Most
of the “keywords” I’ll mention in these plotting posts are from Larry Brooks’ series on story structure
(i.e. 6 core competencies). That’s because his definitions and explanations
make sense to me in a more concrete way than any other method of plotting I’ve
tried. It works for me. It won’t work for everyone. But if you’re a plotter and
you haven’t read his series on
NaNoWriMo, you really should.
The
First & Second Plot Points are two of the three tent poles holding up your
manuscript’s architectural roof. The third fits exactly half-way between them AND
also in the exact center of your manuscript. It’s called the midpoint. Clever,
eh?
The
midpoint is a game-changing twist that shifts everything we’ve known about the
story so far (We being the reader and also possibly the main character.) This
moment leads your hero to become a hero of action, rather than a potential-hero
being acted upon by his world.
Unlike
the plot points which are actual events in the story, the midpoint doesn’t
necessarily have to be a scene. It can just be an insertion of information that
changes the MC or reader’s perception. And while you can obviously have more
than one twist, depending on the kind of story you’re writing, this one happens
smack-dab in the middle of your manuscript.
How
will the midpoint give new context to and shift the story you’re planning to
write? How will you reveal it?
Some
examples:
Harry realizes that the package Hagrid
fetched from Gringotts must also be the thing that Hagrid’s three-headed dog,
Fluffy, is guarding in the forbidden corridor of Hogwarts. That’s when Harry
transitions from directionless hero to a hero of action—taking steps to guard
the Philosopher’s Stone from the bad guys.
On visiting day, Tris’ mother comes to
Dauntless headquarters. During the visit Tris learns the true danger of being
divergent. And that her mother was Dauntless-born.
Katniss awakens from her Tracker-jacker
stupor to discover she successfully claimed the only bow in the Games. She’s no
longer lost and hiding out while the other Tributes kill each other. With the
bow, she has a shot at winning.
Today’s links:
What
are some game-changing midpoint twists you’ve read and loved?
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