From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Midpoint: Examples

Midpoint: Examples

From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Midpoint: Examples

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- [Instructor] The midpoint is a very crucial and magical beat. But it doesn't really start to come into focus until you see how other writers have tackled it. So let's study some examples of the magical midpoint. You know I love Legally Blonde, because it really does have a perfect beat sheet. Let's see how screen writers Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith tackled the midpoint of this comedy. Remember when Elle Woods broke into two and showed up at Harvard Law School? She didn't really care much about law school at all at that point. She was there for her external goal, to get her boyfriend, Warner, back. At the midpoint is where that goal collapses and Elle experiences a false defeat. It happens at a party where Elle is tricked into wearing a costume when no one else is. This automatically puts her in a position of defeat. It's at this party that Elle realizes that Warner is never going to take her seriously, and she's never going to win him back. This is the death of her external…

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