Secrets of Writing: The Turning Point

After the trigger event comes the turning point. The trigger is usually somewhere between the beginning and the middle of the first act. The turning point is a major plot twist that throws us into the next act, full speed ahead.

There is a Turning Point at the end of every act. It serves as the act’s climax. Its purpose is to twist the plot in a different direction than where it was going before. This gives the story more momentum. It also makes it more surprising.

To use our desert road analogy, if you’re driving down a road that goes it a straight line on a flat terrain, there aren’t going to be too many surprises up ahead. You’ll be able to see things coming from miles away. And so would the audience. A story shouldn’t be predictable. We always assume the hero is going to win, but the question should be “How?”. The answer to that question needs to be a surprise.

The Turning Point twists that road so the audience’s and the hero’s expectations are thrown off balance. We now have to figure out what to do next. This helps solidify the Audience Bond because the Audience is now involved with the Hero’s problems.

In THE GODFATHER, the Trigger was Vito Corleone’s refusal to help the crime lord Sollazo with his drug business. This led to the Turning Point of the first act, which was the attempted assassination on Vito. Now Vito is in the hospital and we’re not sure if he’ll live or die. This forces the Hero of the story, Michael Corleone, to get involved in the family business. Up until that time, he avoided any involvement.

The Trigger throws the conflict and the Hero into a collision course. The Turning Point is where they first collide. This has to be a major train wreck, folks. It’s got to seriously upset the Audience’s expectations of the story’s direction.

The Turning Point needs to be a logical result of the Trigger Event. The Audience must feel this was bound to happen as a result of the Trigger. But even though it should be logical, the T.P. should also be surprising. It should make the Audience get excited and interested in what’s going to happen next.

Act climaxes tend to be the longest scenes in a story, and the tension in these scenes is the most extreme. So when you construct your Turning Point, remember to make them exciting as they throw the story in a new direction. These scenes are crucial to keeping the story moving.

REMEMBER: Turning Points throw the story in a new, but logical direction.

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