Second Plot Point

This is the last post in this series, so you only have to put up with this bit of review one last time. Here goes: In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. Competency #4, Structure, has four parts: The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. Within these four parts are some major milestones. The milestones within the structure are: 

The opening scene or sequence of your story;

A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;

A setup inciting incident 

The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;

The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;

The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;

A Second Pinch Point, at about the five-eights mark, or in the middle of Part 3

The Second Plot Point, at about 75 percent through the story;

The final resolution scene or sequence

 (This tent comes from freedigitalphotos.net)

The final milestone I want to discuss is the Second Plot Point. Think of the First Plot Point, the Midpoint, and the Second Plot Point as the three posts holding up a tent: two on the sides, one in the middle. If you don't position them correctly, the tent collapses. So be careful to put them in the right spot in the story, or the story will sag. The Second Plot Point (SPP) would be that side post on one end. 

Here's Brooks' definition: "the final injection of new information in the story, after which no new expository information may enter the story other than the hero's actions, and which puts a final piece of narrative information in play that gives the hero everything she needs to become the primary catalyst in the story's conclusion." That's a nice big sentence, and I'd hate to diagram it for English class, but it gets the job done. The SPP is when the story shifts into resolution mode because this new information enables the hero to complete the quest, solve the problem, save the day, etc. 

"It's when the final scene starts." This last piece of information revealed in the SPP needs to be powerful and meaningful. It's the last piece of the puzzle, the final ingredient, the biggest twist. Use it to delight your reader with a good old slap upside the head. Wake up the reader and make him notice that the ending is definitely in sight, and the hero will need to prove his hero-ness or die trying.

Sometimes "there is an all-hope-is-lost lull that occurs right before the Second Plot Point appears." It's not always necessary (The Da Vinci Code doesn't have one) but it's a nice place to add one more bit of tension before everything blows up. Feel free to create this lull, this sense of impending doom, to slow the pace before the frenzy of the final conflict.

The SPP separates Part 3 from Part 4 and falls around the 75 percent mark. In your 350-page novel, that would be around page 262. "The hero transitions here from attacking warrior to a hell-bent, selfless, heroic, and even martyr-like champion of all that is good. Or at least necessary in terms of solving the inherent dramatic problem at hand." The SPP "can deliver information that is not yet known or fully understood by the hero, but in such a case it still launches the final push toward the resolution." 

In The Da Vinci Code, the SPP comes when "Langdon, in his heroic wisdom, cracks the message hidden in the codex, which revealed every last secret to be had about the code Leonardo da Vinci had so cleverly hidden in his paintings. In other words, the point of everything." [Spoiler alert -- don't read the rest of this paragraph if you haven't read or seen The Da Vinci Code but intend to do so.] We also learn that the people who've been helping Langdon are, in fact, bad guys. The Teacher is behind everything, including the albino assassin. This is the last new piece of information Langdon needs to uncover the truth and find the Holy Grail.

That concludes my brief dip into an awesome book. Check it out from the library. You'll quickly learn that you need to own this one for your reference library and use it frequently. Mine's all highlighted with important pages dog-eared and sticky-note bookmarks poking out in strategic places. I've used this method to outline my last two novels, and I think they're my best works to date. I might even use this system to revamp previous novels. It's that good.

Comments? Questions? Requests for future series? I love hearing from ya'll!

-Sonja 

Second Pinch Point

In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. Competency #4, Structure, has four parts: The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. Within these four parts are some major milestones. The milestones within the structure are: 

The opening scene or sequence of your story;

A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;

A setup inciting incident 

The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;

The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;

The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;

A Second Pinch Point, at about the five-eights mark, or in the middle of Part 3

The Second Plot Point, at about 75 percent through the story;

The final resolution scene or sequence

(This pinch is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

Like the First Pinch Point, the Second Pinch Point is meant to showcase just how awesomely evil or powerful or determined the antagonist is. "The reader needs a reminder of the danger, the stakes and the implications, the unseen monster we know is waiting under the bed." This puts a bit more scary in this part of the book. Show the antagonist going after what he wants (which is in opposition to what the hero wants). You can either show this in the POV of the antagonist, or show a confrontation between the antagonist and the hero where the hero doesn't win.

