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9. MIDPOINT WHAT DOES IT DO? Marks the middle of the novel with either a false defeat or a false victory while at the same time raising the stakes of the story. WHERE DOES IT GO? 50%
So what exactly is the Midpoint? Basically it’s a single-scene beat in which three very essential things happen: The hero experiences either a false victory or a false defeat. The stakes of the story are raised. The A and B stories intersect in some way.
Because essentially, the whole goal of the Fun and Games is to drive the story toward the Midpoint, and to give the Midpoint definition.
We writers set up these false victories and false defeats so we can do one very crucial thing (the second essential Midpoint element): to raise the stakes of the story.
Up until this point, your flawed hero has been given an opportunity to change their ways and fix those flaws (via the upside-down world of Act 2), but they really haven’t taken advantage of that opportunity yet. As we said, they’re still being piloted by what they want, not by what they need. By raising the stakes of the story at the Midpoint, we’re essentially saying, “Time’s almost up, buddy! No more messing around.” We’re forcing the hero into a new course of action that will inevitably lead to the change they so desperately require.
A MAJOR GAME-CHANGING PLOT TWIST: This is one of my favorite ways to raise the stakes in a novel, because I love writing plot twists. Essentially, a plot twist is you saying to the hero (and the reader), “You don’t even know the half of it yet. Here’s what you’re really dealing with!” I call this the Midpoint twist, and writers of thrillers and mysteries employ it quite often.
But having them attend what I call a Midpoint party (a social gathering or large celebration with tons of people) essentially gives your hero a chance to step out into their Act 2 world and declare themselves a part of it. In front of everyone. It’s a public “outing” of sorts, which is difficult to back away from. The Midpoint of Me Before You (Louisa’s birthday dinner party) is the first time in the book when Louisa’s parents and boyfriend meet Will, the quadriplegic man she’s been hired to take care of (and is slowly falling in love with). This is essentially a collision of her two worlds
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But it’s at this moment, when the stakes are raised, that your hero begins to realize they can’t keep going the way they’ve been going. Because either it hasn’t worked (false defeat!) or it has worked (false victory!), but they still feel like they’re missing something.
Often at the Midpoint the A and B stories cross, meaning A Story characters and B Story character(s) intertwine or cross paths in some way. This is done to visually cue the reader that we are shifting from the wants (the external A Story) to the needs (the internal B Story), even if the reader isn’t quite aware that you’re doing it (more writer manipulation).
A great story is a continual raising of the stakes.
10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat Midpoint or fall down after a false victory Midpoint, all while the internal bad guys (flaws) are closing in. WHERE DOES IT GO? 50% to 75%
The beat itself is named after the sequence in an action movie where the bad guys regroup (after having failed to enact their evil plan at the Midpoint) and come back stronger, more organized, and with bigger, badder weapons.
But regardless of whether your Bad Guys Close In beat is a downward path or an upward path, whether there are literal bad guys or just bad things are happening to the hero, there is one kind of bad guy that does exist in all stories. And that’s internal bad guys.
11. ALL IS LOST WHAT DOES IT DO? Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom (lowest moment) of the story. WHERE DOES IT GO? 75%
That’s the function of the All Is Lost. It’s a single-scene beat (one scene or one chapter), approximately 75 percent of the way through the novel, in which something happens to your hero that tosses them deep, deep down into defeat.
We insert something called the whiff of death. Nothing spells despair more than death itself. So this is the point in stories where a lot of characters die or almost die.
Killing of a mentor character at the All Is Lost is especially effective because it forces the hero to do the rest on their own. It forces them to look deep inside and realize that they had the answers—the power, the ability, the “force”—in them all along.
And even if there’s not an actual death in this beat, there’s a hint at death. There’s a whiff of it. Like a dead plant in the corner, a dead fish in the fish bowl, maybe even the death of an idea or project or relationship or business. In Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, there’s a death of a lifelong friendship. Even in the comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, there’s a whiff of death in the All Is Lost when Becky tries to buy something only to find that all her accounts have been frozen and the cashier confiscates her card. It’s the death of her credit!
It’s an action beat that serves a very similar function to the Catalyst beat in Act 1. If the first Catalyst pushed your hero into the Debate and then into the Break Into 2, then the All Is Lost will push your hero into the Dark Night of the Soul and finally into the Break Into 3.
And even though whatever happens in the All Is Lost is happening to your hero, it should be, at least somewhat, your hero’s fault. Why? Because that stubborn fool still hasn’t learned the theme!
Now your hero has nothing else to do but wallow in their defeat and reflect upon their choices and their life. Little do they know that it’ll be the most powerful, life-changing reflection they’ve ever done.
12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL WHAT DOES IT DO? Shows how your hero reacts to the All Is Lost and how they eventually break through to a resolution. WHERE DOES IT GO? 75% to 80% (This beat takes us to the end of Act 2.)
I like to call the Dark Night of the Soul “the wallowing beat.” Because that’s pretty much what heroes do here. They sit around or walk around, feeling hopeless and sorry for themselves. And there’s often rain involved.
Now your hero needs time to process it all. That’s why the Dark Night of the Soul is a multi-scene beat. You get several scenes or chapters to show how your hero is dealing with this defeat.
