he believes material gain will make things better for him. And though we feel his growth as he comes to understand the nature of worth with Jasmine (money doesn't impress this bored princess) and Genie (a friend can't be wished for) we seldom share these experiences with others. But you find that when stories lack this emotional ammunition we tend to dislike it.

Anyone remember Green Lantern? Why did Pacific Rim Uprising disappoint? What about the CGI mega-film, John Carter? Why did Logan do so much better than any other Wolverine film? Why is Wonder Woman considered the best DC film next to Nolan's Batman Trilogy? And I literally had to look up every 2017 movie just to find the name of this film: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Did you know the two main characters were supposed to be married? What. the. fuck.

It doesn't necessarily mean that a film MUST have a strong internal journey. But a film tends to have stronger gravitas when it does include one. James Bond films tend to be more external than internal, but when ranked, the ones with a stronger internal journey rate higher. Take Skyfall for instance, that examines James' view of expendability. He has a cold exterior, but we begin to wonder if he's also capable of turning turncoat.

Just look at the films from the following two links. Which ones did you see and did you care at all about them afterward?

https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2017_movies/

https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2018_movies/

But what of Tarkovsky, you might say? Hey, I don't want pretentious ass-hats reading this blog. But if you don't realize all of his films have profound internal journeys than you aren't paying attention.

As a further side-note, while browsing the 2017 movies list, I found this:

https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2017_movies/endless-poetry/

This is the same guy who made the most important film never made: Jadorowsky's Dune. Have you ever watched any of this crazy man's movies? Pro-tip: surreal films tend to explore the internal journey more so than the external journey. They are just articulated in a way that makes you want to blow your brains out.

We've gotten off-topic.

Examining the Basic Internal Journey

Let's stay focused. I'm going to give you a basic primer on the internal journey. It doesn't have to be handled this way. And it's rarely handled this way in films with multiple character journeys. But if you aren't familiar with this concept it will start you on your way.

The best articulation of the internal journey was introduced to me by the work of Matthew Hauge, a renown and well-respected story consultant in Hollywood. Like Robert McKee, Hauge has saved numerous scripts from being turned into forgettable movies. So I will share my understanding of his approach here. However, I will point out again this is a basic primer, and when you get to writing your story you will often change things to make them fit more organically. Regard it as a tool or reference, not as holy commandments.

Stage One: Setup

Here you introduce the character. It is best done in the first act, but stories have been known to introduce a character as far as the Midpoint. Even if introduced later, there is some back story shared so you're not completely surprised. (In that case, some people like to flip the script on expectation versus reality. A notorious character may have been misunderstood. Or are they misunderstood?)

Nearly every good story has a character with something wrong with them. It can be an experience that messed them up before the story, like their wife cheating on them. It can be a flaw, like maybe they are too proud. Regardless, they developed a coping mechanism for this wound or flaw that informs their worldview. In the ensuing story, events will force them to confront this worldview. It may also be the case the wound or flaw is so profound they cannot accomplish the external journey until they overcome the internal journey.

In the setup, it's also a good idea to persuade the audience to like the character, even if they're despicable. There are some approaches to this that work:

- You can do it through a positive act. However, audiences no longer buy into saving a cat from a tree. If it's a positive act, it should be organic and natural to their character. Maybe they work at a homeless shelter and regularly serve in a food line.

- You can do it through pity. The character may be suffering from an injustice, like a mean boss at a bad job. Or they may be born with a deformity, disability, etc. As a result, people may pick on the person. Or, the opposite: everyone pities them. Maybe the character even feels guilty about the cost of being taken care of.

- You can make them admirable. We love Gordon Gecko because he is good at investing and shameless at it. He loves money and personifies greed. He is good at being bad. He also fully believes in the morality of his approach: greed is good. In Wall Street, he even gives a speech about it and we are convinced.

Another example is Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood. This is a ruthless businessman who is terrible to those around him. But we admire the lengths his willing to go to get what he wants. In the very beginning of the movie he gets injured, crawls out of a well and crawls over miles of desert to trade some silver. He also adopts an orphaned child, but we learn quickly he's just using the kid. We're not certain, however, whether he is capable of love, and that is an important question that underlines the film.