The Second Pitch Point falls in the middle of Part 3 (The Attack), at about the five-eights mark. If your novel is 350 pages long, your Second Pitch Point will fall around page 219. That's a guideline, of course, so feel free to stray a bit from that target--you're the author, so you get to choose. Just don't stray too much.

In The Da Vinci Code, the Second Pinch Point comes a bit early, in Chapter 64. "The assassin clocks Langdon from behind, just as Langdon is opening yet another box containing a cryptic clue."  The assassin is the antagonistic force. "What better reminder of an obstacle, for both the hero and the reader, than having it hit you over the head." 

That was quick and easy, wasn't it? My next post will deal with the Second Plot Point. Please come back.

-Sonja

Midpoint

In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. Competency #4, Structure, has four parts: The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. Within these four parts are some major milestones. The milestones within the structure are: 

The opening scene or sequence of your story;

A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;

A setup inciting incident 

The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;

The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;

The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;

A Second Pinch Point, at about the five-eights mark, or in the middle of Part 3

The Second Plot Point, at about 75 percent through the story;

The final resolution scene or sequence

(This median provided by my favorite free photos site, freedigitalphotos.net)

"A funny thing happened on the way to the ending of your story," Brooks says. "Everything changed. Right in the middle, in fact. A big fat unexpected twist." That's your Midpoint. He defines the Midpoint like this: "new information that enters the story squarely in the middle of it that changes the contextual experience and understanding of either the reader or the hero, or both." The hero or the reader suddenly learns something important. It could pertain to hidden information that the hero knew existed somewhere but hadn't found yet, or it could be something completely new. Whatever you chose, this new info adds weight and dramatic tension.

The Midpoint "changes things through meaning." It empowers the hero to move from Part 2 (The Response) into Part 3 (The Attack). Now the hero has enough knowledge to be proactive about his problem/quest. He knows who to go after, where to search, what to do next. "It activates new decisions, behaviors, and actions stemming from a new perspective."

The Da Vinci Code has two possible Midpoints, which I found a little amusing. The author knows which one of them is the true Midpoint, but it's murkier for the reader. In Chapter 51, Sophie and Langdon stop fleeing the cops/assassin and run toward "The Teacher"--the guy who can help them solve the mystery. The hero transitions from random running to direct attack. Then in Chapter 55, both the reader and the hero learn what the Holy Grail is all about. It's new information that completely changes the nature of the quest. It's a huge revelation. It explains why the church is so intent on stopping Langdon. 

These two revelations, packed closely together at the end of Part 2/beginning of Part 3, change the context of the story. The stakes are higher now, the quest is clearer, and the hero has a destination in mind for the final showdown. 

In your 350-page novel, the Midpoint comes right around page 175. Get as close to that as possible, make the revelation a big, juicy one, and your reader will love you and your story. Questions? Comments? Rants from the pantsers out there? I welcome them all.

My next post covers the Second Pinch Point. Here's a little hint: It's similar to the First Pinch Point.

-Sonja

First Pinch Point

In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. Competency Four, Structure, has four parts: The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. Within these four parts are some major milestones. The milestones within the structure are: 

The opening scene or sequence of your story;

A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;

A setup inciting incident 

The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;

The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;

The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;

A Second Pinch Point, at about the five-eights mark, or in the middle of Part 3

The Second Plot Point, at about 75 percent through the story;

The final resolution scene or sequence

(This squeezy pinch is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

Now that I've got the review out of the way, let's jump into the new stuff: The First Pinch Point. Brooks says, "After the First Plot Point, the obstacle to the hero's quest is always there. As the hero begins responding to his new quest, the antagonistic force tends to drop into the background. But soon or later the reader--if not the hero--needs to meet that antagonistic force again, to look in its eyes and understand what it wants and the power of that desire. That moment is called a pinch point."

Simply stated, it's a scene told from the POV of the antagonist, clearly showing what's he's up to, why he's against the hero, and just how utterly powerful the antagonist truly is. It's "an example, or a reminder, of the nature and implications of the antagonist force, that is not filtered by the hero's experience. The reader sees for herself in a direct form." If you're writing in first person and can't jump into the POV of the antagonist, then the hero needs a direct confrontation (in person, over the phone, via an intermediary henchmen, etc.) with the antagonist to show the reader what the antagonist is all about.

