by Jenny Hansen

When I first began writing, a lot of common writing terms and quotes made no sense to me. Maybe you felt that way too. I'd have running commentary in my head about point of view, dialogue, turning points. Because seasoned professionals said smart things about writing and I had no frame of reference for most of it.

Me at writing seminars in the way back:

• Write what you know. (I don't know ANYTHING.)
• Show, don't tell. (I'm writing a book...don't I HAVE to tell the story?)
• Tension on every page! (What kind of tension? WHICH page?)
• The 1st turning point happens a quarter of the way through the book. (What's a turning point???)

Reference: Seminar speakers in bold. I was the bumbler in the parentheses.

I bumbled along for a very very long time, reading writing books, and attending seminars. Scribbling stories that make me cringe now when I come across them. They had no structure, no stakes to keep anyone engaged, and no clear turning points.

Knowledge Begets Knowledge

Frankly, I didn't have even a glimmer of why a turning point was important until I heard Stephen J. Cannell speak about 3-Act Structure. (He was the writer behind tons of TV shows -- Castle, Rockford Files, The A-Team, and the original 21 Jump Street.) However, for turning points it was all Jennifer Crusie, the author of books like Bet Me, Faking It, and Welcome to Temptation. She also co-wrote some great books with Bob Mayer.

I wouldn't have understood Crusie's talk on the five turning points of a story without Cannell's primer on what the three acts looked like. Every bit of writing craft you learn will build on other bits of writing craft you have mastered.

The 5 Turning Points

Jenny Crusie describes writing structure in a way that makes sense to me. Certainly, she gave me the big turning point light bulb moment at that conference more than a decade ago. She didn't just tell me what a turning point was, she further defined what they looked like in a story and why they are important.

What is a turning point?

A turning point is a part in the story where an event happens that throws the protagonist into a whole new place.

Your reader is going to connect to your hero or heroine from that first page – you give them the payoff with your turning points.

• The 1st Turning Point is where things go from stable to unstable. You can start 5 mins before or after this turning point, but not later. You must introduce a protagonist that the reader wants to stay with for the whole book. (It’s why you often start things off with the protagonist in trouble.)

• 2nd Turning Point - The original trouble gets worse.

• 3rd Turning Point is where the reader can't go back.

A really good turning point tip.

Crusie pointed out that some people title each turning point, which she thinks is a grand idea. In Agnes and the Hitman (currently free on Kindle Unlimited) the third turning point was called "Agnes Unleashed" and it is where she gives in to her rage.

• 4th Turning Point is the Dark Moment. This is the crisis where both the main character and the reader lose everything. This is the crisis the protagonist is not sure they can overcome. The actions the main character decides on here will determine the last turning point.

• 5th Turning Point is the end, where there is once more a stable world. It is just a new stable world, with a changed protagonist.

More Advice About Turning Points

There are a few things to clarify. Some of these (#1 and #6) are mine, but most of these are still sage advice from Ms. Crusie, with a teensy bit of commentary from me.

1. Don't confuse "inciting incident" with "turning point."

Stories are about a protagonist's journey in solving a big problem. The article linked above defines it like this:

"The Inciting Incident is the event or decision that begins a story's problem. Everything up and until that moment is Backstory; everything after is 'the story.' Before this moment there is an equilibrium, a relative peace that the characters in a story have grown accustomed to. This incisive moment, or plot point, occurs and upsets the balance of things. Suddenly there is a problem to be solved." 

The first turning point is when the protagonist commits to the journey ahead, despite the obstacles they'll face. It's a moment when everything changes, and the protagonist will spend the next quarter of the book reacting to the change and its implications.

2. Some math clarification from the diagram above.

If you're thinking in terms of a 100K word book, the first turning point would happen around 25K. For an 80K word book, it would be around 20K, This needs to be a very big event.

About 20-25K words later, you hit them with another big event. (This second event combats "sagging middles.")

3. Each chunk of the book should grow smaller.

Things are getting worse faster if the pacing is quick and you keep the main character struggling with these events.

4. Every scene should have a protagonist and an antagonist.

This keeps the conflict (aka "tension") on every page. Stephen Cannell called his antagonists, "the heavies." His advice when a story begins to drag? "Go see what the heavies are doing."

5. People do not change because of thoughts – they change because of actions.

In other words, don't stay up in the character's head thinking deep thoughts. Have them do something active, and interact with the other key people in that scene.

6. Do not identify these turning points until the 2^nd draft.

Your first draft is just about getting the big picture and the characters down. Attempting to do the math and the pacing for your novel before you've gotten the story out is not likely to do you any favors. Pace the novel AFTER the first draft.

Are those stellar or what? Have you ever heard a good talk on turning points? Who gave it? What turned the story structure lightbulb on for you? Please share your a-ha moment down in the comments!

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About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for accountants and financial services firms. By night, she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20+ years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

Find Jenny here at Writers In the Storm, or online on Facebook or Instagram.

Top photo from Depositphotos.