Essentials Course: The Point of No Return

Essentials Course: The Point of No Return -

Photo credit: ~ Prescott Flickr

It's time for another key field posting! Now that we have talked about the inciting incident, it is time to take the next big plot point. The Point of No Return

whereas the inciting incident kicks in the history of this domino scene after scene in a novel, the point of no return is the moment in the book in which the protagonist must embrace the journey, he or she is about to take and move forward, knowing they will never be able to return to their normal lives.

Keeping with our examples of the last parcel after Essentials, here are the points of no return from a couple popular novels:

• Harry Potter and the stone of sorcerer (JK Rowling): There seems to be an online debate on PonR, but I tend to agree with most popular response when consulting Harry on the Hogwarts Express for the first time . Up to this point, he could have hypothetically returned to Privet Drive and continued to live as he did, but after boarding the Hogwarts Express, there is no turning back. He is on his way to the Sorcerer's Stone, where he will start a new phase of his life.


• City of Bones (Cassandra Clare): When Clary's mother is abducted and Clary is attacked by a demon, his life irrevocably changed. It can not continue like normal teenage parent is absent, his life is in danger and she can not deny that the things she was seeing (demons and Shadowhunters) are real.


• Divergent (Veronica Roth): When Tris chooses to become Dauntless, she can not go back. She made a decision that changed the course of her life, she can not change his mind and return to Self-sacrifice, even if it fails Dauntless initiation, there is no return to the house.

Similarly to the inciting incident, the PonR is not a point that you should jump or land. Of course, I would not be listed as a key field so understood that it was not important. :)

Can you identify the point of no return in your WIP or favorite book?

Twitter sized bites:

Working on a field for your WIP? Writer @Ava_Jae discusses the importance of the point of no return. (Click for tweeter)

Do you know your point of no return WIP? Writer @Ava_Jae speaks identifying this point of the circuit, with examples. (Click for tweeter)