The Pinch Point can be simple, a quick peek, a brief scene. It can be one character reminding another character what's going on. It can be a kidnapper beating on his victim, or playing the victim's screams over the telephone for the hero to hear. Brooks says, in this case, simpler is better. Show how nasty the antagonist is, then move on.

The Pinch Point comes in the middle of Part 2, about three-eights of the way through the book. So, if you've got a 350-page novel, the First Pinch Point comes around page 131 or so. It doesn't have to be exactly on that page, but close to it. You might or might not need a scene to set up the Pinch Point--it's your choice. 

In The Da Vinci Code, "Langdon's search for answers finally leads him to the Knights Templar and their search for the Holy Grail. Which is precisely the heart and soul (an ironic way to put it, actually) of this story's antagonist force--the church's hiding of the nature and location of "the Holy Grail" and the willingness to kill to protect that secret." The assassin is the antagonistic force at this point. He's searching for the thing Langdon has already found, and will kill to get it back.

Just remember that the Plot Points shove the hero in a new direction. The Pinch Points show the antagonist doing everything in his power to get his own way, which is in direct opposition to the hero. 

I'll discuss Midpoint in my next post. Come on back, ya hear?

-Sonja

The First Plot Point Cont.

In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. Competency Four, Structure, has four parts: The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. Within these four parts are some major milestones. This is all review, so look at previous posts if you're lost. The milestones within the structure are: 

• The opening scene or sequence of your story;
• A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;
• A setup inciting incident 
• The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;
• The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;
• The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;
• A Second Pinch Point, at about the five-eights mark, or in the middle of Part 3
• The Second Plot Point, at about 75 percent through the story;
• The final resolution scene or sequence

In my last post, I started digging into the First Plot Point (FPP). I'd like to expand more on those ideas today. The FPP is a major change in the hero's life that he MUST respond to. It could be huge, like hitting an iceberg or killing a man. It could be personal, like finding out his spouse is having an affair or a child dealing with drugs. It could be devastating, like a kidnapping. It could be subtle, like a lover's cold whisper. It doesn't have to be dark. Maybe your hero wins the lottery. Whatever it is, it will shove the hero into a quest, a need, that will have visible obstacles (antagonist) that seek the opposite outcome.

The FPP means the hero's life has completely altered, and won't go back to the way it was before. The problem must be addressed. Ignoring it will only make things worse. In The Da Vinci Code, the FPP comes when someone is trying to kill Robert Langdon before he can figure out the truth. Langdon can't ignore the assassin. I guess he could, but then his life would end and the story would be over... 

The FPP should come 20-25 percent of the way through your novel. So, if yo've got a 350 pager, the FPP should fall between pages 70 and 87. That's the sweet spot. Too early, and you might not have enough set-up to make the reader really sympathize with your hero. Too late, and your reader may be bored before they get to the good stuff.

Once you've written the FPP, you've left Part 1: The Set-up and moved into Part 2: The Response. This isn't the time for the hero to be heroic. It's time for him to react to this new, scary, life-altering event/news/information. He'll seek shelter, seek allies, seek answers to burning questions. The reader needs time to digest this new stuff, to understand and identify with the decisions and actions the hero makes in those first tension-filled moments after the earth-shattering FPP.

I love this example Brooks offers: "If the airplane the hero is in loses an engine and begins spiraling to the ground, he screams. Then he prays. Then he comforts the person next to him. What the hero doesn't do is rush the cockpit and take over. That comes later. For now, the hero is still very human. And his reactions need to be in context to that humanity. It's Part 2, and the mission here is to show the hero's response."

