K.M. Weiland

But after the apparent victory that closed out the Second Act, the Third Plot Point now forces a crisis—in both the plot and the character’s arc.
This point of crisis is the result of a reversal enacted by the antagonistic force. The protagonist thought he had the bad guy down for the count, but the baddie’s got one more trick up his sleeve. Usually, this reversal is accompanied by a completely unexpected (although, of course, not unforeshadowed) revelation.
Sometimes this revelation will be a plot twist, but often it will be nothing more than a sudden and full understanding of the protagonist’s Lie-empowered weaknesses. It’s this new information, as much as anything, that lays your protagonist open for the final blow. He’s so stunned he can’t even fight back.

In plot terms, the Third Plot Point is all about creating a “physical” moment in which the protagonist’s plot goals are endangered. In character terms, the Third Plot Point hinges upon not just “something bad” happening in the outer conflict, but rather an inner choice on the protagonist’s part

If this moment is to bear its full weight in the story, it must be a soul-wrenching choice. Whatever the protagonist decides here, he will lose something vital. He can either choose the Truth and lose his dream. Or he can choose his heart’s desire and live the Lie for the rest of his life

[The protagonist] comes to understand both the promise and the price of the two ways. He comes, in other words, to truly understand his choice…. The moment … is not complete unless the hero understands not only what he stands to gain by choosing one option over the other, but also what he stands to lose

He will embrace the Truth and do the right thing, even though it means (or in some stories, seems to mean) forever losing the Thing He Wants. (Whether or not he actually gains the Thing He Wants in the end is irrelevant. For now, the only thing that matters is that he is fully willing to give it up.)

Questions to Ask About Your Character’s Arc in the Third Plot Point

1. What crushing event and/or revelation turns your character’s apparent success into the worst defeat yet?

2. How was this defeat enabled by the character’s refusal, thus far, to completely reject his Lie?

3. How does this defeat force your character to face the true ramifications of the Lie?

4. How can this defeat offer the character a clear path toward the Thing He Wants?

5. If he takes this path, how will it force him to reject the Thing He Needs?

6. How can you set up a clear and decided choice between the Thing He Needs and the Thing He Wants?

7. Which will he choose?

8. How can you literally or symbolically represent death in this scene as a way of reinforcing the demise of your character’s Lie-empowered old self?

He did the right thing. And he did it from the depth of his soul. But now he has to live with the consequences. He’s grown to believe in the Truth—and yet, the Truth just ruined his life.
On its exterior, the Third Act is all about your character’s scrambling to regain his balance before he has to face the antagonist in the Climax. But within your character’s interior, the Third Act is all about him figuring out if he really wants to serve the Truth after all. Is it worth the price he’s just paid? If he’s ever going to return to his life of “safety” in the Lie, this is going to be his last chance

The Third Plot Point stuck a knife in the character’s back. This is where you give it a little twist. This is the sequel to your Third Plot Point, in which your character reacts to the havoc the Truth just made of his life.

So why not make it even worse? Up the stakes. If the character is emotionally miserable, why not make him physically miserable too?
He just saw his best friend get killed?
Perfect. Now, why not also put him on the run for his life?
In a blizzard.
With a bullet in his leg.
Don’t make it easy for him to come to the conclusion that acting on the Truth was really the best thing he could have done for himself

2. Keep the Character Off Balance