The secrets of the structure of the story: the central point

In the middle of our stories something wonderful happens. There we were, minding our own business, toiling through the seemingly endless desert of Act II, when… whap! boom! click! - everything changes again. Legendary director Sam Peckinpah spoke about how he always looked for a "pivot" to hang his story. That fulcrum is precisely your second main plot point, the central point, dividing your second act.

The whole point is what keeps your second act from dragging on. It is what crowns the reactions in the first half of the book and sets the chain of actions that will lead the characters to the climax. In many ways, the central point is like a second triggering event. Like the first trigger event, it directly affects the plot. Change the paradigm of history. And it requires a definitive, story-altering answer from the characters. The biggest difference, however, compared to the first triggering event, is that the character's response is no longer just a reaction, but it is the moment in which he definitively begins to take charge of the story and begins to act against the opposing force .

What is the central point?

If we return to our visualization of a story as a line of dominoes, we can imagine the central point as a turning point in the domino pattern. The line of reactions from the first half of the second act finally hits the domino at the tipping point and begins a whole new line of falling dominoes. This is a great moment in the story, an important scene, which is the logical outcome of all the previous scenes, but is also dramatically new and different from anything that has come before. It could be the capture of the protagonists, as in Jim Butcher's The Furies of Calderon . It could be a battle, like in The Magnificent Seven directed by John Sturges. Or it could be the death of a major character, as in Dragonborn by Pearl S. Buck. It could also be something a little less dramatic, like the close call and subsequent rescue of a main character stranded in the mountains during a storm, as in Kristen Heitzmann's Indivisible , or a bold speech, as in Fred Schepisi's IQ .

Whatever your choice of events, the central point is another moment in the story that changes the direction of the characters. This is the moment that will push them out of their reflexive reactions. From here on, if they are to survive (spiritually or physically, or both), they will have to stop defending and go on the attack. This series of actions (which we'll talk about in more detail next week) won't always be a dramatic assault on the enemy's castle walls. Sometimes, it can just be a strengthening of the position and a first step towards deciding not to suffer from "that" anymore (whatever "that" may be in your story).

Where is the central point located?

Not surprisingly, we find the central point (*drum roll please*) at the heart of the story. Your midpoint should be roughly around the 50% mark. Why do you ask? Now, we can see several important reasons for this placement.

1. Being the central scene of your story, this is your focus. If it happens too far in either direction, it's not a hub. (If you figured this out ahead of time, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.)

2. As with the first major plot point at the 25% mark, a second major plot point at the 50% mark is a very gut placement. Readers (and writers) have an internal sense for when something notable should happen in a story. If some new and interesting development doesn't change things every quarter through the book, we feel the drag and become anxious.

3. Your story takes the entire first half of the book to develop the character, his dilemma and his internal weaknesses. It takes the second half of the book to solve all the problems posed in the first half. The central point marks the turning point (the rotation, the switch) between these two parts of the story. Placed too far to either side of the 50% mark, the center point will break
major developments in one half of the story or the other.

Examples from cinema and literature

Now let's see what our master writers and directors have to tell us halfway through their stories? Let's look at how the center point can be effectively used in a variety of ways.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Austen seats readers by hitting them right in the middle. Not only does an unexpected (or expected?) proposition come from Mr. Darcy to Lizzy, he surprises us by having Lizzy reject him and throw everything she hates about him in his face. Up until now, the relationship between Lizzy and Darcy has been nebulous. Now, everything is out in the open and both characters have concluded their reactionary period with a series of strong actions that will force them to reevaluate themselves and each other.

It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1947)

George Bailey's reactionary period ends when Mr. Potter summons him to his office and offers him a job. This completely unexpected and unprecedented move on the part of the antagonist makes George dizzy with the possibilities. Suddenly, the life she's always dreamed of is within reach. It's seconds away from accepting the offer, when she comes to a realization that will change her life just as Mr. Potter's job offer would have done. This is when he stops reacting to his fate in Bedford Falls and embraces it deliberately (though still unhappily). When George leaves Potter's office, he is in control of her life for the first time in history.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1977)

Ender's apprenticeship in Salamander's army ends abruptly when he is given command of his army's Battle School. This dramatic shift in the character's circumstances would have been enough, by itself, to create a solid in-between point. But Card takes it a step further and complicates the character's plight by giving him, not the standard army, but a group of the worst students in Battle School. This brand new army, Dragon Army, was created specifically to challenge Ender. If he wants to survive, he must stop reacting to the pressure exerted on him by others and go on the attack.

Master and Commander directed by Peter Weir (2004)

After losing the Acheron in the deadly crash at Cape Horn, Jack has no choice but to spend the rest of the first half of the second act fighting back. But when the Surprise rescues a group of maroon whalers whose ship has been sunk by the Acheron , everything changes. Jack immediately goes on the offensive and begins plotting ways to track and capture the Acheron before it can disappear again.

What do we take away from these examples?

What have we learned about the central point? What are the must-have elements that will bring this crucial lynchpin to memorability and allow it to drive the rest of the story to its climax?

1. The midpoint should be right around the 50% mark, both to highlight it adequately and to allow it to separate the reaction and action periods.

2. The center point should be dramatic in a fresh new way. What happens in the middle should be a natural outflow from the previous scenes, but it should be different from anything that happened before.

3. The central point must act as a personal catalyst on the main character. He has to force him to change his modus operandi . After this, mere reaction will no longer be enough. Like the first major plot point, the midpoint is one of the most emotional moments in any story. Don't settle for something shabby. Plan yours carefully, so you dazzle your readers with a twist they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives.