Post by account_disabled on Dec 28, 2023 3:35:20 GMT
In the sometimes chaotic economy of Act II, when a series of complications arise on the path the protagonist must travel towards his goal, the “central moment” is a fact so powerful that it could exist on its own, and still change the course of events. You can't eliminate it without writing a completely different story. It is known to anyone who has tried to grapple with a "long" story - let's say 40,000 words and up - how easy it is to get lost in complications that make little sense; they told us that there must be a conflict in the story, that the protagonist must be given obstacles to overcome, and we are left to invent the most absurd things to add salt to an insipid narrative.
Except then no longer understand where we have arrived, and why. Conflict as an end in itself is useless; the conflicts triggered by the "central moment" are fundamental. In other words, the central moment is a sort of Special Data second Inciting Incident that triggers the resolution and the final part of the story. What could it be A moment of profound truth and reflection of the protagonist on himself. An unexpected revelation that changes everything. An illumination. A letting go. An act of profound trust that changes the relationship with the world. Someone's death. The appearance of someone else. The breakdown of balance. What it is not The central moment of the story is not the Climax, more similar to the "final battle". Without the central moment the last battle could not take place.
This is particularly evident when the central moment corresponds to a change in the protagonist's vision of himself, and the consequent unleashing of unpredictable forces. What can we learn from understanding the pivotal moment (and other turning points) Many writers begin the creation of a story with one or more scenes , visions of moments in which “something important” happens; moments that, although fundamental, are not yet a story. If we can decipher the meaning of these scenes, the primary function they serve – is this a beginning? The end of something? A clash? What else? – we will know where to place them along the line of the narrative. The plot, in a certain sense, will build itself.
Except then no longer understand where we have arrived, and why. Conflict as an end in itself is useless; the conflicts triggered by the "central moment" are fundamental. In other words, the central moment is a sort of Special Data second Inciting Incident that triggers the resolution and the final part of the story. What could it be A moment of profound truth and reflection of the protagonist on himself. An unexpected revelation that changes everything. An illumination. A letting go. An act of profound trust that changes the relationship with the world. Someone's death. The appearance of someone else. The breakdown of balance. What it is not The central moment of the story is not the Climax, more similar to the "final battle". Without the central moment the last battle could not take place.
This is particularly evident when the central moment corresponds to a change in the protagonist's vision of himself, and the consequent unleashing of unpredictable forces. What can we learn from understanding the pivotal moment (and other turning points) Many writers begin the creation of a story with one or more scenes , visions of moments in which “something important” happens; moments that, although fundamental, are not yet a story. If we can decipher the meaning of these scenes, the primary function they serve – is this a beginning? The end of something? A clash? What else? – we will know where to place them along the line of the narrative. The plot, in a certain sense, will build itself.