It's the hinge your entire story turns on—and one of the hardest story elements to identify and write.

Can I be honest? I struggled with turning points for years.

I knew they were essential. They’re the moment when everything changes. The moment that forces the character to face a crisis choice. The moment that reveals what the story is really, at its heart, about.

And yet . . . I couldn’t see them.

I found so many things that weren’t the turning point. I found inciting incidents, and midpoints, and climaxes.

The turning point, though? It eluded me.

Until I learned a simple framework that finally, finally unlocked them for me.

That framework:

• Reveals why the turning point matters so dang much within the story
• Ties the turning point perfectly to the inciting incident, climax, and every other element of story
• Is objective and straightforward, making it clear to measure (no more guessing at turning points based on gut feeling!)
• Is wonderfully simple (it’s kind of incredible how simple it is, considering how tough turning points are to spot)

That framework marked my turning point in the way I edit turning points.

If you have ever struggled to figure out what the heck the turning point is in a story, well, you’re not alone.

I hope this framework gives you a breakthrough. It certainly did for me!

Further listening:

• Inciting incident (qualities & traps)
• Progressive complications (qualities)
• Progressive complications (traps)
• Protagonist’s goal
• Content genres

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