Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s turn our attention to creating a sound structure. Think of it like you would if you were building a house. You may have all the best building materials and even skilled craftsmen, but if your foundation is weak, the structure will fall. The same is true when it comes to your story.
The first thing we will explore is the Ghost. When you hear the term ghost what comes to mind? Something ethereal, mist like… something lacking substance? Well this is sort of kind of true as it relates to your protagonist.
The Ghost serves as a single event from the past that is still giving your hero trouble. The Ghost is usually the source of the need. Remember the NEED is something missing within your hero…i.e. Luke Skywalker’s desire to revenge the death of his father.
As Truby says, in really good writing the Ghost is an internal opponent for your hero; it is something holding him back. The Ghost must be the counter DESIRE for your hero. Remember the desire is the goal outside of your hero and is most often found to be bad in the end. The desire pushes your protagonist forward while the Ghost serves to try and hold him back.
Finally, the Ghost is very important because it gives the story a running start. It catches the reader in the running stages and is the back story: everything that happened to the hero before the story began. Obi wan says, “Darth Vader hunted down and killed your father.”
Well he didn’t exactly use those words, but you get the picture. It served as the kernel of Luke’s desire to get revenge on the Empire in general and on Darth Vader in particular.
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