Your Next Draft Turning Point: How to Find and Write the Moment That Changes Everything
It's the hinge your entire story turns on—and one of the hardest story elements to identify and write.
Can I be honest? I struggled with turning points for years.
I knew they were essential. They’re the moment when everything changes. The moment that forces the character to face a crisis choice. The moment that reveals what the story is really, at its heart, about.
And yet . . . I couldn’t see them.
I found so many things that weren’t the turning point. I found inciting incidents, and midpoints, and climaxes.
The turning point, though? It eluded me.
Until I learned a simple framework that finally, finally unlocked them for me.
That framework:
- Reveals why the turning point matters so dang much within the story
- Ties the turning point perfectly to the inciting incident, climax, and every other element of story
- Is objective and straightforward, making it clear to measure (no more guessing at turning points based on gut feeling!)
- Is wonderfully simple (it’s kind of incredible how simple it is, considering how tough turning points are to spot)
That framework marked my turning point in the way I edit turning points.
If you have ever struggled to figure out what the heck the turning point is in a story, well, you’re not alone.
I hope this framework gives you a breakthrough. It certainly did for me!
Further listening:
- Inciting incident (qualities & traps)
- Progressive complications (qualities)
- Progressive complications (traps)
- Protagonist’s goal
- Content genres
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