When I first started playing with this structure, it seemed that Part 2 was too long. It's supposed to be a quarter of the book? And it's all Response to the FPP? I thought I couldn't drag it out that long, that my reader would get bored waiting for me to get around to Part 3, The Attack (which sounds like the exciting part). I was wrong. This structure really does work. Brooks explains it this way: you've just finished your scene/scenes that lay down the FPP. Now you'll have a scene or two where your hero "regroups, retreats, or otherwise takes stock of his options... if you have a scene that sets up the Pinch Point [I'll explain that in the next post]... then the Pinch Point itself... then a scene or two responding to the Pinch Point... followed by a few scenes leading up to the Midpoint scene..." [also to be explained later]. You've just covered most of the scenes needed in Part 2. That leaves you a scene or two to deal with a subplot issue, or foreshadow something coming in Part 3, or use a scene to slow down the pacing and let the reader breathe for a minute. With this method, you'll never wonder, "What do I write next?" You'll have a logical sequence already mapped out.

For those pantsers out there who hate to outline, there's still plenty of freedom within this method for flavorful surprises to pop up and make you take notice. These creative gems that you love so much don't have to mean the downfall of your structure, nor does planning your story mean the end of these exquisite revelations. It just means you don't have to worry about fixing things when you take a rabbit trail in the wrong direction. If you decide to take the rabbit trail that jumped out and caught your attention, just make sure it ends up back where you need to be. You've got several extra scenes to play with in Part 2, so feel free to use them exploring your creativity regarding the mess your hero finds himself in. 

My next post will cover the First Pinch Point. You won't want to miss it!

-Sonja

The First Plot Point

In his book Story Engineering,  Larry Brooks offers six core competencies involved in writing an excellent novel. I've covered all six competencies in the past month or so, but I want to dig further in Structure, the fourth competency. I've mentioned it before, but I'm a structure junkie, and this is the part of the book I loved the most. For a quick review, the four parts of the structure are The Set-up, The Response, The Attack, and the Resolution. But within these four parts are some major milestones. I want to look in-depth at these pieces and pick them apart.

First let me identify the milestones. I'm copying this out of the book:

• The opening scene or sequence of your story;
• A hooking moment in the first twenty pages;
• A setup inciting incident (optional, as the inciting incident can be the First Plot Point)
• The First Plot Point, at approximately 20 to 25 percent through the story;
• The First Pinch Point at about the three-eights mark, or precisely in the middle of part 2;
• The context-shifting Midpoint, at precisely the middle of the story;
• A Second Pinch Point, at about 75 percent through the story;
• The final resolution scene or sequence

The first four bulleted milestones fall in Part 1. The First Plot Point falls at the end of Part 1 and leads directly into Part 2. The First Pinch Point fall in Part 2. The Midpoint falls right at the end of Part 2/beginning of Part 3. The Second Pinch Point falls in Part 3, and the last bulleted point is in Part 4. Looks a bit convoluted all typed out like this, but it's not too hard. I'm assuming you understand importance of the opening scenes and the hook (establish the hero in his normal life, identify the stakes, set the hook, and foreshadow the antagonistic force). The inciting incident is that moment when the hero's ordinary life takes a serious jolt. He hasn't had to make a decision yet--he's just been interrupted.

Then comes the First Plot Point (FPP), the most important part of the entire book. Without this FPP, there is no story. Here's Brooks' definition: "the moment when something enters the story in a manner that affects and alters the hero's status and plans and beliefs, forcing him to take action in response, and thus defining the contextual nature of the hero's experience from that point forward, now with tangible stakes and obvious opposition in place."  The hero will have to DO something. He has to react. (Did you just have that A-Ha Moment when you realize that Part 2 is called The Response because the hero has to respond to the FPP? Yeah!)

(This hero's choice does NOT constitute a First Plot Point. But she's brought to you courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

The FPP introduces a conflict into the hero's life that must be resolved, and there's opposition to whichever choice he makes. "The First Plot Point is the moment when everything changes. Even if there have already been changes before this point. Meaning imparts change because meaning drives motivation and connects to stakes. Meaning is why people will risk their lives, kill people, or run into a corner shrieking like a little girl. Without it, a plot twist is just a twist, not a plot point." When the hero's life, dreams, word view and inner demons are stirred with a pointy stick, suddenly it's all up for grabs.

There's so much more I want to say about this First Plot Point, so I'll cut off here at a decent length and continue the discussion next time. Any questions or comments so far?

-Sonja

Structure Part 4: The Resolution

I'm digging through the book Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks and giving you the important bits. He offers six core competencies of a great story. I'm still working on the fourth core competency, Structure. Structure has four parts. I've already covered the first three parts, so go back if you need a refresher. Today I'm looking at Part 4: The Resolution.

