Turning Points are…crossing a point-of-no-return. Whether it’s a transition between Act 1 & Act 2 or the Ordeal or any of those crafty terms, once your characters pass that moment, it is impossible for them to get back to where they were before (physically, emotionally, spiritually, or – preferably – all the above). Up until that instant, there is a chance, however remote, that things could go back to normal. For example, in THE HUNGER GAMES, the Capitol could cancel The Games or Katniss could shimmy down the training tower to safety, but once she enters the arena and that Turning Point door shuts behind her, the story is forever changed, and she can’t just go back to District 12.

Turning Points are…where all the trains crash. Remember those word problems about trains leaving the station at a certain speed and when will they collide? (Don’t worry, I’m a math geek and I hate those too). Well, that’s another way of thinking about Turning Points. They occur when all of the themes and character arcs and plot threads racing through a story, smash into one another. Sometimes they ricochet and head for a bigger explosion later (Act 1 to Act 2 transition) and sometimes it’s the final Ka-Boom of the climax. 

Turning Points are…tests for your characters. If in the beginning, a character states they will never, ever kick a dog. Then I fully hope/expect that at least one of the Turning Points revolves around him kicking a dog accidentally or being forced to kick a dog to save his cat or…you get the idea. This is when the characters are tortured to see if they’ve changed or broke or were truly reborn. In the end, Katniss has the ability to win The Games, but is willing to die in order to prevent the Capitol from a true victory.

Turning Points are…touchstones. These moments are when the story returns to the main dramatic fuel. It’s easiest to give a case study for this one. For THE HUNGER GAMES, this driving force is presented in the first Turning Point where Katniss volunteers for Prim. This moment poses the big question of “Will Katniss survive?” and sets up all the other Points: When she enters the arena, we wonder the same with a stronger conviction. And by the end, when she’s grown fond of Peeta and they’re heading back to the Cornucopia, we ask again and have to know the answer. 

Turning points are…sneaky. The best Turning Points are the jaw droppers. The ones where you say, “Oh no, she DID-DENT.” Katniss pulling out the poison berries is the perfect example. It’s very hard to predict (for me, at least), but it works brilliantly. Now, I know it’s hard to plan those sorts of moments (oh, boy, do I), but often times those are the ones that sneak up on you while writing, too. You’ll be clacking along, heading for your outlined plot point, when BAM! A character says or does something unexpected and, suddenly, their world has changed irrevocably. Folks, these moments are gems and I hope you see where they take you. Psst, I’m not saying to spend months writing the entire manuscript along those lines, but take a few minutes and work through the path while you stare out the nearest window.

Turning points are…<insert your definition here>

We've been talking this week about Turning Points in story structure. Of course, the caveat here is that many stories don't follow a formula, or adhere to the classic three act structure. However that format does help to shape your story.

The end of Act One is one of my favorite points in a story. It's the point where the hero or heroine are thrust out of their ordinary world, and into the meat of their story journey. Often, this is a literal physical journey. The search for a ring. The boarding of a train to a magical school. The prison escape. That's the case in my first novel UNDER THE NEVER SKY. Both of my protagonists are forced from their homes at the end of Act One, and the journey is one of obtaining knowledge, maturity, and ultimately of returning home with it, a new person.

Act One can also be the launch of an emotional journey. Take Lauren Oliver's DELIRIUM. The Act One turning point, in my opinion, is Lena beginning to fall in love--love being forbidden in Oliver's story. It sets up the emotional arc for Lena, which is the heart of the story. A character can make an important choice, or have a circumstance thrust upon them. The point being that at the end of Act One, we know we're not going back. Things will never be the same again. Lena will always know what love is, and that will shape her every decision going forward.

When I write, I try to find both the internal and external launch at the end of Act One. I find it especially satisfying when the physical and emotional journeys enhance one another.

What are your thoughts on the Act One Turning Point? 

I have heard of writers who map out the specific page number on which they will hit certain story beats before they ever start writing.  As in, I will write a 244 page novel, and the turning point between Act 1 and Act 22 will occur on page 61.

I am not one of those people. 

But I do try to think about the character’s major turning points as part of my initial story planning.  In most books, whether the ending is happy or sad, the character will emerge on the other side of the central conflict changed in some way.  When mapping out an initial structure for the book, I try to think about what events will change the character the most, and then when those events should occur in the story for maximum impact.

I start with four “big” things that I know must happen in my story, whether a turning point, a reversal or a revelation.  These four points are absolutely vital to the story, both from an internal and external character arc, and they will form the anchors for each of my four acts (Act 1, Act 2 part 1, Act 2 part 2, and Act 3).  Then I think of four events that are smaller in scope, but critical to building to the other four.  These are the midpoint scenes of each of my four acts.  The remaining scenes will be the necessary building blocks to get me from point to point- or turning point to turning point as the case may be.

