7 Point Plot: Crisis

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      In the last plot point, the main character came out with a win. The most story-logical next big plot point must, therefore, be a failure. After all, where's the tension for the reader otherwise?

      This Crisis marks the end of the middle of your book. This failure fires
your main character from a catapult right towards the supreme
show-down.

      For this transition to be inevitable, the stakes must be raised. There is usually either a destruction or threat of imminent destruction of a
person, object, or world. Imminent destruction usually has a time
limit attached that the hero must race against – thus also raising
the suspense level.

      The Crisis drives the main character towards the bad guy (or bad event).
The character typically makes a decision because of the Crisis that
causes the final conflit either directly or indirectly. It
depends on your story. Action-focused stories tend to take the direct
approach while character-focused stories may or may not take the
indirect approach.

       The Crisis ends badly for the character but the lessons of the Middle
have been learned. Mostly. This means your character isn't going to
do much more growing in the last section of the book. Which is just
as well since the last section of the book is pretty short and
usually action-driven.

       The Crisis is usually followed by some down-time when characters can
romance, gather resources, and make final plans. But that does not
mean that there is no tension. Your character has already started on
her trajectory towards the final battle. The clock (if you use one)
is ticking. For added tension, I like to place the Crisis for my
romantic subplot during this downtime.

7 Point Plot: Pop Quiz 2

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       This is the second pop quiz. If the Midpoint was about changing from reacting to acting, then Pop Quiz 2 is about changing from loosing to winning. Readers everywhere see this as a sign that ultimate victory is possible for the main character.

      This doesn't mean you make it easy for your character. It needs to look like your character is going to loose – to the reader and the character both – until the big turn around. Sound familiar?        Yup, kinda like the big finish only less intense.

      So why the big turn around? I think there are two reasons.

      First, reader psychology. A win now will make the next defeat – the one that triggers the final battle – all the more painful and unforeseen. After all, the reader has seen that the character can win and there is an emotional high from winning that will make the crash of defeat all the more bitter.

      Second, the character has changed and both character and reader need to know
that the character's goal, growth, or plan is on the right track. If the plan fails, then you switch to another plan, right? So if you want your character to stick with it then she needs a little positive reinforcement.

      But how does the character solve the problems posed by Pop Quiz 2? n a very character-driven approach, the character listens to her heart. She is figuring out her inner conflict, trying to do the right thing, and the insight given by the struggle is what she realizes she needs.

      In the other extreme, the main character can pull out a win at the last minute by learning a new skill, grabbing a weapon, or through the help of hard-won allies (so long as the main character is still the main character of the scene).

      In my own fantasy, I like a tense battle here decided by the inner conflict element. You don't have to choose one over the other, you see. You can combine both approaches. Just keep it tense.

7 Point Plot: Midpoint

         I love the midpoint of novels. I tend to be a proactive person. It is like Midpoints were made for me.

         On the outside, the Midpoint can be new information and/or a confrontation. It is the second-most tense time in your story.

         But what I love most is the inside of the Midpoint.

         The characters have been reacting to their circumstances. During the Midpoint (sometimes in the reaction section) the characters transform from reactive to proactive. Because readers see partly through the character's eyes (but also through the narrator's voice), the reader's perceptions also transform.

         For the joyful adventurer, the Midpoint is usually some kind of revelation. “Oh no, Voldemort is after the Sorcerer's Stone, guys. We have to protect it!” Tension here may come from rapid revelations, prophecies, or a string of clues unraveled.

         For the reluctant adventurer, the Midpoint is usually a face-off against a bad guy – maybe the main antagonist or his stand-in. This is especially the case when the character is so unwilling that it takes an immediate life-or-death situation (with the threat of a future one) to get the character to become proactive about her situation.

         The Midpoint usually comes halfway through the middle. Sometimes it happens sooner but rarely later because readers love excitement. So give them what they want.