Writing Romance: The Midpoint

Woohoo!! We’ve come to the Midpoint!!!

Sorry, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Where are my manners?

Hello, Campers. Glad you’re here. Would you like a cup of coffee? Tea?

Now – woohoo – we’ve come to the midpoint!!!

I have recently fallen in love, so to speak, with the midpoint. I’ll explain later. In the meantime, let’s take a gander at our beat sheet from Jami Gold. Here we see what the external relationship arc and the internal relationship arc both look like.

External relationship arc: What visible sign of commitment do the characters make to each other?

Internal relationship arc: How are the characters still in their identity (and thus doomed to fail)?

K.M. Weiland (Helping Writers Become Authors website) suggests that it’s the midpoint that moves the character(s) from reaction to action. “Then the Midpoint happens–and, along with it, the Moment of Truth. This is where everything changes for the protagonist. This all-important turning point in the Second Act provides him with a new understanding of the conflict, the antagonistic force, and his own goals in relation to them. Suddenly, he gets it.”

A NowNovel website article on plotting romance sums up the second act this way:

• “The physical and/or emotional relationship between the characters intensifies.
• The characters either reaffirm their dedication to individual goals that are a source of conflict in their relationship or begin finding some way of reconciling differing wants and needs. This occurs at approximately the midpoint of the whole novel.
• A dramatic turning point occurs that incites a crisis.”

Notice in that second point that, at the midpoint, the characters recommit to either being apart or being together. Then, at the end of Act Two, the Crisis will clarify and push them toward their union or break them apart. But we’ll get to that later. I believe that, in most romances, the hero and heroine commit to being together, rather than apart.

I told you earlier that I’ve recently fallen in love with the midpoint. That’s because I read James Scott Bell’s amazing book, Write Your Novel From the Middle. (The man is an amazing teacher, and you can’t go wrong with his writing books.)

James teaches that every great book and movie has a “Man in the Mirror Moment” at precisely halfway. When you’re done with this article, go check your favorite books and movies. In this moment, depending on the genre, the lead character(s) will do one of two things:

1. In an action-driven plot, they’ll wonder/consider/fear that there is no way they’ll get out of this situation alive.

2. They’ll look inside and consider what it is that they really, really want.

Bell suggests that this mirror moment changes everything, and that the author can start with that moment and build up to it and down from it. Fascinating idea.

Just think – maybe no more sagging middle. I highly, highly recommend this book. It will teach you more about midpoint than I ever can.

Bell thinks that this Man in the Mirror Moment is somewhat instinctual for authors. So, on a whim, I went to my first military romance, True Valor, opened to the middle page of the book, and this is what I saw.

She stopped, looking into the darkness, her arms crossed, shivering. Nic came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head back.

Pain tore through his shoulder, but Nic did his best not to flinch. He just hugged her tighter and buried his face in the soft, sweet scent of her hair. He closed his eyes, wishing all of this were over.

And then what? The police would find the bad guy, and Julie and Nic would live happily ever after? Nic’s eyes flew open at the thought. His mind traveling down the two-of-them-together road wasn’t the problem. The disturbing thing was that he’d actually used the phrase happily ever after.

Happily ever after was fine in and of itself. How many times had he and Joey talked about having a lady to share their lives with? Someone who would long for them when they were gone. Someone to long for. But happily-ever-afters came slow, after months or years. Not after just over a week, especially after a week in which the lady in question didn’t even know her name. There was easiness between them, yes. And intimacy like he’d never felt before. Nic smiled.

Maybe Bell is right – looks like a Man in the Mirror Moment to me 🙂

To sum up here: at the midpoint, something significant changes that moves the character into action – moves him from running from his problem to taking on the problem. In a romance this usually is the moment when the hero and heroine realize that they really, really want to be together and take action.

So, your homework is to pick up James Scott Bell’s book. The Kindle version is very affordable, and even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it on your computer.

I look forward to your thoughts on the midpoint. And if you have a Man in the Mirror moment in your book – even if that’s all you have – do share!

Next month we’re going to attend to the CRISIS! Till then: BiCHoK – Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard.

Cheers, Jax