A Quick Guide to the Major Plot Points

Hello Fellow Word-Nerds! For all of you Word-Nerds who are stuck right now, here’s a quick guide to the major plot points of a story. Sometimes, having a rough outline of all the things I have to do helps kickstart my writing, so maybe this will help you too!

Later, I’m sure to have posts which go through each of these moments in-depth, but that’s for editing season. This month is November (aka, National Novel Writing Month), so here’s a quick roadmap for anyone who’s completely lost.

Now, before I launch into a guide to the plot points, these are not based on a specific beat sheet – but rather a conglomeration of major points which happen in a story. Some of the names come from specific beat sheets (names like Dark Night of the Soul, which I took from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!), and some are more generic (everyone’s heard of the Inciting Incident). I believe that some beat sheets work for some books, but that every story needs every single one of these moments – regardless of what you call them!

Theme: Many editors, writers, literary critics, etc define theme slightly differently. I prefer to stick with the practical definition which concerns how it impacts your story. In this case, theme is the central lesson about which your story revolves. The theme is the catalyst for change—the inspiration your characters use to evolve from the characters they were to the characters they must be to win the day and beat the bad guy. In this way, theme and character development are intrinsically connected.

Inciting Incident: this is where the MC gets a good idea that something’s up. They haven’t been thrown headfirst into the action yet; they can still go back. It happens within the first chapter, and is the MC’s first step toward entering the main conflict. 

Inciting Incident and Theme (Character Development): The theme (and therefore the lesson which your MC must learn) is mentioned but not focused on in this scene. This is the very start of your MC’s character development. The lesson is out there in the wide universe, but the MC hasn’t actually encountered it yet.

First Plot Point: this moment has two halves, which are often called the “call to adventure” and the “answer”. Like those names suggest, this is where the MC is summoned to fulfill their destiny or to go on a quest. At first, they often resist the call, but by the end of this plot point, they have answered the call (reluctantly or with exuberance) and can no longer turn back (the second half of this plot point can also be called the “point of no return”. This moment is often placed at the 1/4th mark of the book. 

First Plot Point and Theme: This plot point is where your character first comes face to face with the theme. This is where the reader gets the inkling that this theme will be essential to the story. Sometimes the character looks at the theme and thinks, “yeah, that’s a good idea. Maybe I should consider Character Development.” Sometimes the character thinks, “naw, who needs Theme? I can do this all by myself.” Regardless, the character actually interacts with the theme in some way. 

Midpoint: This is one of the most flexible moments in the story, but it will also shape the entire rest of the plot. The midpoint is the moment where your characters, most often prompted in some way by the antagonist, come face to face with the THEME of the story. 

Midpoint’s relationship to the Theme: Up until now, the theme has been mentioned. It was standing there at the edge of the scene in the inciting incident. It has been whispered in the MC’s ear during the first plot point, either prompting them to move toward or away from adventure, but this is the first time the theme has grabbed the plot and shaken it. The MC faces some sort of challenge, and returns to the theme in order to solve it. Maybe they try to ignore the theme, and this plot point turns out terribly because of it. Maybe they try to embrace the theme, but things still turn out poorly because they didn’t fully understand what the theme was trying to tell them. Maybe they try to embrace the theme, and things go very well so they think they understand the theme, only a pit trap is waiting for them later. The midpoint can turn out however is needed to craft a wonderful story. The essential part is that it requires a major conflict, and the MC turns to the theme in order to solve that conflict. 

This moment should be at the halfway point of your story. It should show how your characters have changed, and how far they still have to go. It should be a fairly big moment, and should indicate the fact that the pacing is beginning to increase. 

Third Plot Point: Like the Midpoint, this is also a very flexible point in the narrative. The difference is that the consequences of this plot point will lead directly to the Dark Night of the Soul (the next plot point). Think of this point as where you finally shove the boulder just hard enough that it starts rolling down the cliff. The shove from this plot point is what leads directly to the entire rest of the book. The pacing is fast, and it’s getting faster. We’re on a one-way train to the end of the book.

Third Plot Point and Theme: On a general scale, the relationship between third plot point and theme is almost exactly the same as it is with the midpoint. Very flexible, but it has to be there.

Dark Night of the Soul: I commonly abbreviate this as DNoTS, although the full name does also have some emotional heft to it. This moment is precisely what it sounds like. This is the darkest moment of the MC’s arc. They’ve tried their best to reach their goal and, because they’ve misunderstood a crucial piece of the theme, they fail spectacularly. In this moment, the antagonist has won, and the protagonist’s hope is almost gone. 

DNoTS and the Theme: The DNoTS has the greatest relationship with the theme, and really shows how the theme can shape a book. This moment uses the theme to tie everything together. When the bad guy has won and the MC is in their dark pit of despair, they come back to the lesson which has been present the entire story. They reexamine the theme and leverage that theme to regain their stature and claw back out of that hole. This is the moment where they finally learn the lesson.

The DNoTS is generally placed just over 3/4ths of the way through the narrative (between 3/4ths and 7/8ths), and is actually the first half of the climax. 

Quick note about story structure in a book with multiple main characters. It is very common to have a full set of these plot points happening with each MC. Less common is that some of these beats will have a moment with each MC, but each character won’t have a full set of all six. Make sure your primary MC has a strong First plot point, DNoTS, and Climax, or your story will feel unfocused. 

Climax: The MC has leveraged the theme to climb out of their deep, dark hole, and now it’s time for payback. This scene happens between 90-95% of the way through the narrative, depending on how long you want your resolution to be, and how long the climax itself is. In an epic fantasy with a clash of armies as the climax, this may not even be a single scene, but a collection of scenes as you watch the tide of the battle turn. 

Resolution: welcome back to theme central. The bad guy is gone. We’re looking at the new world as created by the climax, and now it’s time to process how our characters have changed thanks to the theme. This scene is the ultimate reaction scene, where the characters get to process their thoughts and feelings, take a bit of a break, and settle into their new skins. Then, at the end of the resolution, just like the end of any reaction scene, they leverage their new character identities to move on with their lives – whether that’s into a new book in the series, or into a peaceful new life in the imaginary space of the reader’s head. This is the last scene(s) in the book, and one of the most crucial to get right. Right here, you get to determine whether or not your reader is going to keep reading and move on to your next book. It really is that important.

And that’s your guide to all the major plot points in a book. Stay tuned for a deep dive into each of those moments. For now, I hope this summary of all the major points in your book has started those brain juices churning. Are you approaching your DNoTS? How is the antagonist going to triumph over your MC? How is the theme going to help your MC get out? It’s questions like these which will help you get over the finish line.

And that’s it for now, fellow Word-Nerds. Happy writing!