Turning Point One: Opportunity

An event occurs that attracts the character toward confronting this problem they have inside. But it takes the form of an external goal. However, its rare they know the two have anything to do with each other. This is a key decision point for the character, and it's fine if they decline the opportunity. It's also fine if they mull over it.

Stage Two: Debate or New Situation

The opportunity creates a new situation that both the character and audience can explore. There are numerous ways to do this. In Save the Cat!, this is referred to as the Debate. Hauge likes to refer to it as the New Situation. The length of Stage Two doesn't matter but it tends not to exceed fifteen minutes.

- If a character undertakes the opportunity, we find ourselves in a new world, even if that new world is entirely internal.

In L.A. Confidential, the police decide to beat up some prisoners for an alleged assault on their fellow police. The protagonists end up joining their fellow police in the assault (Acting on Opportunity). The next fifteen minutes deals with the police chief reassigning the protagonists while dealing with the fallout of the assault. The protagonists must adjust to this new life (The New Situation).

- If a character declines the opportunity, theymay come to change their minds over a period of time.

In Rocky, Rocky initially declines the opportunity to box with Apollo Creed. However, he is persuaded to participate by a smooth talker. He isn't entirely sure if he made the right decision and some time is spent exploring this fact.

- Stage Two can also explore the opportunity.

In the Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack discovers the grove of Holidays. He enters Christmas, asking throughout "What's this?" Seeing that Jack's flaw is that he's become unsatisfied with his station in life, stage two is spent realizing he's found a new passion.

Turning Point Two: Change of Plans

The fallout of stage two creates an event that defines a clearly external goal for the character. However, it will probably be hindered by their lack of character development at this point.

- For Jack in the Nightmare Before Christmas, it's transforming Halloween Town to focus on Christmas.

- In L.A. Confidential, a fellow policeman is murdered at a diner. What choice do they have but to pursue this case in their new roles?

Stage Three: Progress

This can take up to a quarter of your story. Essentially, the character is pursuing the external journey with the occasional bumps when the internal journey conflicts with the personal growth they need. Often, they have difficulty identifying the significance of these bumps.

These bumps are important. On the outside, they are undergoing their external journey according to their worldview. But each time a bump occurs, the worldview is brought into question.

I like to cover the Progress in three sequences. Each sequence resulting in a major development that moves to the next sequence.

- In L.A. Confidential, they first find the people they think slaughtered everyone at the diner, bring them in for questioning, then head out to their personal lives. They are forced back to police work when the bad guys somehow escape. Ultimately, they track down the killers at their apartment. One character ends up killing the bad guys when he discovers a woman whose been repeatedly raped by the bad guys (reflective of his personal journey about his abusive father). Stage Three ends for them, assuming they've got the killers. But something doesn't feel right to them about the whole thing.

Turning Point Three: Point of No Return

Also referred to as the Midpoint, by this point in the story the accumulation of events has created a drive to finish the external journey. Earlier, there may have been moments of doubt, but now they are determined not to look back. At the same time, they have identified some degree of their flaw but do not realize the things they must confront to deal with it.

It's also by this point that any bad guys have become aware of the character and what they're after.

Midpoints tend to occur in two ways, as articulated well in the Save the Cat! approach: The False Victory and the False Defeat.

A False Victory means the character has achieved some major goal in pursuit of the external journey, but that it's only a superficial victory.

- In L.A. Confidential, they think they've caught the bad guys, but something doesn't sit right with them. During the pursuit of the bad guys a lot of odd things came up. Due to this they decide to continue the investigation, even though the investigation is over.

- In the Nightmare Before Christmas, all of Jack's planning (and kidnapping) enables him to depart Halloween Town to deliver presents to the world.

A False Defeat is when the character fails to achieve their major goal or gets something other than what they want.

- In A Beautiful Mind, John Nash flees Soviet spies only to learn its all imaginary and that he is schizophrenic. He also learns that a number of people he cares about don't actually exist. His wife confronts him with the unopened documents he thought he was sending to an American intelligence agency.

Stage Four: Complications and Higher Stakes

When you watch a film, most of what you see in previews occurs during Stage Three. But if you made promises in your previews, Stage Four is mainly where that stuff is delivered. Stage Four normally takes another quarter of your storytelling.

This is where your character finally confronts their internal journey, and in not-so-pleasant ways, as it may impede the fulfillment of the external journey. It can also jeopardize everything they love. Storytellers take great joy in torturing their characters in this act, heaping on problems to make it harder and harder for the character to overcome.

Honestly, if ideas aren't coming out to populate this portion of your story you may want to re-examine your story.

- In Donnie Brasco, Donnie, an FBI agent posing as a gangster, risks losing his family. He's become a meaner, darker person. He's tied up in a lot of illegal activities. And his family is finally getting to the point where they cannot tolerate his absence any longer.

Turning Point Four: Major Setback

Matthew Hauge argues this as an 'All is Lost' moment, and other story aficionados also argue the same thing. But it doesn't necessarily have to be this way. What some writers like to do is invert the False Defeat or False Victory at the Midpoint with its opposite at this turning point.

In most films, a character will retreat as the pressure of confronting their personal demons becomes too much. But they also realize that means they will be unable to fulfill the external journey. Boy, do they feel like shit at this moment.

A False Defeat doesn't need to stop the film in its tracks.

- In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, we keep getting a slew up defeats and victories, but the momentum keeps going. Even defeated, they must keep going since the future of the world is at stake.

Stage Five: The Final Push

Despite the False Victory or False Defeat at the turning point, the character will begin to examine their selves in pursuit of the external journey. It also tends to help them realize how important the external journey is.

In a false defeat, they spend time getting back to the truth, while at the false victory, everything seems to be going well. This could also be spent trying to figure out a way to reach a true victory.

- In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the heroes find themselves at a foundry surrounded by scorching heat. Despite freezing the T1000 at the entrance, the T1000 will eventually melt and reform. Not knowing what to do, it seems they can no longer run and must face the T1000. But how? The chips are down for them, since they keep getting separated and the T1000 can take any shape it wants.

Turning Point Five: The Climax

Both the external and internal journeys come to a head at this moment. It's especially important for the wound, flaw, fears, etc, to come to the fore. There's no recommended way to do this since every story tries to do this uniquely.

Stage Six: Aftermath

The climax has created a new world now that both the external and internal journeys have completed. And in some films, no follow-up is given. But if you are going to include this stage, an important part of this stage is to demonstrate that the character has learned something from their journey. In fact, it's far more important to demonstrate that instead of doing something that is by the numbers, like a 'happily ever after.'

Romances do this stage terribly. Refer to those wedding scenes. The last thing you want to do is have the audience sitting there waiting for the movie to finish.

- In L.A. Confidential, the lieutenant has tried the entire story to do things by the book. However, throughout the story he's continually faced with police corruption. He's forced near the end to be a little corrupt himself in order to get the bad guys. But by the end he's learned all the secrets about the police force. So by Stage Six he's in a room asked to provide what he knows. All the secret bad guys are also in the room. Does he reveal what he knows, putting away the real bad guys? Nope. He realizes he must play politics, and that with the real bad guys at his mercy he can get things done. He has power over the most powerful people in the police and he knows it. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? We're lead to think it's a good thing, but also worry he may become corrupt in time.

Afterward

I relied a lot on a YouTube video by Matthew Hauge and a random blogger who articulated the stages in her blog, which I've included in the references section. I've also related a lot of personal experiences so that most of this blog would be original and not plagiarism.

Thank you if you've read this far. I'm not sure what next week's Lessons Corner will be about, but I'm beginning to think I should've divided this long blog in two parts. Oh, well.

Most graciously yours,
Easton

References

https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2017_movies/

https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2018_movies/

"Endless Poetry." Wild About Movies. https://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2017_movies/endless-poetry/ (retrieved September 18, 2018).

Gold, Jami. "Michael Hauge's Workshop: Combining Emotional Journeys and External Plots." Jami Gold. https://jamigold.com/2012/08/michael-hauges-workshop-making-emotional-journeys-and-external-plots-play-together/ (retrieved September 18, 2018).

Hauge, Matthew. "Screenwriting: The Six Stages of Character Development - IFH Film School - The Hero's Journey." YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGcG4m9tgY (retrieved September 18, 2018).