In Part 4, no new information enters the story. "Everything the hero needs to know, to work with, or to work alongside (such as another character or resource) needs to have already been put in play. Part 4 shows how the hero summons the courage and growth to come forward with a solution to the problem, to reach the goal, to overcome inner obstacles in order to save the day or even the world, to attain the fame and riches associated with victory, and to generally beat down and conquer the story's antagonistic force." It's the ending.

Here's the important bit about this part: "The hero needs to be the primary catalyst in the resolution of the story." The sidekick or love interest cannot take center stage here and solve the problem, then turn the hero and say, "thanks for the help." The hero has to be the hero. He can't be rescued, he's the rescuer. He can end up dead at the end, but he had to have a the major part in the resolution before he kicked the bucket. Self-sacrifice is the highest act of honor, so dead heroes aren't out of the question. (Although it plays havoc with sequels.)

The hero went from orphan to wanderer to warrior. At the end, he's the martyr. He doesn't HAVE to die (most of the time they don't), but he does what needs to be done to reach the goal. He's willing to die if that's what it takes.

(This is Robert Langdon, the hero of The Da Vinci Code movie.)

In The Da Vinci Code, "Langdon solves all the riddles that define this book with his brilliant powers of deduction. This is his heroism--he is the guy who solves the puzzle and uncovers the truth, and then steps into the role of advocate for and champion of that truth as the authorities close in."

Part 4 is takes up 25% of the book, or the last 75 pages. Again, that's not set in stone, but it's a guideline. If you take more than that, it's okay. If you take 100 or more, that's too many and your Second Plot Point fell at the wrong spot.

That concludes this brief outline of the four parts. There's a lot more detail in the book, and I'd love to dig into more of it, but first I want to get back to the six core competencies and finish outlining them. Then I'll come back and hit this structure thing harder, as it's my favorite part of the book and I'm a structure junkie. I've already discussed the first four competencies (Concept, Character, Theme, and Story Structure). Five and six are Scene Execution and Writing Voice. Come on back for this exciting stuff.

-Sonja

Structure Part 3: The Attack

I'm sifting through the book Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks and giving you the best stuff. He offers six core competencies of a great story. I'm still working on the fourth core competency, Structure. Structure has four parts. I've already covered Parts 1 and 2. Today I'm looking at Part 3: The Attack.

By this time, the hero has been stumbling around, running away, acting scared, clueless, trying to figure out what went wrong and how he'll fix it. He was responding. Now it's time for him to fix it. This is Part 3: The Attack. He's going to get proactive and courageous and ingenious. He's going to attack the problem before him. He's going to start addressing those inner demons that hold him back. He's going to need to change, deep in his core, if he's going to have a prayer at conquering his outer problems. In Part 3, our undaunted hero will find his courage, get creative, and move forward. 

This won't happen all on its own. He's going to need new information, new awareness, and that new stuff needs to come at the right time for our hero's evolution from wanderer to warrior. This element takes place at the Midpoint (halfway through the story, between Parts 2 and 3), and from then on, the story moves forward. "The Midpoint shakes things up, the plot thickens--the antagonistic force is moving forward, too--and what the hero thought would work isn't quite enough. He needs more. More courage. More creativity. A better plan."

That's what Part 3 is for.

(This warrior is brought to you by freedigitalphotos.net)

In The Da Vinci Code, Langdon discovers there is a "teacher" who can make things clear. "The retreat of Part 2 becomes the pursuit of this teacher, coincident with his continuing avoidance of the police. Langdon realizes (at the Midpoint) that the teacher is the means of understanding and ultimate salvation. After this Midpoint realization, he's no longer running or responding, he's attacking the problem."

The final piece of the puzzle arrives at the end of Part 3, the Second Plot Point (more on this later). Then everything changes again, and we're into Part 4, The Resolution. The Second Plot Point (SPP) falls 75% of the way through the book, so if your novel is 300 pages long, the SPP should fall around page 225. That's not set in stone, just a good guideline.

My next post is The Resolution, and you won't want to miss it. What good is a book without an ending, huh?

-Sonja