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. These revelations must apply enough pressure to destroy the protagonist’s peace, forcing them to act against the antagonistic force rather than react to it.

Depending on your genre, Pinch 1 could be a physical attack from a villain (such as a new body turning up), or a discovery (like a boy discovering his sister is a vampire). Often, this is when the villain is introduced.

What is revealed here will lead to the midpoint, which is the moment of truth.

Midpoint - 2/4 of Act 2

The midpoint is the exact center state between the hook and resolution states. In Pinch 1, the hero learned the truth about something. This newfound knowledge must be enough to move her from reaction to action. Now she cannot move forward in the same way or avoid the problem anymore. Instead, she must commit herself to defeating the antagonist to get what she wants.

This section of the novel is often a series of try-fail cycles where the character learns more about herself as she pursues the problem. There are two possible results to try-fail cycles: either something good happens and there are negative consequences (yes, but…), or a horrible event occurs and has negative consequences (no, and…). Both are essential to maintaining adequate story progression. Without a victory every now and then, the story will feel stagnant and readers will get frustrated.

Pinch 2 - 3/4 of Act 2

Now that the hero has pursued and failed to defeat the villain several times, they must fail once more - but this failure must be worse.

The protagonist’s situation must be utterly hopeless. Your villain must be stronger than ever and almost win. The hero’s plan will fail, their companions or mentor will fall to the villain, and they will be left alone.

By hitting rock bottom, your character will be in a good position to face his previously held belief/flaw. Now is his choice. Either let go of your old ways and win, or continue to cling to them and perish.

Generally, there aren’t any new revelations at this point in the story. Pinch 2 is just a harsh reminder of what the protag must sacrifice in order to defeat the villain (the stakes). It will foreshadow and emphasize what comes next in the second plot point, which I will discuss six days from now!

Stay tuned.