Your character has made the decision to enter a New World and has tried to learn the new rules of this world throughout the First Half of the Second Act, and now is the time to show how your character has changed after the Midpoint. Your character is now aware of their main flaw/lie (Elle’s being that she will never be taken seriously) and she has decided to push it aside. She is not letting it stand in the way of her decisions anymore because she knows it’s getting her further away from her goal. In this act your character has made a significant step in their arc, though it should still be noted she hasn’t entirely overcome her lie yet.
According to Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland, you should spend the Second Half of the Second Act showing how your character has changed via a before and after snapshot
“We can think of the two halves of the story as mirror images of each other. Throughout the second half, the character should be put in situations that reflect back upon those in the first half. The only different? They’re reverse images By purposefully placing the character in a second-half scene that is similar to a first-half scene, you’re able to give readers a dramatic representation of the progress he’s made in his personal evolution” (Weiland, p. 107).
If your character used to selfishly snatch the last piece of pizza, now have him pause and ask his friends if anyone wants it. If your character used to recklessly spend money he didn’t have, show him setting up a budget system for himself. Your character now realizes what he needs to do to get where he wants to be.
We’ve made it to the Second Half of the Second Act of Elle’s story from Legally Blonde. In the First Half of the Second Act, Elle was floundering around, trying to navigate the turbulent waters of Harvard Law School whilst trying to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner. When we got to the Midpoint, Elle realized Warner wasn’t the shit and would never treat her like an equal. So coming into the Second half of the Second act, she is now driven to succeed at law school not to win Warner’s heart, but to win the respect of her classmates.
Now that Elle knows that she wants to be respected/taken seriously, the Second Half of the Second Act involves a collection of wins for Elle. Now she’s putting in the work instead of just hoping to get by. She is studying, she’s getting more answers right in class, she is one of the few chosen for her professor’s exclusive internship, and she confidently uses what she’s learned to win Paulette’s dog back from her ex-husband.
She’s learning, she’s improving and most importantly, she’s realizing that she doesn’t have to give up the essence of who she is in order to be a respected lawyer. Vivien who is Elle’s main rival and foil throughout the movie even recognizes her strengths during the internship and compliments her for doing well.
Now that your character is finally succeeding in this New World, you need to pull the rug out from underneath her. Her world is going to come crashing down with a startling revelation or a gut-wrenching defeat, which we will discuss next week with the Third Plot Point.
