For the whole story I’ve broken it into a prologue, eight chapters, and an epilogue which represent the major plot points; the inciting incident, turning point 1, pinch 1, the midpoint, pinch 2, turning point 2, the showdown, the resolution, and the tag. For example, the opening image is represented by the Prologue.  The inciting incident plot point is represented by Chapter One – The Office of Winn Mills.  The first turning point is represented by Chapter Two – Lunch at Nobonay.  The remaining plot points (with the exception of the tag which is represented by the Epilogue) are represented by Chapters Three through Eight.

For each chapter I’ve applied the same plot points.  For example, the prologue starts with an opening image and ends with a resolution, Chapter One starts with an opening image and ends with a resolution, Chapter Two starts with an opening image and ends with a resolution, etc.  In each part, the remaining plot points allow the story to move forward with very little chance of derailment.  As a friend of mine would say, “It’s a lovely thing”.

What follows is one of the unfinished chapters.  I outlined it using the plot points identified above and I was able to keep everything well knit.  I don’t have any loose ends and gaping holes…and it fits in the overall storyline like the right piece in an intricate puzzle.  All I need to do now is story board it and then write the screenplay.

ACT I – The first act introduces us to the main characters in the story and sets up the conditions that will set the hero upon the path to reach his goal.  Along that path he will encounter obstacles and will have to find ways (usually with the help of key allies) to overcome those obstacles if he is to achieve his goal.  The first act is comprised of an opening image, an inciting incident and the first turning point.

The opening image summarizes and sets the tone of the story; following his eye surgery, Johnnie Oh is weakened and demoralized – his intuition tells him that Sammy and Maria may already be dead.

The inciting incident is also called the catalyst in that it represents the point in the story when the hero encounters the problem or event that changes his or her life; Kuchie arrives at Boney Island to report that Sammy might still be alive and that she was able to place a tracking device on Eva Wong. While this gives the team hope that they can save Sammy and Maria, Johnnie is still a little uncertain.

The first turning point is the moment in the story when something so significant happens that it forces the hero to confront his or her opponent; Johnnie Oh gets a stern lecture from Motu and the rest of the team about manning up, about teamwork, about courage under fire. Johnnie Oh gets a visit from the president who presents Johnnie Oh with his father’s ring.  Johnnie Oh is shocked…he had no idea that his father was once part of the elite unit.

ACT II – The second act is really a two acts in one.  The first half of the second act leads to the middle of the second act where we are introduced to an event that turns the table on the hero and truly represents the point of no return.  The second act contains the first pinch, the midpoint, the second pinch, and the second turning point.

The first pinch, which occurs during the first half of Act 2, serves as a reminder of the central conflict:  They get to Plume’s lair and realize that it has been vacated.  They find Sammy Strong unconscious and near death.  They get a chopper to fly him back to Boney Island where Dr. Smart works to revive him.

The midpoint is an important scene that occurs in the middle of the story that causes a change in the direction of the story.  It can be a reversal in fortune or an unexpected revelation that appears to wipe out everything that the hero has gained up to this point:  They find Maria drifting aimlessly on the beach.  Johnnie Oh is ecstatic for the first time in a long time until he discovers that her memory has been completely erased.

The second pinch, which occurs during the second half of Act 2, serves to further remind us of the central conflict:  Then they find an old lady who it turns out is Sally Smart’s nurse who has mysteriously aged into an old woman.  She tells them Dr. Plume was so furious when he discovered Eva had a tracking device on her he ordered the evacuation of the lair.  Then he ordered Eva and Tera to administer a lethal dose of xxx to Sammy which Eva managed to reduce in hopes that Sammy would survive.

The second turning point is a dramatic reversal or revelation that marks the end of the second and the beginning of the third act; then he ordered his son to kidnap Sally Smart and that when she (the nurse) objected she was injected with something and the next thing she knew she started to grow old. This is the lowest point for the hero.  He has to bounce back to overcome the odds in Act 3.

ACT III – The third act is where the hero will confront and overcome all obstacles and reach his goal…or not.  In either case the issues of the story are resolved.  The third act contains the showdown, the resolution, and the tag (epilogue).

The showdown occurs about midway through Act 3.  The hero will confront the main issue of the story and either overcomes it or fails to overcome it (sometimes with tragic consequences); she also tells them how she came to be Dr. Plume’s informant and then explains the relationship between Dr. Smart’s research and Dr. Plume’s goals.  She also reveals a bit more info on Maria Plume. She explains how she tampered with the results of the DNA test.  Turns out she is not Johnnie Oh’s mother.  They asked her if she knows where they were going and just when she’s about to tell them she dies.

The resolution allows all of the issues to be resolved; Johnnie Oh laments that after all these years he finds himself back in the missing children business.  They ask Johnnie Oh if he can intuit anything but he can’t.

The tag (AKA the epilogue) ties up the story’s loose ends.  Kuchi may have an idea.  She indicates that Eva said something about San Francisco. They decide that as soon as Sammy Strong is at full strength the team will once again be at full strength at they can get on Dr. Plume’s trail and hopefully save Sally Smart.

One of the problems here is that Sally Smart is sort of off the charts…she has no birth record, no SSN, etc.  They can’t really let the public know that she’s been kidnapped.  Not everyone knows about her secret power and why she has become so important to Dr. Plume.