{"id":873,"date":"2024-03-01T12:46:11","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T12:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=873"},"modified":"2024-03-05T13:45:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T13:45:04","slug":"the-flat-arc-second-pinch-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=873","title":{"rendered":"The Flat Arc Second Pinch Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In between the Midpoint and the Second Pinch Point, things start going well for the MC. They\u2019ve gone from reaction to action, and they\u2019re finally fighting back against the antagonist. Perhaps they defeat some of his goons, discover a clue to his hideout, or find out more about his identity. They\u2019re getting closer and closer to the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But if you know anything about the pinch points, you know that they\u2019re supposed to pinch<\/em>. The Second Pinch Point is where the antagonist\u2014and the Lie\u2014manifest themselves once more. While the MC has been busy fighting back, they may have temporarily forgotten how strong the antagonist really is. And this pinch point serves as a reminder of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, in this pinch point, the MC doesn\u2019t necessarily lose<\/em>. But now they\u2019ve been fully refreshed on how hard the antagonist is to beat. And they know that he\u2019s got something much worse up his sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some elements to include in a Second Pinch Point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \n
  1. The antagonist\u2019s reminder\/a sense of foreboding<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The MC will slowly begin to realize that a much bigger battle is yet to come. The Second Pinch Point is just a taste of the antagonist\u2019s\u2014and the Lie\u2019s\u2014power. If they are to succeed, they must gear themselves up for a long and weary battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary and her father settle down happily on Elijah and Sarah\u2019s farm. But when Mary\u2019s father falls ill and dies, this serves as a huge blow to Mary (arguably too big of a blow for a Second Pinch Point, but nothing\u2019s perfect). This reminds her that trials are yet to come\u2026 her journey isn\u2019t over. Meanwhile, back at the castle, Juliette continues to spread lies about Mary, even after the ring is found in a bird\u2019s nest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cPendragon,\u201d Caydern betrays Wenneveria into the hands of the Saxons, knowing full well that they will kill her. Also, he assigns Artos\u2019 loyal men to the front lines where they are in a position of danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. The set-up\/the stakes<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The pace of the story is increasing, and things are beginning to come together. In a mystery novel, this would be where the detective begins to see patterns in the clues, and the key to it all seems to be almost within his grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Tension is rising. The audience knows that it\u2019s only a matter of time before something <\/em>happens. But they have no idea what that something is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Second Pinch Point serves as a reminder to the MC of what\u2019s at stake. The MC needs to have the whole thing spread out before them: This<\/em> is what happens if they win, and that<\/em> is what happens if they lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This will serve to put even greater pressure on them as they realize that all that they hold dear is at stake. They must<\/em> prevail\u2014they must<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d some set-up happens with Mary\u2019s father\u2019s death, as well as Elijah and Sarah handing over the farm to Amos and Helen. Now, Mary is completely at the mercy of the spiteful; Helen, who would like nothing more than to get rid of her. Mary tries to be at peace, yet she knows that Helen will take action sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As far as the stakes. Mary\u2019s religious stability is on the line. If she chooses to doubt God now, she may very well doubt him in the future. (This has nothing to do with losing your salvation, just to clarify. \ud83d\ude09 ) Furthermore, she will be admitting to everyone else around her that she does not think God is trustworthy enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In \u201cPendragon,\u201d the set-up is really quite brilliant. The first time I watched this movie, I wondered how everyone was going to come together at the end. After all, Brotus and the others are at the front lines, Wenneveria is in the Saxon prison, Caydern is lounging in a tent somewhere behind the scenes, and Artos could literally be anywhere in Britannia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Yet a few actions on Caydern\u2019s part sets the ball rolling for all of the characters to come together during the Climax. Placing Artos\u2019 loyal men on the front lines ensures that Artos will be present to negotiate with Caydern on their behalf. Sending the rest of the army away from the battlefield puts them in the right place to be intercepted by Wenneveria later on. Everything is starting to come together, and the audience is at the edge of their seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      1. The Lie<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        This is where the Lie-driven characters will fight back. Just as the MC needs to be reminded of the antagonist and the stakes, they also need to be reminded of the Lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This \u201creminder\u201d could come in many different ways, but I would suggest intertwining it with the rest of the Second Pinch Point so that the same event affects the MC both externally and <\/em>internally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The MC will be reminded that the war is not over. The final confrontation between the Truth and the Lie\u2014the thing they tried to avoid in the First Act\u2014is soon in coming. It won\u2019t be long before the Truth will be put to the ultimate test by going head-to-head with the Lie. And no matter how much the MC trusts the Truth, there\u2019s still that nagging question, \u201cWill it be enough?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Can the Truth really defeat the Lie? Is it really strong enough to conquer the whole World of Lie-driven people? Well, your MC knows that they\u2019re about to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Helen yells at Mary as her father lies dying, telling her to curse God and put an end to everything. She hurls all of Mary\u2019s own doubts back into her face with such vehemence that Mary can\u2019t help but feel her faith weakening\u2014if only just a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        In \u201cPendragon,\u201d Artos is truly alone. Wenneveria is being held captive by the Saxons, and his own men have been placed in danger. He knows it\u2019s up to him to try and put a stop to everything. But can he? Will God really give him the strength he needs to do this? Artos is really feeling the pressure\u2026 he has no choice but to move ahead, but the doubts still echo in his mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        So there you have it\u2026 the Second Pinch Point! As you move on to create your own pinch point, I would suggest really focusing on that foreboding sense and really heightening the tension. Things may go fairly smoothly for the MC after the Second Pinch Point, but it\u2019s going to be like the calm before the storm\u2014they know that any moment now, the bad guy is going to jump out at them with the Lie and a whole lot of plot twists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        You\u2019re also free to add a False Victory in between the Second Pinch Point and the Third Plot Point. This is where the MC will seem to prevail and achieve their Goal. A False Victory will pave the way for the Third Plot Point reveals to be even more shocking, and for the sudden downhill road to seem more like a cliff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Here are a few more examples of the Second Pinch Point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. The giants ransack the BFG\u2019s house to look for Sophie (\u201cThe BFG\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Wall-E and Eve rescue the plant from being ejected from an escape pod (\u201cWall-E\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Will\u2019s former deputy tries to force him to leave (\u201cHigh Noon\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Millicent breaks into the Browns\u2019 house, and Paddington is blamed (\u201cPaddington\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                Comment below the Second Pinch Point of your favorite book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                In between the Midpoint and the Second Pinch Point, things start going well for the MC. They\u2019ve gone from reaction to action, and they\u2019re finally fighting back against the antagonist. Perhaps they defeat some of his goons, discover a clue to his hideout, or find out more about his identity. They\u2019re getting closer and closer to the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,5,4],"tags":[24,26,29,100,23,33,27],"class_list":["post-873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flat-arcs","category-plots-and-character-arcs","category-writing-tips","tag-character-arcs","tag-characters","tag-christian-writing","tag-flat-arcs","tag-plots","tag-protagonist","tag-writing-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":875,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions\/875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}