Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, your story has to follow a clear, understandable path from scene to scene. There are things that have to happen in a certain order to bring connection and clarity to the character’s arc of change. This is called Plot.
There are as many theories of the best way to plot a story as there are stories. Authors, editors, and teachers have analyzed plot structure and written thousands of blog posts, hundreds of books, and encouraged writers to use each one. Here’s a great re-cap of some of the big ones.
How is a writer supposed to sift through the piles and figure out what plot structure to use?
In my own writing, I’ve followed the Three Act Story, The Hero’s Journey, and combinations of the two. My favorite resource for strengthening my own plotting came from Martha Alderson’s Plot Whisperer.
For many years I’ve taken the stance of agency. Author’s can choose how to lay out their plot any way they want. There’s no one, or ten, or fifty right ways to do it. It’s always good to familiarize yourself with the many ideas out there, but find what feels good for you and your story, and then keep learning and keep writing.
But… having said that, I’ve also come to realize that EVERY plot needs to have three major turning point scenes. This is especially true in middle grade fiction, where your kid readers need quick connection. Since I’ve landed on this concept of plotting, I’ve been able to recognize this pattern in just about every middle grade novel I love.
Three Turning Point Scenes
Plotting doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Zeroing in on just three turning point scenes makes your story come alive, and your character will connect to your readers.
So, what are these three turning point scenes? Does it matter where they are in your story? Why are they so important?
I’ve created this short video where I explain the three turning point scenes in more detail. I talk about purpose, placement, and connecting these scenes through your character. I also give you examples of each scene.
Click here to access the video Three Turning Point Scenes.
Deliberately incorporating these scenes – the Earth Shaking Event, The Mid-Point Decision, and the Epiphany Scene – will not only help your plot flow along nicely, but it will also help your readers connect.
Analyzing Your Story
The beauty of using these three turning point scenes is that it can be planned into your manuscript from the ground up, or it can be ‘deliberatized’ into an existing manuscript through careful analysis. Chances are, if you’ve already written a story, the elements of these vital scenes are already there. You just need to make sure they include all they need to, and are placed where they need to be.
Here’s a worksheet I created to help you in that analysis, and point you in the direction of solid placement and flow. If you’re just drafting your manuscript, you can also use this worksheet to help plan your plot.
Click here for the PDF Turning Point Scenes Worksheet
If you deliberately build your plot around these three turning point scenes the flow of the story will be natural, authentic, and driven completely from within your protagonist. And it’s only three! For the rest of your scenes, you can do whatever you want.
(Pantsers cheer!)
Happy Writing!