JoHoTo #10 The Turning Point
This can also be considered the "A-HA!" moment in your story.
The turning point is the epiphany that will help your character realize just what he or she needs to do to end the rising conflict (aka, the drama
in his/her life).
Unfortunately, the turning point is not always a happy one, but it does allow us to see how your character has grown. Sometimes, it happens just
before the final conflict, and sometimes it happens a wee bit earlier.
I call it the "A-HA!" moment because it usually involves a little inner (or outer) dialogue from the MC where they state that NOW they know what
has to happen or how all along, THIS was what they were meant to do.
It's pretty easy to spot if you train your eye to look for it.
Examples? But, of course! (Potential Spoilers ahead):
#1 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Turning Point: When Claudia realizes the answer to her being special lies in discovering the true origin of the angel statue at the Met.
#2 Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Turning Point: When the Gamekeeper announces that if TWO tributes from a district survive until the end, they can both win. Kat realizes she
MUST save Peeta.
#3 The Mouse & The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Turning Point: When Keith, the boy who gave Ralph his motorcycle, gets sick, Ralph is forced to disregard all the horror stories about human death
traps and go in search of an aspirin.
#4 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Turning Point: When Lyra realizes Gobblers are tearing apart the bond between children and their daemons, effectively killing the children.
How do you know when you've reached the turning point?
-Your character can't evolve unless it happens (#1 If Claudia just went home, she'd be the same girl, feeling she'd suffered massive injustices)
-The character's eyes are opened to a new way of thinking (#2 If both Kat AND Peeta can win, she doesn't have to kill him! Hooray!)
-The character can no longer proceed on the same path without further consequences (#3 If Ralph didn't help Keith, he would have gotten even sicker,
had to leave the hotel and all the mice would have died...and possibly Keith).
-For your character NOT to evolve would be unbelievable (#4 After watching a boy die and then ALMOST getting separated from Pantalaimon, there is no
way Lyra would let that happen to anyone else unless she was heartless)
It seems hokey to say this, but you'll be able to FEEL that the turning point is right when it happens. If you're thinking, "It's too soon!", it
probably is. If you're thinking, "She wouldn't find out this way," she probably wouldn't.
In the infamous words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "Trust your feelings."
Move on to JoHoTo #11!
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