Tests, Enemies, and Allies

How does the main character, Paul, handle his first test, and what does he learn from it?

In my novel Misery Paul Sheldon is kidnapped by a crazed fan, Annie, after a car crash that leaves Paul severely injured. As the storyline grows Annie becomes Paul's enemy. Paul is now in a new special world that he needs to learn the rules of. His first test comes around when Annie leaves the house, and Paul takes advantage of her absence to explore his new surroundings. He carefully gets into his wheelchair and picks the lock of his bedroom. He is frightened the whole time, and was tried to be as careful as possible. Paul finds a scrapbook of all the people Annie has murdered, making him rethink the seriousness of the trouble he was in. He returned to his room within seconds of Annie's return. Paul thought he did a good job of covering up his tracks but Annie knew right away that he'd been out. Paul learned from his adventure that escape was necessary, and that his life depended on it.

Refusal of the Call

"I was close enough to smell the wild odor on his coat and feel the warmth of his breath. Then I did what I had always wanted to- I put a hand on his dense ruff, and when he didnt flinch I buried both my hands in his fur." (Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater, pg. 20)


In my novel Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater the main character, Grace, did not hesitate or refuse the call out of her Ordinary World. As a child she grew up knowing that their were wolves living in the woods behind her house, and she also knew that these wolves were different. There was one special wolf, Sam, who was always watching over her, acting as somewhat of a protector. So when she grew older and fell in love with the human part of the wolf, she never refused the call to adventure to come into a different and dangerous world of werewolves. The part of the story in which this occured was when Grace touched the wolf for the very first time. This was significant because this was the first time they had had any connection, even after years of watching eachother. This was the first step in their relationship and even without this step she would never had met him in his human form and they would have never fallen in love. Even when Grace was told the dangers of Sam's world, she didnt think twice about stepping out of her safe world and into his.

Crossing the Threshold

"He stops, clears his throat, takes a breath, and continues. 'So I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It's okay if you have to leave us. It's okay if you want to stop fighting.' This is the first time today that anybody has acklowledges what I lost. (Gayle Forman, If I Stay, pg.152)"



This quote that I chose is the main character, Mia's grandfather talking to Mia while she is in the hospital. This occurs after Mia crosses the threshold.

On a cold day in February Mia's family went for a drive and they spun out of control and crashed, her dad, her mom, and her little brother were all thrown for the car and instantly killed. Mia was very badly injured, but right after the crash she left her body and through the whole book she watched on in the hospital on her friends and family as they waited her to wake up fomr her coma. I believe that was the event when she crossed over into a special world. She likes it at first because she can't feel any pain and she doesnt want to wake up and go back into her ordinary world because she doesnt know how to live on without her mom, dad and brother. Eventually she realizes the grief that her family is feeling, and she wants more than anything to return back to her oridinary world.

Limiting Beliefs

The novel I am currently reading is Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. The main character, Auden is held back by many beliefs. Her mom is an english professor and is very successful but she expects Auden to care only about academics. Auden spent her life studying and trying to stand up to her mother's standardsand expectations. This held her back from having close friendships and experiencing high school. It wasnt until she spent the summer away from her mother that she realized the importance of friendships and what's like to live life stress-free.

The advice that I would give to Auden is to keep the friends she's made, and if given an oppurtunity to step outside her comfort zone, she should accept.

Hero Study

"It wasn't his fault. They were going through a four-way stop, and someone just ran it and hit them. A drunk. It tore Eli up, big-time. It was like Abe tooke some part of him when he went, you know? He's never been the same." (Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride, pg.144)

The character in my book, Eli, has many heroic qualities. In the beginning, his best friend Abe was killed in a car accident when a driver ran a four-way stop and Eli was driving. He had always blamed himself. He gave up everything he loved to do because he felt like he didnt derseve doing them. In the summer, it all changed when Eli met Auden and she convinced him that it wasnt his fault and he slowly overcame the guilt and blame he had been carrying with him.

I believe a hero is someone that has endured hardships and overcomes them no matter the tole they take on them. I believe that Eli is a perfect example of that.

Character Archatytpe- The Shapeshifter

"I did what I had to do so I could stay in the ocean, concentrating on the salt water healing me, washing over my eye, washing away my birthmark." (Renee Rosen, Every Crooked Pot, pg.15)



My character, Nina Goldman, doesn't really fit into any of the character archetypes. She does, however, take some attributes from the shapeshifter archetype. Nina is a shapeshifter because in the beginning when she was little she always thought she was special and different because of her birthmark over her eye. But as she grew older she was teased to the point of not loving herself and having an unhealthy body image. She eventually shifts back to her old self when she outgrows putting herself down.

Excerpt from Mostly Happy

"The accident happened in the spring of '96. I woke in a sweat. The telephone was ringing. It was Prissy. Cody was dead." Pam Bustin, Mostly Happy, pg.256



Cody was killed in a car accident at age.7, by his father who was drunk driving. The main character in this book, Bean, was Cody's aunt. They had a really close and speical relationship. This hits really close to home, because before I was born, my Aunt Karen was killed by a reckless driver. Karen had a special relationship with each of my family members as well. When Cody died Bean went into a pit of anger and self-blame. Bean carried on with her life, but i'm sure that her nephew never left her thoughts. This relates to me as well. I have never offically met my aunt, but she will always be a part of my family.