Creative Exercise:

Write a list of five different ways in which your protagonist could respond to the First Plot Point. How would these different reactions alter the course of the First Half of the Second Act—and your entire story?

 

Something to Think About:

1. Do your characters react promptly and strongly to the events of the First Plot Point?

 

2. In the Second Half of the Second Act, how does your protagonist deal with a) the main antagonistic force and b) the world in general?

 

3. How are your protagonist’s reactions varied throughout this second quarter of the story?

 

4. How do your protagonist’s reactions in this section move the plot forward and deepen the weave of scenes, subplots, and themes?

 

5. What skills or items necessary for the final battle in the Third Act does your protagonist gain in this section?

 

6. At the First Pinch Point, how is your protagonist pressured by the antagonist?

 

Resources:

• “Action and Reaction: The Building Blocks of Story Structure,” K.M. Weiland

 

• “Visceral Reactions: Emotional Pay Dirt or Fast Track to Melodrama?” Angela Ackerman

 

• “Action and Reaction: The Pistons Powering Your Story,” K.M. Weiland

 

• “How Story Structure Prevents ‘Saggy Middle’ Syndrome,” K.M. Weiland