Lore & LilacStructure without a formula: finding your turning points
Start from what changes in your story, and use the familiar landmarks and percentages as a loose map rather than a template.
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Related glossary terms
- Turning pointA moment that changes the direction of a story or scene, reversing a character's situation, plans or understanding.
- Inciting incidentThe event that disturbs the protagonist's ordinary life and sets the main story in motion, forcing a response they can't easily ignore.
- MidpointA turning point near the middle of a novel where a revelation or reversal changes what the protagonist understands or how they act.
- ClimaxThe decisive confrontation or choice near the end of a story, where the central conflict comes to a head and the main question is answered.
- Three-act structureA way of dividing a story into a setup, a long middle of escalating complication, and a resolution, separated by major turning points.
- KishōtenketsuA four-part structure from East Asian storytelling (introduction, development, twist, reconciliation) that can build interest without relying on direct conflict.
- StakesWhat a character stands to gain or lose depending on whether they succeed, which gives the reader a reason to care about the outcome.
- Dramatic questionThe central yes-or-no question a story raises early and answers at the climax, which keeps the reader reading.