The Midpoint (Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 7 of 12)

Halfway through the Second Act, something marvelous happens. There you are, minding your own business, toiling in the seemingly endless desert of the Second Act, when everything changes all over again. Legendary director Sam Peckinpah talked about how he always looked for a “centerpiece” on which to “hang” his story. That centerpiece is your Second Plot Point, the Midpoint, which divides your Second Act.

The Midpoint is what keeps your Second Act from dragging. It caps the reactions in the book’s first half and sets up the chain of actions that will lead the characters into the Third Act. Like all major structural turning points, the Midpoint directly influences the plot. It changes the paradigm of the story, requiring a definitive and story-altering response from the characters. This time, however, the protagonist’s response is no longer just a reaction. This is where the protagonist begins to take charge of the story by moving proactively against the antagonistic force and zeroing in on the final plot goal.

What Is the Midpoint?

 

You can envision the Midpoint as a bend in your story’s row of dominoes. When the line of reactions from the First Half of the Second Act finally reaches the domino at the turn, it begins a new line of falling dominoes. This is a monumental moment in the story, a primary scene. Although it must be the logical outcome of previous events, it should also be dramatically new and different from anything that has come before.

The Midpoint will push characters out of their reflexive reactions. If they’re to survive, spiritually or physically—or both, they must stop defending themselves and proactively change tactics to become more effective. This series of actions won’t always be a dramatic storming of the enemy’s castle walls. Sometimes, it can be a figurative squaring of the shoulders and a first step toward the decision not to take it anymore (whatever “it” may be in your story).

For example, the Midpoint could be:

The capture of the main characters, as in Jim Butcher’s Furies of Calderon. A battle, as in the classic western The Magnificent Seven. The death of an important character, as in Pearl S. Buck’s Dragon Seed. Something less dramatic, such as the close call and subsequent rescue of a main character stranded in the mountains during a storm in Kristen Heitzmann’s Indivisible or a daring speech, as in the film I.Q.

The Moment of Truth at the Midpoint

The seismic change at a story’s Midpoint is created by a significant shift in the protagonist’s perspective. In a character arc, this epiphany is called the Moment of Truth. It is where the characters finally grasp the story’s thematic Truth in a way that has so far proved elusive. Although they must still work to overcome limiting beliefs (i.e., the Lie the Character Believes), the Truth they comprehend at the Midpoint will allow them to shift into greater effectiveness and proactivity in pursuing the plot goal. (For more about the thematic Truth and the Lie the Character Believes, see my book Creating Character Arcs.)

Although the Moment of Truth, as a significant moment in the character’s inner transformation, will affect the external plot, there will also usually be an epiphany that is more specifically a plot revelation. In stories that focus more on outer conflict than on character or in stories in which the character is not following a Positive Change Arc to overcome the Lie, the Midpoint will still signify a shift in the characters’ comprehension of the external plot.

At the Midpoint, the characters will learn something practical that allows them to hone their approach. This can take many forms—everything from new clues about the antagonistic force to a watershed moment of vulnerability in a relationship to a tragic but motivating battle. Whatever the case, the purpose of this Midpoint plot revelation is to provide the protagonist with a clearer understanding of the conflict’s true nature.

This will allow the characters to refine their plot goal. Although the plot’s throughline should remain consistent, the specifics of what the characters are trying to achieve will evolve. This may be because the characters realize the antagonist is someone other than who they thought. Or it might be the stakes change, showing the characters that what they most value might be something different from what they believed. Or the characters’ specific goals might alter altogether, even though the thematic underpinnings should not.

For Example:

In the movie The Queen, Elizabeth II is shaken by her people’s response to Princess Diana’s death and their demands for Elizabeth to return to London. She must reevaluate her beliefs and plans about responding to the tragedy. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the Midpoint reveals that the stolen orb the characters have been trying to retrieve and sell is an Infinity Stone with world-ending powers. This alters their goal entirely, as they realize they cannot sell it and must now do whatever they can to keep it out of the wrong hands. In Nick Hornby’s About a Boy, the protagonist Will has so far helped the fatherless youngster Marcus either for his own selfish reasons or because he couldn’t get rid of the boy. At the Midpoint, his relationship to Marcus shifts, and he begins to proactively help him with his problems at school and at home.

