Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)

by Lisa Cron

chances are years, probably decades, will have passed between your origin scene and when your novel opens. During that time, your protagonist will have made a lot of turning point decisions that were affected by the battle between her desire and her misbelief. Often simply by focusing on what you already know about your story—and by now you know a lot—you’ll find that several possible turning points instantly materialize. As you sift through the possibilities, keep in mind that you’re looking for moments when your protagonist stood at a crossroads in her life and had to make a decision that had escalating ongoing ramifications, rather than random moments that merely exemplify a time when your protagonist acted on her misbelief.