How To Craft A Solid Midpoint For Your Novel
Deep Dive on Four-Act Story Structure Part 6 of 10
So far in our tour of the Four-Act Story Structure, we’ve covered the following:
Whew. That’s a lot!
Today we will dive into the Midpoint, and as with everything else in the story, it goes by many names: the mirror moment, the context-shifting Midpoint, and the point of no return. However, I prefer to stick with calling it the Midpoint for simplicity’s sake.
Aptly named, the Midpoint occurs smack in the middle of the story at the 50% mark, and in the Four-Act structure, it kicks off Act Three.
Everything that has occurred before in the first and second acts has built to this moment. So, let’s take a quick second and a few words to consider what our character has gone through.
Our poor character has had their known world turned upside down by an unexpected event (inciting incident), creating a problem they needed to solve to get back to their status quo. They may have resisted at first but ultimately took some faulty action (based on their flaws, fears, and persona) to right the situation, only to discover things are worse than imagined, and it’s very personal.
They cannot quickly fix their problem without entirely investing in the conflict. Finally, they decide to go all in (the choice and decision or First Plot Point) and, in doing so, jump into the new world of the plot (Act II). They usually meet some helpful folks (mentors) and learn new skills that will help them later. Then they get a good taste of what the antagonist has in store for them–or the reader does (first pinch point).
Okay, now that we are up to speed, our main character is fully committed and thinks they understand the conflict they are up against, and they’ve got some semblance of a plan.
The energy in the first half of the book is primarily reactionary. The character has been reacting to the fact we have disturbed their life and to the blows of the antagonist force because they don’t have the know-how or the tools to do anything different. That is what they are learning.
The Midpoint is all about shifts.
It’s a significant moment, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be loud or aggressive. It can be subtle.
But something opens the character’s eyes to the bigger picture. This event will make the character stop and take stock of their situation and circumstances, and the personal stakes increase yet again because of this new understanding.
The Midpoint will change the trajectory of the character’s life in much the same way the inciting incident did, and the decision they make here will shape the rest of the story.
I like to think of the Midpoint as the domino in the middle. It’s pointed in a different direction. Once it’s hit, there is a dramatic change in the story’s direction.
Because of the midpoint event, the character will develop a new understanding and move forward with proactive energy. They understand that conflict cannot be avoided; instead, they must confront it.
Examples of the Midpoint:
In Shrek- Sherk rescues the Princess, and it turns out he likes her maybe even more than likes her, and that stirs up a lot of internal strife for Shrek, given what he believes about himself and the world.
In the Hunger games- Katniss is determined to survive solo. But when she allies with Rue, an opponent who reminds her of Prim, she now has someone inside the games to worry about and protect, which sets up the shift from survival to actual rebellion when Rue dies.
In It’s A Wonderful Life, George has an opportunity to solve all his financial problems by accepting a job working for the villain. Still, he realizes he’d have to sacrifice his principles, everything his father stood for, and died believing. So he declines with force.
In Lethal Weapon 1- Riggs has just had dinner with the Murtaugh family and witnessed in Murtaugh the things he believes he can never have: love, family, connection, and his job–because it’s his fault his wife was murdered. He admits to his partner that killing is the only thing he’s ever been good at. He faces the question of his life here.
The Midpoint can be a moment of victory - as with Shrek or Katniss, or a moment of defeat as with George or Riggs.
What all midpoints have in common is energy and a shift in understanding.
The character will have to act differently in the next part of the book if they want to overcome the conflict. They will have to take more action than ever, which may be physical action and more emotional risk. And it might not be positive.
Common events at a story’s Midpoint: Death, sex, ticking clocks, major plot twist, big celebrations, secrets revealed, or shameful public outings.
Symbolically the Midpoint represents death and rebirth. The character’s life, as they know it, is officially over.
Key takeaways to craft a kickass midpoint:
It happens at the 50% mark of the novel.
The emotional risk for the character to move forward will dramatically increase.
It creates a new understanding within the protagonist of the situation, forcing them into a more proactive energy for the book’s second half. They now have a critical insight or understanding that allows them to move forward (not always with more clarity) but in the direction of intentional discovery.
The event at the Midpoint will forever change the character’s life as they know it. They can never go back (once you know, you can never unknow). There is a symbolic death.
New information comes forward that will shift the context and trajectory of the plot.
