Welcome to the Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast. I'm K M. Wyland and I am here to take you

deep with story theory, writing techniques, and the incredible wisdom of story.

I believe story is the greatest power on this earth,

and that as writers, we carry the torch of wielding that power

with responsibility, passion, and skill.

There is no such thing as just a story.

Today, it is my honor and my purpose

to help you write your best story,

astound the world, and maybe change your life.

Hello and welcome.

You are listening to The Secrets of Story, part 7, the midpoint.

Halfway through the second act, something marvelous happens.

There you are, minding your own business, toiling in the seemingly endless desert of the second act,

when everything changes all over again.

Legendary director Sam Peck and Pa talked about how he always looked for a centerpiece

on which to hang his story. That centerpiece is your second plot point, the midpoint, which divides your second act,

act. The midpoint is what keeps your second act from dragging.

It caps the reactions in the book's first half

and sets up the chain of actions that will lead the

characters into the third act. Like all major structural turning points, the

midpoint directly influences the plot. It changes the paradigm of the story, requiring a definitive

and story-altering response from the characters. This time, however, the

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