Hey guys. I've been working on a few scripts over the last year or two that have really good potential. I have the beginnings and the endings and some of the middle, but what I can't get is the midpoint. I know the definition of the midpoint but as it relates to my characters and my story, I'm lost.

How do you guys create your midpoints? Do you outline first, marking each scene, or do you guys write from the hip?

I'm all sorts of lost.

I have tried outlining, but my stories tend to go in different directions once I start writing anyway. I just need a title, don't know why, but I can't even type FADE IN: if I don't have a title, then I need the beginning and the end and then just let the characters go where they want. Sometimes that works....sometimes it doesn't.

As far as a midpoint and other points go, like STC, it's a funny thing because my stories usually end up having those points even though I didn't plan for them to happen at any particular point.  :)

1st thing i'd stop doing, if you are, is listening to these hollywood screenwritting  how to books... Snyder's comes to mind.  Why?  Because they are teaching you how to write a story that they can sell to hollywood... Not you -- But at the same time they are also telling you how hard it is to sell to hollywood, and you've got little chance in doing it.

That's how these books work.  Buy my book, write how "we" want you too, and you'll have a better chance of not selling  your screenplay than the guy who didn't buy my book has.

That's how they work.

As for real, honest writing... Your midpoint in a story should be

One part reflection --where we've been and what we know.

One part uncertainty -- where are we going?

That is your mid point.  It is universal in every screenplay because every screenplay, drama, comedy, horror whatever has to have these answers.

If you know your characters, your world, your structure will dictate when these events unfold.  You can't tell me there is only one way to the finish line when the walls and guardrails
Have been knocked down.  I'll get there how "i" want.  I'm the writer.  

Less dreaming... More reality... That is after spending money hand over fist on consultants and critique.  

Like Pia says (in different words) it should be fairly obvious.

There's one thing mainly needed...raising the stakes through some event. It's the point where everything goes bad and it looks like it's all going to end in disaster.

So, what are they trying to achieve and what do they care about? Those things have to come into complete doubt. Simple as that really.

ABsteel, hello. I'll throw some ideas out for your consideration.

The midpoint should shake things up.

If you've got the reader to stay with your story all the way to the midpoint...congrats! That's a huge victory. Now, close the deal! Many scripts start to wander around this point. You can't let them happen. You're a car salesman, you blew the doors off the client with your pitch, but his eye is starting to wander. He's thinking maybe he should check out the dealer across the street. You have to swoop in for the kill. Do something that puts your claws in him and doesn't let him leave. Do something that makes him say..."Wow, that was unexpected".

I think Snyder talks about a false high or a false low. That's actually a really good starting point in looking for something to shake things up.

Look for a twist. A lot of people think twists only belong at the end of the story, or at the beginning of the third act. I think the midpoint can be helped immensely by a twist. There's a script called Unicorn that was a Nichol's finalist last year. Around page 30, the story did really terrible things. Boring. At one point, the protag played whiffle ball, cards, then chess. All in a row! Not montage, either. I couldn't believe it.

Then a midpoint twist saved the script, IMO. The story had a strong first act, an awful first half of second act(20 pages of BLANDland). I was about to give up.

The story had these cops using an odd girl with psychic powers that enabled her to track killers by connecting psychically with them. They were tracking a serial killer. The twist was when they had her connect with this killer, it turned out he too was psychic. So now he knew about her. And was going to have to kill her. It changed the whole dimension of the story.

This also shows that you want a twist or development which will drive the rest of the second act. In Unicorn, we now knew the killer was going to come after the girl, so it was their job not just to find the killer, but to protect her. This makes the reader keep turning the pages to see what happened.

Let's say you're doing a rom com. The false low could be that she gets back together with her ex-boyfriend, instead of the main character. They know it won't last, but the audience watches to see what happens.

I think in Independence Day that might be where they find out they have aliens and an alien ship in Area 51.

Shake the reader up! Bring him back to the edge of his seat. Move your big twist forward if you have to, and come up with something else for the end.

Easy for me to tell you to do, but it's tough. I know. Good luck! If you come up with something, post it here.

Quoted from ABennettWriter How do you guys create your midpoints?

Quoted from Baltis. 1st thing i'd stop doing ... is listening to these hollywood screenwritting  how to books ... Snyder's comes to mind.

I'd say write from the hip.

But I'd wonder ... if you have the B & E and 'some' of the middle .. then you don't have a story, and you've begun to write it?

I tend to think that a story - BME - can be summarized in a paragraph - as long as it is 'complete' - in a nutshell that is.

The remainder is an expansion of the basic idea. If the basic idea (of the story/the story fits) then an expansion of it will, as much of it is the detailing of the story.

What I hate about STC, is that I think it encourages writers to approach the story from the wrong end (i.e. backwards). If you have a good story and just bang it out, you can then look at the mid-point and just ask if it sags at all. If it does sag (i.e once it is written) then you can look at the methods available to tighten it up - a reminder, references etc etc - there's various methods.

I wrote something from the hip recently, and just threw the story down - once it was on paper it was an awful lot easier to then look at it an go - okay that's what fails here, there, etc etc.

I tend to think that once you got a body of work to work with - it's easier to work with.

But then, each to his own, huh?

I usually outline but that ends up changing once you flesh out the story. You gotta find what works best for you as the writer.

Quoted from Forgive I'd say write from the hip. I tend to think that once you got a body of work to work with - it's easier to work with.

Exactly...  

If you want, after your foundation is laid, to carve, cut, chip and mold it into something these "pro" Hollywood writers, who've been born into the industry, want you to do -- Go for it.  But write your story 1st.  The way "YOU" want to.

Consider several options. Think of sub plots,sub text, parallel stories and also "Ensemble"with multiple sub-protagonists, see how every great film you feel has been great to watch has been penned. Watch and read film + script, together simultaneously, as well, if you can. Mid point is not the end of your film luckily.

AND in Hollywood there aren't any intervals/intermissions anymore!

Enjoy your story, it will flow rather than getting caught in these "Gizmos" you find in "Save the Cat" kind of books!

Thanks for the info guys! I'm sorry for the late response. I didn't know anyone else had replied.

I think I'm going to stick with shorts. When I write from the hip, I've got a ton of pages of crap. I can handle shorts.

What is your definition of a midpoint?

Well, I like a revelation and action approach woven through out so the midway point would have to be the hero learning or gaining a key piece of information, what that info is and how big it is depends on the content of the story and other pieces of information to be learned by story end.

One thing it should do is when the hero decides his action it is an action that puts him at a point of no return. It doesn't have to workout that way but this is a good tool to use.

BLB