Hi Victoria, I’ve heard you speak in a Writer’s Digest webinar about the Fulcrum of a story and have been hooked on your blogs and advice column since. I do have a question though. If I have two protagonists, could they each have a separate Fulcrum that is ‘physically’ near each other in the book (each near the middle), or should the same event/scene be the Fulcrum for both characters? What are the pros and cons for each if either is acceptable? Thanks a million! Shaila
Thank you for your kind words, Shaila!
When you work with two protagonists, you must design a separate mini-novel for each, which you will then layer into each other, rather like braiding a braid.
However, you want the climax of each episode—Hook, each Conflict, Faux Resolution, and Climax—to be a striking of sparks as the two protagonists’ storylines bounce off each other.
So that means, yes, you really want the same scene to be the Fulcrum for both characters.
The story of two (or more) protagonists is the story of how those protagonists influence, interfere with, and ultimately cause each other’s Climax. And that 100% dependence upon cause-&-effect is what makes your Climax feel so deliciously inevitable to the reader.
When all is said and done, this braiding of storylines together in meticulously-designed conflicts creates such a tightly-woven plot that there could be simply no other Climax to your story.