: Re: Where does the "black moment" fall in a novel? I'm currently learning about story structure and there's not much consensus on the "black moment" or "all is lost lull" that happens around Act

@Sims2267584

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What is the darkest, blackest moment in a book?

First, I think it's best to understand what this is, considering you asked. The darkest moment in the book is when a character loses all hope - normally the protagonist. It's often towards the end of the book, because that's right before the inevitable happy ending (or not, if you're being cruel) will emerge from the dark. Some features of darkest hours include:

Moral crises
Death (of loved ones, companions, etc.)
The protagonist's goal becomes seemingly out of reach
The tables look like they have turned for good. The plot looks like it has been derailed and can't get back on track.

This can be seen as the climax of the book. It is the absolute climax where the hero faces everything head-on, and often can't get out of it.

Where does it fall?

Almost always at the end. Due to the type of event that it is, considering the factors that we just listed, it only really works as a climactic point at the end of the book. There can be dark moments before it, but at the very end, you're going to have your climax, and it's commonly going to be in the form of a darkest hour. Just because of the way it works it's going to come at the end.

In honesty, it should come where it artistically needs to be, over anything. It should be exactly where it needs to be to have the best effects and implications for your book.

I hope this helped.

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