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The Middle

The middle (or second act) of your novel will consist of your protagonist trying and failing to achieve their goal. Act 2’s structure begins after the First Plot Point with Pinch 1, then the Midpoint, then Pinch 2. Pinch points should raise tension by reminding the reader of what the protagonist has to lose or of the villain’s power. Make the situation life-or-death through a reveal or reminder. These Pinch Points both lead to and extrapolate off of the Midpoint. Pinch 1 - 1/4 of Act 2 Pinch 1 is just after the First Plot Point, so the protagonist is still scrambling to adjust to his new circumstances. He is already confused, so it’s the perfect time to throw him further off balance by introducing new clues about the nature of the conflict. Pinch 1 should show readers that the story is bigger than they expected, so there is more riding on the protagonist’s decisions. Reveal something about the context of the novel or apply new meaning to something the readers already know. T
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The End

Hello Jars of Words readers. Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that keeping up a blog is not beneficial to me at this time. The blog detracts from time I could be spending on my fiction. I may begin posting again one day, but, as of right now, my work on this platform is at an end. Thank you for understanding.
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The Art of the Plot Twist

A story is primarily about entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, our books produce messages that change readers’ views and teach them. But people read fiction for the entertainment value, otherwise, they’d read a self-help book. The best way to add entertainment value to your novel is through plot twists. End each scene in a way that catches readers off-guard but is more satisfying than any alternative ending. It can’t just be an attention grab; it must be better than readers’ expectations, logical, and add meaning to the story. There are generally three kinds of twists. 1. Something believable out of nowhere. Make readers uncertain about the direction of the story, then give them an ending that is not what they would have guessed, but is the only possible solution in retrospect. 2. Turn expectations against the reader. Lead the reader into certainty of an event or culprit (if you’re writing a mystery), then reveal that things weren’t going in that direction at all. They were g
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