It’s the darkness before the dawn. It’s the moment before the big breakthrough realization. It’s the last moment before the real change occurs. That’s why most revelations in stories happen in this beat, during what I call the Dark Night epiphany. The final clue falls into place, the hero sees something in a new light, the truth they’ve failed to see all this time suddenly becomes clear. Lots of mysteries (in both mysteries and other types of novels) get solved right here in the Dark Night of the Soul.
This is also the one beat in the novel where your hero is allowed to move backward, instead of forward. I call it the return to the familiar.
If possible, take your hero back to where they started. Reunite them with an old friend. Get them back together with an ex. Give them their old job back. Somehow return them to their original status quo Act 1 life. Because when you’re wallowing and feeling lost, it’s only natural that you’d start searching for something familiar and safe. But here’s the clincher: it doesn’t feel familiar and safe anymore. And it certainly doesn’t feel the same. A return to the familiar essentially shines a giant spotlight on how much your hero has already changed. They’re no longer that Act 1 thesis person
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Act 3 We’re nearly there! We’ve reached the third and final act, also called the synthesis. Remember, Act 1 was the thesis (or the status quo world), Act 2 was the antithesis (or the upside-down world), and Act 3 is the synthesis (the fusion of those two worlds). Here’s another way I like to look at it: Who the hero was in Act 1 + What they’ve learned in Act 2 = Who they will become in Act 3 If the Midpoint was the crossroads of all things, then this final act is the blending of all things.
13. BREAK INTO 3 WHAT DOES IT DO? Brings the hero into the synthesis world of Act 3, where they will finally fix things the right way. WHERE DOES IT GO? 80%
The Break Into 3 beat is literally a breakthrough. At this very moment, thanks to all their struggles in the upside-down world, thanks to all the lessons they’ve learned from their thematic B Story character(s), thanks to this emotional roller coaster you’ve put them on, your hero finally realizes what they must do to not only fix all of the problems they’ve caused in Act 2 (and there are plenty!) but also, more important, how to fix themselves.
The Break Into 3 almost always includes the following realization for the hero: It was never them who had to change; it was always me. Up until this point your hero has tried everything they can to avoid the real issues in their life.
This is a single-scene beat. You get one scene or chapter to show this realization and the decision that comes out of it. (Although I’ve seen it done successfully in as little as one page or one paragraph.) This is the beat you will use to guide your hero (and your reader!) swiftly and surely into the third and final act.
14. FINALE WHAT DOES IT DO? Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed. WHERE DOES IT GO? 80% to 99%
Your hero has finally wised up and figured out what they have to do. What comes next? Well, now they have to, you know, actually do it.
Which means that the Finale beat is often a very long beat. It’s a multi-scene beat that spans pretty much the entire third act (nearly 20 percent of the novel!).
But how do we stretch that out over the entire third act so it feels compelling and exciting and not too rushed? The answer is a dazzling and genius thing called the Five-Point Finale, and I guarantee it will change your life!
The Five-Point Finale is a blueprint for what every third act is essentially all about: storming the Castle!
Point 1: Gathering the Team Before the hero can “storm the castle,” they need some help. They need allies. They need to assemble troops! These troops can be literal troops or just some good friends to help out.
Your hero has to make amends and admit that they were wrong and stupid and blind. It’s just another step in the completion of their transformative arc.
This sub-beat can also be a Gathering of the Tools (strapping on weapons, making plans, collecting supplies, laying out the route, and so on).
Point 2: Executing the Plan
The team is assembled, the weapons are strapped on, the supplies are collected, and the route is all mapped out.
As your hero and their team (if they have one) execute the plan, there should be a sense of impossibility in their endeavor. A Can this really work? moment. The plan should at first seem crazy. But then, as the team works together and makes progress, there’s a growing sense of accomplishment. Maybe some quirky secondary characters will “have their moment” here. Maybe some strange skill or device or idiosyncrasy you’ve set up earlier in the book will pay off. But little by little, the plan seems to be working.
This sub-beat is also where a lot of secondary characters or team members make a B Story Sacrifice, sacrificing themselves for the cause. They start dropping off. Maybe they die, maybe they take a bullet for the hero, or maybe they simply move aside to allow the hero a chance to shine.
This is purposeful. Because with every team member who falls away, the hero is forced to do it on their own—showing us that they really do have what it takes.
Point 3: The High Tower Surprise
The High Tower Surprise is simply another twist, another challenge to force the hero to really prove their worth. In a way, it’s yet another Catalyst. A curve ball thrown at your hero that they now must figure out how to deal with. And this time, pure effort, brawns, weapons, even smarts won’t get your hero through. Your hero must dig deeper than that.
It’s when the hero has once again seemingly failed (in the High Tower Surprise) and has nothing left. No plan. No backup. No hope. And yet, they still have something. They may not realize it just yet, but there’s something deep down inside of them that will turn out to be the most important weapon of all. It’s the theme of the story. It’s the flaw they’ve overcome. It’s the proof that they’ve changed. And above all else, it’s something your hero would never have done at the start of the book.
Well, now it’s time for your hero to dig deep down and pull out that shard of glass. Remove their flaws at the source and become victorious.
This sub-beat is also called a touched-by-the-divine moment. No, your story doesn’t have to be spiritual or religious to have a touched-by-the-divine moment. But your story does have to have a soul. It has to speak to us on some deeper level. And here’s where the hero takes a final leap of faith.
