![]() ![]() These rewards vindicate their beliefs but would have been impossible to gain without the low point. Vin annihilates Lord Ruler because she trusts Kelsier, Thomas and Emma defeat the villain by relying on White Light, and Edmond lives in peace because he forgave. It leads to the climax, which lets readers judge a character’s resolutions by the victories he achieves. He’s evaluated the truth and staked a position. When the character hangs on, it demonstrates that he won’t waver even if a situation challenges his beliefs. Their convictions crumble, and they must decide whether to cling to or abandon them. Vin questions Kelsier’s teaching when he dies, and Thomas faces betrayal and death for following White Light. Edmond releases his vendetta after causing the death of an innocent. The characters’ values hold them steady, permitting Edmond to crush his enemies and bringing hope to Thomas and Vin.īut the low point demolishes these mainstays. ![]() Vin slowly buys into Kelsier’s idea of trust. Thomas becomes more and more receptive to White Light’s voice. Edmond Dantès justifies ruining lives by believing he’s the bringer of God’s justice. Throughout your story, a truth or a lie guides the protagonist. But first-degree mentor murder isn’t universally effective. Many of you are probably thinking that someone needs to die. The catastrophe should rock your character’s world so terribly that other trials pale in comparison. When he pursues the right course of action, readers realize he’s grown. Readers have watched him fail because of his false beliefs. Though moral dilemmas are compelling, you can’t introduce one without first pushing the protagonist to his knees. The low point is a locked door, and the truth the hero discovers is the key. If Vin hadn’t learned to accept pain as part of trust, Lord Ruler would still be on the throne. If Thomas hadn’t listened to White Light, the stone plague would have ravaged him. If he’d continued despite the disaster, he would never have felt the freedom of forgiveness. The low point convinces Edmond Dantès to revise his philosophy on vengeance. If he’s still the character readers met in chapter one, he would never reach the climax. Without evidence of maturity, victory will be implausible (and impossible). If you build up to the moment correctly, the protagonist’s choice exposes how his experiences have seasoned him. The characters then process the implications before making their next move. In Mistborn: The Final Empire, Lord Ruler kills Vin’s mentor, Kelsier. In Fawkes, Thomas’s father buries him under kegs of gunpowder. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès instigates a series of events that ends with a child’s murder. This tragedy shatters the character’s world and clears a path for the villain to succeed. The low point (sometimes called the third plot point) occurs before the climax and triggers the shift from the second to the third act (if you’re unfamiliar with these terms, check out the plot guide in our resource library). Set Up Victories That Are Impossible without Character Development Instead, you need to display a character’s transformation through a hard-hitting low point. Though you’re on the right track, a spoon-fed revelation lacks emotional impact. By the time you come to the climax, you’re tempted to insert on-the-nose dialogue about your character’s change of heart to guarantee readers get the message. ![]() If they don’t notice his pattern of growth, they won’t understand the theme-which means the story won’t outshine thousands of unremarkable novels. But despite the effort you’ve poured in, you worry that readers won’t be able to follow the protagonist’s arc. You want readers to be touched by hope when the hero perseveres, joy when he discards his selfish goals, or determination when he confronts the villain. Amid that chaos, character arcs can easily get lost. When you’re in the thick of writing, you’re pressured to perfectly structure your plots, ace your pacing, and polish your prose. ![]()
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