10 TIPS FOR WRITING A CHARACTER'S BREAKING POINT

yes sure I'm winning a butter shirt butter you're on my shirt look you're the recipient is uncanny hello everybody today we're talking about one of the most important plot points in a vast majority of novels and that is the breaking point I talked about the breaking point roughly a million years ago but you guys still had a lot of really good questions and that's why we're talking about it again today I'm answering your top 10 questions about writing breaking points so you can crush your readers into oblivion in the most effective way possible before we get started thank you so much to skill Shara for sponsoring today's video Skillshare is an online learning community just for creators whether you're a seasoned pro or a total newbie doesn't matter they've got classes for you tons of people come together on Skillshare in order to take their next step in creativity they've got thousands of classes at all skill levels in design illustration web design business and of course creative writing most classes are less than 60 minutes long so they're super easy to work into your schedule I like to use them as rewards once I have completed one of my writing goals it's awesome I'm also a teacher on Skillshare I've got two classes all about digital marketing for writers one is about how to grow your author platform the other is my personal step-by-step process for releasing a book with little to no assistance Skillshare has some goodies for you guys stick around until the end of this video for details first let's tackle your questions all about writing breaking points and if you want any other writing advice be sure to subscribe to my channel I post videos on Wednesdays I also sprinkle around bonus videos from time to time which is why you should totally ring that bell it will alert you as soon as I upload number one what the hell is a breaking point the breaking point is the point in your novel where your main character breaks down something devastating happens the emcee is delivered a really hard blow usually in relation to the goal they're trying to achieve and they lose hope a good breaking point is designed to upset the reader they're either going to be angry and devastated alongside the emcee or they're going to be angry at the emcee for giving up on their goal number two how come I've never heard of a breaking point if you studied story structure you probably have heard of the breaking point but just don't because it's not always referred to as the breaking point sometimes it's called the crisis the black moment all is lost and so on different structures like to call it different things but ultimately it's basically the same different name number three what types of genres feature the breaking point all of them a lot of people assume breaking points are specific to adventure novels especially if there is a hero involved but breaking points are utilized across all fictional genres in romance novels the breaking point usually involves a breakup or a fight or some type of a strange bent in crime fiction the breaking point is usually when the lead detective is suspended or removed from a case remember this is the lowest point for your character in that story it doesn't have to be life or death if the stakes aren't that high basically if your book is fiction it can and probably should feature a breaking point number four when does the breaking point occur the breaking point almost always occurs toward the end of the book before the climax if you're using the three-act structure the breaking point is often referred to as the break into Act three the climax is usually the most adrenaline in the book so having your character transition from being completely hopeless to working their ass off to achieve their goal is very appealing to the reader your character is at rock bottom and has to climb their way to the peak of that climax right you're so smart you're just taking in all the information so you can write your own book what's it gonna be about is it gonna be pop kisses number five why is the breaking point so important the breaking point is often cited as one of the most important plot points because all that drama and emotion will make the main characters inevitable triumph aka the climax and resolution all the more satisfying typically as the story progresses your character gets closer and closer toward achieving their goal if all the experienced are winds along the way it's not really emotionally impactful nor is it relatable the breaking point gives your main character a massive fail right before they go up against their goal in theory for the last time ups your stakes to the highest level which is exactly what you want right before the climax additionally if your character succeeds during the climax and achieves their goal it will feel a lot more deserved thanks to the breaking point we don't enjoy media where things come easily because again we can't relate struggle effort and tenacity makes a character's triumph feel earned the breaking point does double duty for the author because it's both emotionally devastating for the reader as well as planting seeds toward an epic climax number 6 how do I choose my character's breaking point again the breaking point is your character's lowest point within the story so give it everything you know about the plot and the character ask yourself was the absolute worst thing that could happen to them this is why romances often feature a breakup or a strange mint as the breaking point the story revolves around a relationship so taking that away is devastating looking at crime novels if a detective is passionate about a case and so close to solving it and then as suddenly kicked off the case and fired that's going to be a huge flow not only to their career but also emotionally death is also a breaking point for example the main