“Who am I?” is the query that echoes beneath each character arc. On the story’s Midpoint, that central question rises to the floor. This central beat—this all-important Second of Reality in story construction—capabilities most symbolically as a second of self-recognition. It’s a mirror held as much as the protagonist, usually by the antagonist, that reveals each the Lie the Character Believes and the thematic Reality that may not be ignored.

From the attitude of plot construction, the Midpoint capabilities because the central turning level. Every part within the first half leads as much as it, and it units up all of the outcomes that occur within the second half. It’s maybe most potently a second of revelation. That is true virtually within the exterior plot, during which a Plot Revelation opens the protagonist’s eyes to the true nature of the battle and what can be required to beat its obstacles.

That is additionally true inside the character arc, because the Midpoint’s Second of Reality deepens the character’s understanding of the inside battle that’s each driving and pushed by the character’s makes an attempt at ahead momentum within the exterior plot. The Midpoint units up a vital revelation during which the character clearly sees the worth of the story’s thematic Reality—the more practical and/or expanded perspective that can be required so as to lastly obtain success.

Nonetheless, the rabbit gap goes deeper. This Second of Reality is significant not only for supplying characters with helpful details about themselves and others or in regards to the nature of actuality. Deeper nonetheless, it’s a second of self-recognition. The Reality the character encounters on the Midpoint illuminates all issues—not simply the character of the antagonistic pressure or the battle (on each the ethical and sensible ranges), but in addition the protagonist’s personal self. The protagonist sees each the self as the one that has, up to now, acted based on the story’s central Lie, but in addition the particular person with the capability to now develop into all of the potentialities provided by the Reality.

The Midpoint shines a lightweight on each who the character has been and who the character might but develop into in both of the 2 apparent potentialities: refusing the Reality and clinging to the established order or embracing the Reality and increasing into an unknown future.

So how does this beat really work on the web page? To know the total energy of the Midpoint, we should take a look at its three mirrors: the self the protagonist acknowledges, the antagonist the protagonist confronts, and the Reality that stands between them. By the tip, you’ll see how the Midpoint isn’t only a handy structural beat, however the second that fuses symbolism and performance. It’s the place the protagonist’s self-recognition, the antagonist’s revelation, and the story’s thematic Reality all converge to drive the second half of the narrative.

In This Article:

The Mirror Second = Self-Recognition = Recognition of Thematic Reality

On the stage of character arc, the Midpoint’s most necessary function is that of unveiling the thematic Reality to the protagonist (that is true whether or not the character’s arc will ultimately settle for or reject this Reality). James Scott Bell coined the time period “mirror second” to notice the symbolic phenomenon during which the Midpoint each metaphorically and sometimes actually presents the protagonist with a private reflection.

For Instance:

Generally, the mirror second would possibly actually be a quick second during which the protagonist seems right into a mirror or different reflective floor—or no less than is current in a room that provides that symbolism, comparable to Mulan her reflection in her sword earlier than going into battle.

However the outcomes will also be extra inventive, comparable to when actor Don Lockwoord should confront his personal dismal appearing onscreen when watching a preview of his new film The Dueling Cavalier in Singin’ within the Rain.

In my gaslamp fantasy Wayfarer, I used to be in a position to stage the mirror second by a scene during which the protagonist is confronted by a military of hoodlums who’ve been spellcast to look similar to him.

In different tales, during which the mirror symbolism shouldn’t be blatantly apparent, characters will nonetheless face a poignant second during which they have to look inside and see themselves extra clearly than ever earlier than, comparable to in Stand by Me, which includes a Midpoint scene during which the boys inform deeply private secrets and techniques about themselves across the campfire.

One other pretty instance is present in Apollo 13, during which protagonist Jim Lovell stares longingly on the moon—the dream he’s about to sacrifice—because the shuttle prepares to slingshot itself again into Earth’s gravity.

So what are characters seeing on this Second of Reality? They’re seeing themselves, proper? However they’re additionally seeing the story’s thematic Reality.

This presents an attention-grabbing juxtaposition. If the Reality is one thing characters supposedly need to be taught over the course of the story, then why does the Second of Reality characteristic all these symbolic representations of self-reflection?

