From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Bad guys close in: Explanation

Bad guys close in: Explanation

From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Bad guys close in: Explanation

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- Like the fun and games, this next beat called "The Bad Guys Close In" is a multi-scene beat. It encompasses the next 25% of your novel. From the 50% mark to the 75% mark. In the Midpoint beat, we talked about how the entire direction of the story is changed after the stakes are raised and the hero experiences either a false victory or a false defeat. And therefore in this beat, the bad guys close in is where we see that new direction play out. In other words, if your story had an upward path fun & games and a false victory Midpoint then the bad guys close in beat is going to have a downward path, where seemingly bad things happen to your hero. Your hero's predicament is getting worse and your hero is progressing towards a failure. On the other hand, if your story had a downward path fun & games and a false defeat Midpoint then your bad guys close in is going to have an upward path where seemingly good things happen to your hero and your hero's predicament is getting better. Your…

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