At the end of Act 1, approximately a quarter of the way through the book (but it could be sooner or later- rules are made to be broken), I look for a turning point that places the main character on the path that will propel them through Acts 2 and 3.  This is the point of no return, where both internal and external forces converge to thrust the character into action.

In SPIES AND PREJUDICE, a key plot point is Berry’s decision to investigate the death of her mother eight years earlier.  This turning point marks the end of Act 1.  Early in the story, she is tempted by the idea of doing so, but fights it, in part because of her fear of what she will find, but more because she doesn't want to face an emotional truth- that she hasn’t gotten over her mother’s death.  The romantic plot is important to the story as well, so I played with using her initial distrust of her love interest as a means of propeling her forward in the mystery element. Characters and events converge to bring her to the place where she has no choice but to move forward despite her fears. 

The story could have been written where she starts the story determined to find out what happened to her mother, but then I’d miss the conflict and tension (and character development) that comes from her fear and indecision.  As Katy said so well yesterday, a turning point is meaningless without some prior build up- a reader needs to be invested in the outcome.  By allowing the character to fear what could happen,  the stakes are raised for both the character and the reader.  By knowing and understanding the consequences of a particular course of action, the reader can empathize with the character's struggles along the way.

I like to think of the Act 1 turning point as the moment where your character is knocked on or off course.  It can be the character’s choice, or external events or characters that push the character in  certain direction, but to me, the best turns are where the character veers away from his or her comfort zone.  

The Act 1 turning point is a great place to examine your character's internal motivations at the beginning of the novel, and experiment with what it would take to push your character in the direction that will challenge them the most.   

I am not an outline plotter. Structure does not come naturally to me. I am what we call a pantser. My characters run away with me. And they certainly don't always do things according to outline.

So when I think about turning points, I have to think about what's already there – in the novel itself, in the history – and figure out how to determine and accentuate the turning points after the fact.

Yes, I’m a little backwards.

The idea of a turning point is implicit. It is when something happens that changes the direction of the story. Easy, right? A turning point is when Luke Skywalker discovers the death of his aunt and uncle and begins his journey. It is when Rhett tells Scarlett he doesn't give a damn. It is when Wilbur meets Charlotte.

Now, there are many many people out there who have written about turning points much more effectively than I can. Almost everything I've learned about turning points, I learned from Christopher Vogler, James Scott Bell, or Donald Maass. However, I have also learned a few things the hard way. That is, from failure.

When I wrote Book 2, I had turning points in mind. Bell tells us that the major turning points within a novel should be associated with little deaths. Real death, emotional death, metaphorical death. I knew this, and applied it. Ineffectively.  My turning points lacked tension and resonance.  The prior scenes were episodic and therefore gave no bearing.

This is what I learned when I got my editorial letter. The turning point must be preceded by a buildup of emotion and tension. And any buildup of emotion and tension must lead either to a turning point, a reversal, or a revelation. Again, it seems like a no-brainer, but for me at least, I must learn these lessons again and again with each book, with each revision. Only then can I begin to apply them.

And so I had an epiphany. I reorganized the entire scene structure of Book 2 to reflect this. The scenes leading to each turning point pivoted on the point itself. My protagonist’s motivations, emotions, reactions altered as a result.

I'm not saying I got it all right. I'm not saying that a reader of this draft would be able to pick out my turning points in a lineup. I'm certainly not pretending to know anything more than you do. I guess what I'm saying is that we are all in this together–learning, growing, and helping each other. Perhaps you will learn something from my mistake. Or perhaps you will just laugh at me and learn something from Talia tomorrow. Either way, thank you for reading.

Thank you all for the amazing participation in our SKINNY giveaway! I literally put all the entries in a hat, closed my eyes, and pulled one out. Not very high tech, but extremely random.

So... without further fanfare... our winner of the SKINNY bound galley is... BURIED IN BOOKS!! Congratulations! Please send your mailing information to yamuses@aol.com and I will mail you an autographed copy. I hope you enjoy it!

Last week we wrote about turning points in our writing career. This week we turn our attention to writing turning points. Funny, I tend to know the turning point of the story before I know much else. Or at least I think I do. What I often forget is that a turning point often includes both an emotional revelation and a physical one. I tend to have one figured out, but forget about the other one.

Here's the thought process I go through when thinking about the big turning point in my story (I'm going to use "she" throughout to avoid the awkward he/she wording, but it could certainly be a "he"):

What does the main character want?

What does it look like the moment when she gets what she wants? (external)

What does she feel at that moment? (internal)

What does she learn about herself?

Ok. Now even though you already think you know what's going to happen, take a moment and contemplate the opposite.

What does it look like the moment the main character realizes she's never going to get what she wants? (external)

What does she feel at that moment? (internal)

What does she learn about herself?

Now, ask yourself, "What's the better story?"