Where Does the Midpoint Belong?

Your Midpoint should take place roughly around the 50% mark. There are several important reasons for this placement.

1. This is the literal centerpiece of your entire story.

2. Readers (and writers) have an internal sense of pacing. If a new and interesting development isn’t changing things up approximately every eighth of the story, they feel the drag and get antsy.

3. Your story requires the book’s first half to develop the characters, their dilemmas, and their internal weaknesses. It requires the second half to resolve all the problems set up in the first. The Midpoint marks the turning point between these two parts of the story. If it’s placed too far to either side of the 50% mark, the Midpoint may cut off necessary developments in one half of the story or the other.

4. The Midpoint completes the “reaction phase” of the setup and foreshadowing. The story can now use that foundation to shift into an “action phase” building up to the Climax. This action need not necessarily be the adventure or violence we often think of in connotation to the word. The primary emphasis is on the characters moving forward proactively with comparative effectiveness. Their actions will be whatever are most appropriate for your story, whether that means gunfights, love scenes, legal arguments, investigations, or something else entirely.

5. The Midpoint snaps stories out of “saggy middle” syndrome for many obvious reasons, not least because it signals a major change internally and externally, in both character and plot. The protagonist and any other characters following significant character arcs will experience profound Moments of Truth that change their relationships to their goals. Consecutively (and perhaps as part of the same revelation), they will learn important information about the external conflict, which will change their tactics and perhaps even their focus throughout the rest of the story.

Examples of the Midpoint From Film and Literature

Pride and Prejudice: Not only does Austen give readers an unexpected proposal from Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth, she also raises the stakes by having Elizabeth turn him down flat and cast in his face everything she hates about him. Up to now, Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship has been nebulous. Now everything is out in the open. Both characters have ended their period of reaction with strong actions that will force them to reevaluate themselves and each other.

It’s a Wonderful Life: George Bailey’s period of reaction ends when he fully commits to the Building & Loan during the run on the bank after his wedding. In this dramatic centerpiece scene, he confronts the threat of Mr. Potter taking advantage of the panic and buying all the Building & Loan’s shares. When his bride offers up their honeymoon money to pay off their desperate shareholders, he doesn’t hesitate. From this point on, George is no longer simply reacting to being stuck in Bedford Falls. He fully accepts leadership of the Building & Loan and begins fighting back against Mr. Potter.

Ender’s Game: Ender’s apprenticeship in Salamander Army ends abruptly when he is given command of his own Battle School army. This dramatic change in the character’s circumstances would have been enough to create a solid Midpoint. But Card takes it one step further and complicates Ender’s plight by assigning him the worst students in Battle School. This brand new army—Dragon Army—is created to test Ender. If he’s going to survive, he must stop reacting to the pressures put on him by others and go on the offensive.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: After losing the enemy ship due to a fatal accident at Cape Horn at the First Pinch Point, Captain Jack Aubrey had no choice but to spend the rest of the First Half of the Second Act reacting. But when he rescues a group of marooned whalers whose ship was sunk by the enemy Acheron, the new information they provide changes everything. At the Midpoint, Jack goes on the offensive and begins plotting ways to track down and capture the Acheron before she can again disappear.

Top Things to Remember About the Midpoint

The Midpoint should take place right around the 50% mark, both to spotlight its importance and to proportionately separate the reaction and action periods. The Midpoint should be dramatic in a way that is new and fresh. Although what happens at the Midpoint should be a natural outcome of previous scenes, it should also be different from anything that has come before. The Midpoint must act as a personal catalyst for the characters. It must force them to change their modus operandi. After this, simply reacting won’t be enough. The Midpoint features a Moment of Truth that changes the characters’ understanding of themselves and the conflict.

The Midpoint is one of the most exciting moments in any story. Plan yours carefully to dazzle readers with an unforgettable scene.

Stay tuned: Next week, we talk about the Second Half of the Second Act.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Does something dramatic happen at your story’s Midpoint? Tell me in the comments!

Related Posts:

Part 1: 5 Reasons Story Structure Is Important

Part 2: The Hook

Part 3: The First Act

Part 4: The Inciting Event

Part 5: The First Plot Point

Part 6: The First Half of the Second Act

Click the “Play” button to Listen to Audio Version (or subscribe to the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast in Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, or Spotify).

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