Write Your Novel Step by Step (153)

Man Made follows a mysterious force as it sweeps around the globe erasing anything man made - from buildings, vehicles, and technology to medicines, clothing, and dental work.

Governments stagger under the panic, religions are at a loss for an explanation, scientists strive for any means to stop or divert the phenomenon, and the world’s population from families to individuals struggle to prepare for The Event, which will drive humanity back beyond the stone age.

The Event is coming.

Are you prepared?

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~ Step 153 ~

Genre - Act Three Middle

The middle of act three is the easiest place to drop the ball in giving impact and import to your novel’s overall genre personality. You’ve already put so much forth to establish and evolve the mood and feel of your novel that it is tempting to just coast along toward the climax focusing instead on plot, characters and theme.

Failing to keep your novel’s personality vibrant at this point, however, will rob these other aspects of your story of an emotional background that gives them meaning. Without the active participation of your genre in the middle of act three, it is likely to become more superficial and perfunctory, hitting the marks without hitting the heart.

You don’t need to go to extremes to avoid this problem – just to bring enough new and intriguing genre elements into your story at this point to add interest and provide an atmosphere in which your plot, characters and theme can breathe.

In this step, list the genre elements you wish to present in the middle of the third act.