Post-Midpoint Heroics
The Thick Plottens
Congratulations: you're halfway through your book!
In two previous posts (How To Keep People Reading and How To NAIL Your Story's Midpoint) we went over how to keep the middle of your story from sagging and losing momentum by raising the stakes and the internal conflict along with external conflict.
However, there's still a good stretch left to go before you're officially through the middle. So if you're struggling with the post-midpoint chapters, or just looking for some tips to strengthen your story, read on!
New Plan
Right. So the midpoint happened.
Your MC was blindsided with new information, which derailed their first plan and pushed them even farther out of their comfort zone. But things are even more complicated now, what with the antagonist within sight and a whole truckload of internal conflict to deal with. What does MC do now???
With their 'stupid' plan in shambles, they're probably going to evaluate the situation, realize they've been reacting out of their fear and core misbelief, and form a new plan to achieve their goal in a better way - right?
NOPE.
At least, not ultimately.
If we've learned anything about this character so far, it's that they're a deeply conflicted person - and that inner conflict has only gotten worse as the story goes on. So as the external conflict gets even more intense, the MC is going to make more and more decisions based on their fear. (Fear of failure, fear of never being loved, fear of having to rely on others - whatever you established in the setup, keep going with that.)
However, in the wake of the game-changing plot twist, the MC does begin to develop a more responsive mindset. They're not just making their decisions as each event comes along anymore. In fact, they'll often try to anticipate and manipulate events to suit their new plan.
As for the new plan itself?
Oh, it's even worse than the last one.
Imminent Doom
You've heard me say I'm a chaotic pantser (writing by the seat of my pants, so to speak) - which is true. I never write anything down ahead of time. But - don't keelhaul me for this - I usually know what kind of catastrophe is waiting for my main characters near the end of the book.
Whether you're a panster or plotter, it's good practice to have some idea of how your MC's plan is going to blow up in their face. Because this new plan is solid. It's feasible. It might even be rather clever - and it has both the MC and the reader convinced that this is absolutely going to work.
Except it's not.
So it's a good idea to know how it's all going to hit the fan beforehand. We'll take a closer look at this in the next post, but for now just hold your idea of imminent doom in the back of your mind as you continue writing the middle of your story.
Turn Up The Heat
As the MC gets closer and closer to complete disaster, things are going to get dicey. Stuff can go wrong. Tempers flare. Relationships either strengthen or crumble. And through all of this, your MC's anxiety over their fear should skyrocket.
Think about it. They've done everything within their power so far to avoid facing their fear, and yet it seems to pop back up at every turn. So it's no surprise that they're at the edge of their own sanity at this point. They're exhausted - mentally, physically, or both. They're going to screw up and make stupid decisions, perhaps at their friends' or loved ones' expense, that bring them closer to a devastating confrontation and ultimately: Disaster.
None of this is beyond the antagonist/villain's perception. If you're writing a personified (as opposed to abstract) villain, this is where they'll stop circling and start making jabs. Testing the MC, breaking them down. And finally, the villain will find an opportunity and step in for the blow that breaks the MC completely.
But that's another topic for another time.
Wow, that got really intense really quick. It's fun though! The disaster is one of my favorite story beats to write (no, not morbid at all, haha) and next week, you'll find out why. So subscribe to my mailing list if you haven't already, and you'll be notified as soon as my next post comes out!
Best of luck to you on your writing journey, mate!
- Lydia
.jpg)
Comments