Have you ever heard the term “The Black Moment?” Well, neither had I before I became a writer. It’s usually one of the most emotional sections of a book or story. It could also be called the “Big Crisis,” or the point when “All Is Lost.” It grips you, and if done well, turns your want into a need; a need to continue reading to find out what happens.

Can we have a Black Moment in our own lives? A moment or time, when we feel that there may be no hope. That, whatever the situation we are facing, our fear is that it can’t possibly end well. The death of a spouse, a child, or a divorce or separation can all be a Black Moment in life.

There is no certain level that the crisis has to rise to, to qualify as a Black Moment. I remember receiving my Report Card as a teen one year and seeing I had a ‘D’ in Algebra. Although we, as adults, can clearly see that this would not be a Black Moment for us, it was for me at the time. I had never ever earned a ‘D’ in any subject. My parents were tough when it came to school and grades. I had done everything I thought necessary to at least earn a ‘C’, but it didn’t happen.

I had to take that ‘D’ home and show it to my parents. To this day, I remember it being the longest walk home. It was as if my feet were moving but I wasn’t getting any closer to my house. Running away, just not going home, seemed better than facing my parents. I was devastated and scared.

Okay, you may be laughing and saying, “No you weren’t devastated, you were dramatic,” but I was a kid, so to me, in my head, at that moment in time, it was a real Black Moment. I couldn’t see anything past that day, that moment.In a great fictional story, the Black Moment is sometimes very hard to create. It can be difficult to make the reader feel the Black Moment, and not to feel it is just more drama. Think of the last couple of books you may have read. Can you identify the Black Moment in that book?

In a great fictional story, the Black Moment is sometimes very hard to create. It can be difficult to make the reader feel the Black Moment, and not to feel it is just more drama. Think of the last couple of books you may have read. Can you identify the Black Moment in that book?

In my second novel, Before Sunrise, the Black Moment came when Coach Silva’s entire world fell out from underneath him. Secrets he had been hiding for years were exposed and there was no way of stuffing them back down. The world knew exactly who and what he was. He was about to lose everything, including his great love, Nicky.So, what happens after the Black Moment occurs? Well in real life, we sometimes say our prayers were answered, or we survived. Whatever it was, it didn’t destroy us after all.

So, what happens after the Black Moment occurs? Well in real life, we sometimes say our prayers were answered, or we survived. Whatever it was, it didn’t destroy us after all.In a great book, the author has to first make you feel that Black Moment; the raw emotions that cause your own heart to skip a beat. Then, the author holds you there, not for very long, as we couldn’t take it, but just long enough to ensure that we believe our character is powerless.

In a great book, the author has to first make you feel that Black Moment; the raw emotions that cause your own heart to skip a beat. Then, the author holds you there, not for very long, as we couldn’t take it, but just long enough to ensure that we believe our character is powerless.

I can recall when my brother Conrad was being taken off of life support to die and the doctors had called a family meeting days before. We knew this day was coming as our brains told us so. Nevertheless, that day, when Conrad took his last breath, I was devastated.

I had my beautiful husband at my side, a long successful career, and an amazing family support system. None of this mattered though; I had just lost my most favorite brother. Every moment he and I spent together as children, flashed before me. No matter how hard I fought to stay strong for my mother, it consumed me like a ball of fire. If ever I was insane, it was in that moment of time.

Death is often a Black Moment for all of us, but we move past it somehow. Given the strength to rise, to do the things we have to do, plan the burial, face others, and gather our thoughts, we rise from the ashes. In a book, we call this the Happily Ever After.

I have often said that life is a journey; it is those Black Moments in life that are the markers in our lives that shape us. So, the next time you face a Black Moment, there is no taking the toughness or hurt out of it, but hold on to the belief that this too shall pass. We, as humans, have the amazing ability to heal, to love, and to accept.

Remember, in life and in books, the Black Moment is just a “moment.”

A Special Congratulations