What is a Character Solar Eclipse?

I thought it might be timely to mention a character solar eclipse. We all know, and have read, the ins and outs of what’s going to happen later today. We’ve bought the glasses and lived to tell about it. (I haven’t bought the glasses actually, and I’m just praying I don’t get tempted and stare too long and burn my corneas to a crisp.)

You might be wondering, what the heck is a character solar eclipse? This is the moment in a novel when a character’s secret or dark side is revealed. You grasp their weakness for the first time, perceiving them in all their human glory. The guesswork is gone. They’re outed. Vulnerable to judgement, while at the same time primed for your enthrallment.

A character solar eclipse has the power to magnetize readers to a character forever.

The following are three reasons why authors should create a solar eclipse moment in their novel ~

Oh, the Humanity

The moment a reader is privy to a character’s deep and not-so-pretty internal conflict they are likely to become hooked. Why? Because, at once, the character has become instantly more relatable. We empathize with their doubts, feel their fears, and are up close and personal with their weakness. We feel the struggle. Man, it’s a beautiful thing.

Why, oh Why?

When an author develops a character so fully as to delve into their dark side and intentionally reveal it, they’ve done wonders to help the reader understand the character’s motivation. Every decision the character makes will hinge, in part, on that nagging fear, that raging insecurity, that past mistake . . .

Time to Bite the Nails

A character solar eclipse will cause the reader to ask—will this character overcome? Will they conquer the fear? Slay the doubt? Forgive? As readers, we subconsciously begin to root for the character. A character solar eclipse has a way of creating tension when tension is needed most in a story.

You’re probably aware of the term internal conflict. A character solar eclipse is the moment, the scene when this conflict is realized. It all comes to light, so to speak. Or should I say dark?

Be safe, my friends.