Turning points, both main and subplots, are on my mind today. Trying to find scenes that carries enough gravity to form the skeleton of a well-told story is never easy. According to Robin Perini, a successful turning point has all of the following elements:
1. deep character
2. a touchpoint of theme
3. braiding of internal and external conflict (intertwining of plot and character)
4. layering (multipurpose scenes and multi-dimensional characters)
5. surprise (the unexpected that keeps the reader turning the pages and reveals character)
A turning point must change the direction of your plot or subplot and contain conflict, action, emotion and surpise. This surprise can be an event or can merely be a surprise in how a character reacts emotionally, but it must surprise both the reader and the character.
Like all scenes in the story, the arc within the scene should be well-defined with characters exhibiting "different" behavior or opinions at the scene's conclusion than they had at the scene's opening. This is especially true with turning points. Think Robert McKee's postives and negatives--a literary litmus test to justify a scene's inclusion in the overall story.
How do your turning points match up?
To learn more about the power of turning points or her Discovering Story Magic seminars, visit Robin Perini's website.
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