In some ways, the mirror second and the Second of Reality might be considered merely as characters “remembering who they’re.” It’s because the Reality has been, in many various methods, with the characters from the start of the story. Regardless that the character stays recognized with the story’s comparatively limiting Lie as much as no less than the Midpoint, the Reality has, the truth is, been with them for the reason that starting. It was that thinnest wedge of the Reality that instigated the journey within the first place.

For Instance:

After I wrote my model of the Hero Arc for Writing Archetypal Character Arcs, I named the Hero’s Midpoint beat “‘Remembering’ Who He Is.” I by no means say these phrases with out listening to James Earl Jones from the scene in The Lion King during which Simba is confronted by his father’s spirit, however solely after the clever shaman Rafiki guides him to look right into a reflective pool:

Simba [sighing]: That’s not my father. That’s simply my reflection.

Rafiki: Look more durable. You see? He lives in you.

Mufasa: Simba.

Simba: Father?

Mufasa: Simba, you will have forgotten me.

Simba: No. How might I?

Mufasa: You will have forgotten who you might be and so forgotten me. Look inside your self, Simba. You might be greater than what you will have develop into. You could take your house within the Circle of Life.

Simba: How can I’m going again? I’m not who I was.

Mufasa: Bear in mind who you might be. You might be my son and the one true king. Bear in mind who you might be.

Simba: No! Please don’t go away me!

Mufasa: Bear in mind. Bear in mind. Bear in mind.

We discover this in so many tales during which characters rally to return to a greater model of themselves, comparable to Rick in Casablanca or the protagonist within the first Thor film—each of whom should face humbling moments that remind them how far they’ve strayed.

We additionally see this in progress tales during which characters develop into a brand new potential—however one which was all the time latent inside them. They don’t change who they essentially are. Reasonably, they make selections that enable them to, like Luke Skywalker, step right into a “bigger world” and due to this fact a wider model of themselves.

We additionally see this second in tragic arcs, during which the latent potentialities for progress inside a personality are glimpsed however both by no means realized or outright rejected, comparable to within the overt instance of Sméagol wrestling together with his darkish alter-ego Gollum—and dropping in Lord of the Rings.

The Plot Revelation = Recognition of Antagonistic Power = Recognition of the Lie the Character Believes

If the Second of Reality is one half of the Midpoint, the opposite half is the Plot Revelation. That is the second during which characters glean necessary sensible details about the character of the exterior battle. Put most easily, this could be a clue or perception that permits the characters to now act extra successfully in pursuing the plot aim. Most particularly, it’s a revelation in regards to the nature of the antagonistic pressure. That is true whether or not the antagonistic pressure is simply that—a pressure—or customized as one other character—an antagonist.

At deeper ranges of story, the antagonistic pressure represents greater than merely a foul man who will get within the protagonist’s manner and/or acts because the face of ethical reprehensibility in distinction to the hero’s goodness. Once we go deeper, we are able to see how the Plot Revelation affords the protagonist the power to acknowledge who the antagonist actually is. And once we see the antagonist as a mirrored image of the protagonist, we are able to then additionally see how in recognizing who the antagonist actually is… the protagonist is instantly given a possibility to acknowledge himself as properly.

This recognition of the antagonistic pressure can occur in a variety of methods.

For Instance:

• The antagonist’s heretofore unknown id turns into identified, as is frequent in lots of mysteries during which the prime suspect is lastly given a reputation or face, as in Zodiac and Silence of the Lambs.

• The antagonist’s true alignment turns into identified, as when somebody who was beforehand considered an ally, now turns into clear, comparable to in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when Steve Rogers realizes the bureau he works for is a Hydra sleeper cell.

• A beforehand identified antagonist reveals a brand new extent to energy or objectives, comparable to when the dimensions of the shark in Jaws prompts the notorious revelation, “You’re gonna want an even bigger boat.”

No matter the kind of revelation, the deeper symbolism ought to current protagonistic characters with sobering reflections about themselves. From a psychological perspective, we would say that the protagonist has projected elements of him/herself onto the antagonistic pressure. This can all the time be as a consequence of a restricted perspective or blind spot (i.e., the Lie the Character Believes) which implies any revelations in regards to the antagonist should be thematically pertinent.

