Hi Reader,

Last week we talked about the two act chiastic structure. I got some questions about three act versus two act structure. Specifically, around my examples Pride and Prejudice and The Wizard of Oz. Both stories also fit three act structure so it can be confusing.

Before we compare the two structures, let's talk about The Lion King, which is a clean example of two act chiastic structure. Before I knew about chiastic structure, The Lion King always confused me because it doesn't have a second act. In the first half, Simba is a cub, and in the second half, he's an adult and goes back to face Scar. The midpoint, which is his growing up takes place over one song montage, Hakuna Matata. This clear two act structure is one reason the movie was so easy to adapt into a hit Broadway musical. In fact, musicals and plays have two acts, making chiastic structure a theatrical staple.

Midpoints: The Most Important Act Break

The midpoint that shifts both the characters and the action is the only act break in chiastic structure. But the midpoint also serves the same purpose in the three act structure. It divides act 2 into two parts, marking a huge change in the story. For this reason, I believe the midpoint is the most important act break. If you have a weak midpoint, you're going to have a weak story.

With the midpoint, the three act structure becomes a four act structure.

With a strong midpoint, any story can be looked at as two acts. Think of it as the before and after for your characters.

In Pride and Prejudice, the first act is Darcy realizing his attraction to Elizabeth, while Elizabeth falls for Wickman’s lies about Darcy. The midpoint, Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth, shifts the story to Elizabeth falling for Darcy as he works on overcoming his own prejudices and earning her love.

In The Wizard of Oz, the first half is Dorothy leaving her ordinary life, arriving in Oz where she travels to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard to send her home. The midpoint is her reaching the Wizard and him saying he'll only help her if she brings back the Wicked Witch’s broom. This is a strong midpoint because Dorothy thinks she has finished her quest and she's given another one. In the second half, she defeats the Wicked Witch and returns home.

Different Ways to Think About the Midpoint

Another way to think about the midpoint is what I call the Doctor Who story approach. In every episode, our heroes spend the first half figuring out what's going on. At the midpoint, they know who the bad guy is and what he's trying to do. The second half is the good guys figuring out how to defeat the bad guy and then winning.

In Save the Cat, Blake Snyder says you can give your protagonist a false peak, an up midpoint, or a false collapse, a down midpoint.

In Screenplay, Syd Field says the midpoint is an important scene in the middle of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story.

For more on midpoints, check out Five Ways to Write a Midpoint.​

Book Nook

Recently I have gotten a few questions about selling your e-book on Kindle Unlimited and other retailers. Here is a brief explanation of the pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited.

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that lets subscribers read as many e-books as they like from an extensive selection for a monthly fee. It includes a wide range of genres and titles, both from traditional publishers and self-published authors.

How Kindle Unlimited Works for Authors

● Exclusivity Requirement: Kindle Unlimited requires that your e-book be exclusive to Amazon. This means it cannot be sold, published, or distributed on any other digital platform or store, including your own website or libraries.

● Royalties Based on Pages Read: Instead of a traditional sale royalty, authors earn money based on the number of pages of their book that are read by Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Kobo Plus

E-book and audiobook retailer Kobo offers its own subscription service called Kobo Plus. The difference between Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus is Kobo Plus is not exclusive. So as an author, you can participate and have your e-books for sale on all retailers.

Wide vs. Exclusive

My philosophy is getting multiple streams of income from your idea. That means having as many versions of your book for sale in as many places as possible, selling wide. This strategy protects you if something goes wrong with your Amazon KDP account. There are horror stories of Amazon taking books offline and authors taking months to get it straightened out. And recently, they lowered the payment per page for Kindle Unlimited.

All that being said, Kindle Unlimited might be the right choice for you. You only have to upload your e-book to one place and have one store to manage. On your indie publishing journey, there are lots of choices. There is no right answer. You must weigh the pros and cons and decide what makes sense for you. Even if you decide to publish your e-books on Kindle Unlimited, you can still be wide with your print books.

For more on where to sell your books, read How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel.

In Case You Missed It

​Chiastic Story Structure for Screenwriters and Novelists​

​How to Use Templates to Level Up Your Writing​

​Templates Part 3: The Genius of Classic Movies​

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Cheers,

Lindsey

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