End of Act One. 3 Ways to Turn.
Turning points are usually one of three types of incident
When you work for TV shows that have multiple episodes per season, you begin to see patterns emerging. Identifying those patterns can help you generate new stories.
One of those patterns is what happens at the end of Act One. You’ve established your characters in your world. But now it’s time to make life difficult for them and send them off into Act Two.
These turning points are usually one of just three types of situation: loss, villainy, or the arrival of something new. Let’s look at those three story directions in more detail.
Loss
‘My diamond has vanished!’
‘I have no money to pay.’
‘The sun is going out!’ (Sunshine).
‘I have lost my way.’
‘We have no way of getting them a message unless you go.’ (1917)
A ‘loss’ turning point can be simply that a character has lost something of importance to them or someone they care about. The quest begins with an intention to rediscover it. Whether they do or not is up to you.
But ‘loss’ can also be a ‘lack’ of something that you never had. King Arthur realises he needs the Holy Grail and so heads off on a quest to find it. He never lost the grail. But he suffers from a lack of it.
‘Loss’ can also be a lack of opportunity rather than lack of a physical object. In the film 1917 General Erinmore lacks an easy form of communication with Colonel Mackenzie. His only choice is to send the two soldier protagonists off on a mission to hand deliver that message.
Villainy
‘He offered you a million dollars for a night with your wife?’ (Indecent Proposal)
‘He saw the murder and now he is the only witness.’ (Witness)
‘I will free your brother from prison if you sleep with me.’ (Measure for Measure)
Villainy can, of course, be a personified as an actual villain. They interrupt the life of the characters. They knock normal off the rails.
As demonstrated above, it can be a Faustian proposal, the offer of riches or some other benefit, but at some cost.
It can also be a misfortune to bear witness to an event. When the villain discovers they are at risk they do everything they can to destroy the protagonist.
In folklore, the protagonist is often made more active in this moment by having been given an instruction which they then disobey. ‘I am going to the town son. You must stay here alone. Whatever you do son, do not open the door after dark.’ Cut to later, there’s a knock at the door and the son opens it… and meets the villain of the story.
Arrival
‘I woke up this morning and discovered I could fly.’
‘Look! It’s a portal to the dungeon dimensions.’
‘Mysterious spacecraft have arrived around the world.’ (Arrival)
Arrival can be the arrival of a person, a spaceship, a talisman or other important object. It can also be the arrival of a special ability or power. It can be the arrival of new information.
The ‘Arrival’ can have obvious negative consequences, such as the discovery of a huge meteor that is due to impact Earth. But it can also be more ambivalent to begin with. The beginning of Act Two might see the characters wondering if the ‘Arrival’ is good or bad. Their investigations into it lead us off into the deeper story and create tension.
Combination
In some cases these turning points may be combined. A villain may steal something. The arrival of something may cause a person to be lost. And so on.
If you are struggling to imagine what happens next in your stories, try coming up with three alternatives: one caused by the loss of something, one due to a deliberate, selfish act, and another because something changes in the world around your characters.
Myles McLeod (@mylesjmcleod) is a BAFTA winning writer with 90 TV broadcast credits, five published books, and is a published poet.