For Instance:

In seeing the antagonistic pressure extra clearly, the protagonist could possibly reclaim items of non-public energy, however it could additionally pressure the protagonist to conjure with deeply held connections and similitaries with the antagonist, comparable to within the Midpoint episode of the Harry Potter collection, The Goblet of Hearth, when Harry lastly comes head to head with Voldemort and realizes their ever-deepening connection.

Though we frequently wish to break up the binary of Lie/Reality between protagonist/antagonist, the antagonistic pressure is not going to essentially symbolize or personally consider the identical Lie the protagonist does. As a substitute, the antagonist represents a pressure that stands between the protagonist and the Reality. Basically, this as a result of the antagonist represents the established order (or some regression thereof). The antagonistic pressure is the tyrant king “Holdfast, Keeper of the Standing Quo“—which in the end is that very pressure inside the protagonist that might cling to the comfy previous Lie and resist the expansive new Reality, regardless of how obligatory or efficient.

The Midpoint because the Second of Reality

What makes the Midpoint so highly effective is that it refuses to let the protagonist look away. Up up to now, the Lie has provided a option to disguise from the total energy of the Reality—an excuse, a distraction, a option to hold stumbling ahead with out readability. However within the Second of Reality, that cowl is stripped away. The Midpoint is the place the symbolism fuses inside and outer battle: the protagonist sees that the antagonist isn’t simply an impediment on the planet but in addition a mirror of the Lie inside. On this manner, protagonist/antagonist dynamics embody the core of the character arc because the exterior pressure calls for give up to a establishment whereas the protagonist’s inside steerage pulls towards the Reality.

This recognition is what shifts the story’s axis. The Midpoint shouldn’t be merely a divider between halves of the plot; it’s the story beat that transforms perspective. From this second on, the protagonist should resist or stumble, however can not return to ignorance. The Midpoint doesn’t simply hand the protagonist new info, it fully adjustments how the character sees issues. The Reality, as soon as glimpsed, forces the protagonist to behave in a different way, whether or not the Reality is embraced or rejected. This is the reason the Midpoint works as each mirror and revelation: it clarifies not solely who the protagonist is, but in addition what the story itself should develop into so as to attain decision.

In Abstract

The Midpoint is among the most transformative beats in story construction. It’s greater than a handy plot twist; it’s the story’s Second of Reality—a beat that forces each self-recognition and exterior revelation. Whether or not by a literal mirror, a symbolic confrontation with the antagonist, or a sudden escalation of stakes, the Midpoint unifies the inside battle with the outer battle. It clarifies the dynamic of the Reality vs. Lie on the coronary heart of the character arc and shifts the axis of your complete narrative into the second half.

Key Takeaways

• The Mirror Second highlights self-recognition, when characters see themselves (and who they may develop into).
• The Plot Revelation exhibits the protagonist the antagonist’s true nature, energy, or alignment, reframing the exterior battle.
• The Midpoint works because the Second of Reality that unites symbolism with perform.
• Protagonist and antagonist dynamics embody the Reality vs. Lie in character arc: the antagonist clings to the established order whereas the protagonist is pressured to glimpse the Reality.
• The story Midpoint beat completely shifts the story’s axis, pushing the protagonist into the second half with new readability.

Need Extra?

If you happen to’re in search of sensible instruments to map out these concepts in your individual story, the revised and expanded 2nd version of my Structuring Your Novel Workbook is designed to assist. This complete novel construction workbook walks you thru all the foremost beats of strong story construction—together with the Midpoint and the mirror second—with step-by-step story construction worksheets. Inside, you’ll discover brainstorming questions, scene-mapping guides, and workouts that will help you establish your character’s Lie and Reality, chart the Plot Revelation, and align your inside and outer conflicts. Whether or not you’re outlining a primary draft or revising an present manuscript, the workbook provides you concrete instruments to brainstorm your story beats, deepen your character arcs, and convey your plot into sharper focus. 👉 You’ll be able to discover the Structuring Your Novel Workbook right here: accessible as paperback, e-book, or deluxe fillable pdf.

Wordplayers, inform me your opinions! What’s your favourite instance of a robust Midpoint—both one you’ve written your self or one you’ve seen in a ebook or film? Inform me within the feedback!

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