From Logline to Narrative Arc: Connecting the Dots, Part Two

Moving from midpoint to resolution.

This post is part of the Outline With Me series. For more like this, check out the outlining your novel page.

In last week's post, I covered outlining a novel from the inciting incident through the first pinch point. As a recap, this is what we've got so far for our case story.

Logline: A Mormon bartender must save the family business before the state revokes its liquor license... or he won't be able to afford Grandma's surgery.

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Inciting Incident: After a long night tending his family's bar, Joseph returns home to find his Grandma collapsed on the bathroom floor.

First Plot Point: Joseph strikes a deal with his liquor distributor, buying more in bulk than usual to get a better deal. He plans on using the increased profits from the deal to pay for Grandma's operation.

First Pinch Point: Gayle Heartly, newly elected head of the town council, informs Joseph that his bar's liquor license is unlikely to be renewed.

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With the above in mind, let's move on to crafting this story's midpoint.

Midpoint

The midpoint, almost too predictably, should take place near the middle of your narrative arc. Also known as the turning point, this moment is the one in which your protagonist goes from being reactive to proactive. That is to say, he or she (tries) to take the reins and propel forward the manuscript's remaining action him- or herself. This should be a transformative moment for your protagonist, one that puts them outside their comfort zone.

So what are some possible midpoints for our story about Joseph, the Mormon bartender? Let's brainstorm.

• Despite the warning from Gayle, Joseph applies for the renewal of the bar's liquor license.

• Joseph negotiates for the return of all the excess liquor he purchased before proceeding to sell the family business as a last-ditch effort to fund Grandma's surgery.

• Joseph, hoping for the support of his religious community in order to help his poor grandma, comes clean regarding the nature of his family business.

Right off the bat, I think it's safe to cross off option one. Though Joseph must be proactive in doing this, it's not a transformative moment at all. In fact, it's literally the bare minimum he could do to keep the doors of the bar open.

Option two is slightly better, though it also lacks the transformative power necessary in a midpoint. on top of this, Joseph is also trying to undo the past--it's not a very forward-thinking approach. I think it would be an option he might consider prior to the midpoint (let's make a note of this to bridge the gap between First Pinch Point and Midpoint later on), but it doesn't work as a midpoint on its own.

Ooh... but option three? That sounds hard, both to write and for Joseph to actually do.

But that's the point! Like in real life, change in fiction is difficult. Overcoming these sorts of obstacles is the exact sort of thing that creates a harrowing tale. Without this sort of tension, readers can lose interest. And when readers lose interest, they put down your book.

Now that we have a midpoint, let's see what a second pinch point gets us.

Second Pinch Point

So your character has taken a risk at the midpoint of your story. What becomes of that risk? How do the stakes get made even higher, or what still stands in the way of your character achieving their goals?