This was a very insightful video--thank you for explaining midpoints in this fashion. This actually explains why some of the books I read feel like such a slog--there's no story-shifting midpoint, so the the climax just feels like it could've come sooner, which makes the middle feel slow and boring. But if the midpoint redirects the story entirely, it not only makes the middle of the book (or movie) feel important, it also makes the climax feel like it could not have possibly come sooner and is thus correctly placed. Knives Out is very good--I like that midpoint better than the one in Glass Onion. Now that you've set me thinking about this, another good midpoint would be in the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. (This is not my favorite movie or favorite midpoint, but I just watched it, so it comes to mind as an example.) Mild spoilers ahead.... . . . . . . . In Groundhog day, the midpoint comes when Phil realizes that all his efforts to win Rita's heart will always fail, because he himself is not the sort of man who deserves her. From that point forward, Phil basically does a lot of the same things he did preceding the midpoint, but instead of doing them to try and find the series of events that makes Rita care for him, he does them to try and just help all the people around him, having accepted that Rita will never love him. It completely changes the audience perception of him as a character, because his character completely changes. And then when the climax of the movie comes, it comes because of his complete character reversal.
Hi. Nice that you post your books for everyone to see. I definitely look for that in an author. One thing that would help your prose is better variance of sentence structure. Yes, sentence length varies. Yes, the verbs vary. But like 70-80 percent of sentences are subject-verb-object structure. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is a great counterpoint. You expect a diary to be boring: I .... I.... I .... but he has great variety. The second point I would make is relevance. The first story has a lot of what appears to be extraneous description, so I jumped to They Hunt to see how you have developed. The first page of Chapter 1: Shiloh is setting a scene of bored employees in a boring environment. And the boring is there. But is that the best tone for page one? Yes, the protagonist does not want to be there, but she is resigned to her fate because the place is inescapable and no one would believe her if she told the truth. So, where is the conflict? What conflict should I expect? Presumably either the ghosts are going to show themselves or the girl is going to find a way to convince people they exist. But that tension is not palpable on the first page. The police officers are not scary, only a bit cruel. Real police do not believe anyone because so many truthful looking people have lied to them. So, it is very scary to report a crime. The person filing the report is suspect no. one. Been there, done that. That tension is missing. Even when they eliminate you as a suspect, questioning is a frightening experience. They are double-checking facts and looking for clues constantly. The language of the forms is technical and frightening. You feel like you are signing your life away. Misrepresent one fact and you could be prosecuted. So, the protagonist would definitely be feeling afraid. The police have realised long ago that they get better results if they create a suitable atmosphere. Well, I have to stop or this comment will be deleted automatically. I will answer if you want to continue the discussion.
Thanks for the video! I enjoy your channel. In this video you said there are 4 things to making a good midpoint, but I only see 3: reverse the action, raise the stakes, and emotionally impact the readers. Did I miss one? The only other thing you put up on the screen was "how do you come up with a good midpoint." Were there supposed to be 4 or just 3?
My favorite midpoint is in the movie From dusk till dawn, when Salma Hayek does a strip dance and in doing so transforms a "criminals running from the law" movie into a crazy " Characters are stranded and must fight off hordes of vampires" movie. Does that count ?
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Yes- I loved Knives Out. Another mid-point that came to my mind was the motorcycle scene in Cabin in the Woods.
This was a very insightful video--thank you for explaining midpoints in this fashion. This actually explains why some of the books I read feel like such a slog--there's no story-shifting midpoint, so the the climax just feels like it could've come sooner, which makes the middle feel slow and boring. But if the midpoint redirects the story entirely, it not only makes the middle of the book (or movie) feel important, it also makes the climax feel like it could not have possibly come sooner and is thus correctly placed.
Knives Out is very good--I like that midpoint better than the one in Glass Onion. Now that you've set me thinking about this, another good midpoint would be in the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. (This is not my favorite movie or favorite midpoint, but I just watched it, so it comes to mind as an example.) Mild spoilers ahead....
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In Groundhog day, the midpoint comes when Phil realizes that all his efforts to win Rita's heart will always fail, because he himself is not the sort of man who deserves her. From that point forward, Phil basically does a lot of the same things he did preceding the midpoint, but instead of doing them to try and find the series of events that makes Rita care for him, he does them to try and just help all the people around him, having accepted that Rita will never love him. It completely changes the audience perception of him as a character, because his character completely changes. And then when the climax of the movie comes, it comes because of his complete character reversal.
Hi. Nice that you post your books for everyone to see. I definitely look for that in an author. One thing that would help your prose is better variance of sentence structure. Yes, sentence length varies. Yes, the verbs vary. But like 70-80 percent of sentences are subject-verb-object structure. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is a great counterpoint. You expect a diary to be boring: I .... I.... I .... but he has great variety.
The second point I would make is relevance. The first story has a lot of what appears to be extraneous description, so I jumped to They Hunt to see how you have developed. The first page of Chapter 1: Shiloh is setting a scene of bored employees in a boring environment. And the boring is there. But is that the best tone for page one? Yes, the protagonist does not want to be there, but she is resigned to her fate because the place is inescapable and no one would believe her if she told the truth. So, where is the conflict? What conflict should I expect? Presumably either the ghosts are going to show themselves or the girl is going to find a way to convince people they exist. But that tension is not palpable on the first page. The police officers are not scary, only a bit cruel. Real police do not believe anyone because so many truthful looking people have lied to them. So, it is very scary to report a crime. The person filing the report is suspect no. one. Been there, done that. That tension is missing. Even when they eliminate you as a suspect, questioning is a frightening experience. They are double-checking facts and looking for clues constantly. The language of the forms is technical and frightening. You feel like you are signing your life away. Misrepresent one fact and you could be prosecuted. So, the protagonist would definitely be feeling afraid. The police have realised long ago that they get better results if they create a suitable atmosphere. Well, I have to stop or this comment will be deleted automatically. I will answer if you want to continue the discussion.
Thanks for the video! I enjoy your channel.
In this video you said there are 4 things to making a good midpoint, but I only see 3: reverse the action, raise the stakes, and emotionally impact the readers. Did I miss one? The only other thing you put up on the screen was "how do you come up with a good midpoint." Were there supposed to be 4 or just 3?
Yeah- I re-listened & found 3: reverse the action, raise the stakes & emotionally impact your reader
My favorite midpoint is in the movie From dusk till dawn, when Salma Hayek does a strip dance and in doing so transforms a "criminals running from the law" movie into a crazy " Characters are stranded and must fight off hordes of vampires" movie.
Does that count ?