character's friend or family member dies especially if it's partly their fault ultimately the breaking point you choose is going to depend on the character in question the plot you're writing and the trajectory of your story now I'm number seven how was my character supposed to react well they're supposed to break obviously the reader needs to see the character at a new emotional low in the story this could be sadness anger depression even rage how they initially react is going to depend on the context but typically the emcee reacts poorly for example in hero stories especially ones that involve a team the emcee often quits I don't want to play anymore they lose hope and thus don't believe in the cause anymore or don't believe that their goal is achievable however after a bit of time in their funk another plot point happens that reminds them why they joined this cause in the first place or reignites their desire to achieve their goal using the hero example it could be an attack from the enemy or seeing more innocent lives lost they realize they can't abandon their goal and suit up yet again think of the breaking point as the ashes your Phoenix character must rise from number eight what makes a good breaking point usually a good breaking point is linked to the plot or goal of the story if your character is trying to solve a murder case and their breaking point is the death of their father from cancer that's sad as hell but it has nothing to do with the plot however if their father is killed by the murderer in question that's a lot more effective because it's directly related to the plot plus it'll evoke a lot of guilt in the MC they took the case and thus they put their father at risk and as we've covered a good breaking point needs to be both emotional for the reader and the character the emcee needs to have some kind of emotional reaction that's both relevant to the situation as well as keeping within their character that means if your character has been nothing but a soft spongy cinnamon roll throughout the entire story and their breaking point throws them into a violent rage that's gonna be a hard sell but anger tears or angry tears could totally work depending on the context number nine I'm still struggling to understand breaking points how can I fix this the easiest way to understand how to write a good breaking point is to research breaking points that means you got to read some books and watch some movies with a writer's eye if you need baby steps start with Disney movies there is a breaking point in literally every single Disney movie that I've seen because again they're very effective in a lot in the breaking point is when Jafar exposes Aladdin as a liar and shoots him off into the desert so oddly it turns out to be merely a lad in Beauty and the Beast its when Belle leaves the castle and the Beast falls into a depression watch these movies then work your way up to more complex content and search for the breaking points how are they written what causes the breaking point how are the characters reacting and more specifically which breaking points did you find most impactful and why and number 10 do I have to write a breaking point you don't have to do anything you can take a dump on a piece of paper and call it a manuscript for all I care but the breaking point is a pivotal part of story structure and more often than not it plays a vital role toward making the climax and resolution satisfying and effective you may be able to name some older works that don't have breaking points but keep in mind storytelling expectations change over the years it's never a good idea to compare yourself to an author from a hundred years ago outside of stories from yesteryear I personally can't think of a fictional novel that I've read that didn't have a breaking point I'm sure they exist somewhere I just haven't found them yet so that's all I got for you today thank you so much to Skillshare for sponsoring today's video if you're looking to take the next step in your creativity and learn some new skills I highly recommend Skillshare Skillshare is super affordable an annual subscription is less than ten bucks a month however right now you can get two months a Skillshare premium for free by clicking the link below that's two months of access to thousands of classes including my classes and it's all completely free but only the first 500 people who click the link are gonna get it so be sure to click get on it do it yeah don't forget to subscribe to my channel I post new videos on Wednesdays and if you want to be alerted as soon as I upload ring that bell the savior's champion is available in eBook paperback hardback signed hardback as well as audiobook if you're new to audiobooks you can listen to TSC on audible for free we have all the info below and be sure to follow me on social media I want Instagram Tumblr Facebook and of course you can tweet me at Jenna Marcy bye this is Ron DS why the haven't you subscribed to Jenna's channel do you really want to face me you don't do it you know what will happen I'll rip out your tongue torture you then leave your rotten corpse out for the birds to feast on it the goddamn button and the belt ooh

Channel: Writing with Jenna Moreci

Views: 56,341

Rating: 4.9855471 out of 5

Keywords: write, writer, writing, read, reader, reading, book, books, ebook, author, novel, literature, Jenna Moreci, the savior's champion, the saviors champion, booktube, authortube, skillshare, writing tips, writing advice, writing motivation, writing inspiration, how to write a book, tips for writing, tips for writing a book, breaking point, what is a breaking point, plot, plotting, character breaking point, 3 act structure, how to write, motivation, inspiration, book writing, bookish, I want to write

Id: zHFsd6G-xrU

Length: 11min 0sec (660 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 04 2020