What’s a Turning Point?

Turning points confuse me.

Turning points confuse me.

Or perhaps it’s the way people talk about them that confuses me. I’m used to the fact that writing terminology isn’t standardized, and often can mean more than one thing. (“What’s the viewpoint?” can, for instance, mean “Which character’s eyes do we see the action through?” or it can mean “Is this story written in first-, second-, or third-person?”)

Back in elementary school, I was taught that the “turning point” was the mid-point of...