If you've ever gotten stuck in the muddy middle, it may be because you didn't have a strong enough twist or turn at the midpoint, and therefore, your story ends up feeling repetitive. Both to the reader and YOU.
In most plot structures, including the three-act, four-act, and five-act plot structures, the twist or turn at the midpoint happens . . . in the middle. It's a key before-and-after moment that shifts the rest of the book. If you don't want a boring book, you'll need this plot point.
If you don't plan anything, plan this.
Here, we look at the popular fantasy novel, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
I'm a published novelist (Penguin, Disney-Hyperion) with acclaimed books. Penguin is publishing my writer's guide: The Busy Writer's Guide to Finishing a Book in 100 Days.
In my free online writing workshops, the literary devices and writing techniques I talk about can be applied to any novel in all genres: fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, sci-fi, and contemporary literary fiction.
I have videos about writing kids' books, YA books, and adult books, and they are either geared toward kids or teens and adults. (My videos specifically designed for kids are marked Creative Writing for Kids.)
This novel-writing workshop is part of my Busy Writer Series.
My videos on this channel cover very specific skills to help you improve your writing. We talk about plot, character, setting, dialogue, world-building, tension, literary language such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and personification.
For live and flex classes for kids and teens, you can find me on Outschool.com.
The Busy Writer Classes start up again in September, along with the Mom Writer Workshop. You can reach out through my website, kimpurcell.com, for more information on that.
0:31 Summary of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
0:49 The Importance of Mistakes
01:06 Tension and Stakes
2:18 Multi-Sensory Details
3:35 Character Thought and Analysis
4:12 The Use of Power
5:52 The Impact of Longing
6:35 Foreshadowing
7:58 The Impact of the Longing, Unmet Need, Flaw at the Turn
9:10 A Summary of the Core Elements You Need for the Twist
9:13: A Contrasting Scene Beforehand
9:21 Backstory for the Turn
9:28 Yearning
9:33 Foreshadowing
9:38 Stakes
09:45 Scene Questions
09:54 Breaking Expectations
10:05 Bad Decisions
10:16 Dialogue Tension
10:29 Dialogue Subtext
11:01 Brainstorm the Midpoint
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