Creating dramatic tension in your story requires you to put your character in some kind of physical or emotional jeopardy, and that requires a strong antagonist. While the presence of your villain will be evident throughout your story, you can reveal their impact on your character and ensure a sense of rising action by carefully placing pinch points in your plot.
In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Sue Coletta explains the concept of pinch points. “The quest cannot exist without an opponent, and the Pinch Points show the reader what that opposition is all about,” Coletta says. “Pinch Points show how high the stakes are. They also set up the emotional change within the hero as they react to the new situation.”
The first pinch happens somewhere between the first major plot point and the halfway point in your novel, around the one-third mark, give or take. By this point, the reader needs to see the antagonist, not merely hear about them. “In thrillers, the scene could involve a murderer stalking his next victim. Or a kidnapper playing recorded screams over the phone for the hero,” Coletta notes. “In a romance novel, the First Pinch Point could be the hero’s husband being seduced by another woman (acting as the antagonist).” You don’t have to cut away to the antagonist, but you must make their presence felt.
The second pinch point hits between the mid-point and the second major plot point, or around the two-thirds mark. This time, you’ll want to devote an entire scene to the antagonist, who is upping the game against your hero. Again, you’re reminding your protagonist what or whom they are up against. Your antagonist doesn’t have to be a killer or even a human being. Your protagonist might be facing down inner demons, but you still need to remind them and your reader of their presence.
