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Starting Your Novel at the Midpoint
If you’re about to write a novel, start with the midpoint. That’s the place to build your world around.
The midpoint is the point of no return in a story. It’s when the main character undergoes a crisis, and finds within themselves (or not) the necessary qualities to reverse the action or fortune of the book. Often this is the point at which the character is most challenged and therefore at their lowest.
The idea is developed in John Yorke’s book Into The Woods as a convention or precept axiomatic to the development of screenplays.
From John Yorke’s book:
Examples From Film
Think about the film Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman. The midpoint shows Churchill at his lowest confidence when Roosevelt informs him the Americans cannot substantially help the British in 1941. We get the sense that Western Europe is on its knees capitulating nation by nation daily, leaving Britain quite alone. Churchill’s voice breaks during the call.
Next up, Road to Perdition starring Tom Hanks. It’s a perfectly executed story. It’s thrilling for a writer to watch the way everything is set up with such…
