Last year, I discussed how using a "Bridge," like those used in music, can keep your story from sagging in the middle. This year, I'm going further. I'm explore the structure holding that bridge up. It's called a Problem Nest: The problems that the protagonist faces as they move from the midpoint to the final act of the story. We'll analyze the Problem Nests of popular movies and, more importantly, the archetypes of the allies solving these problems for the protagonists, as defined in Christopher Vogler's THE WRITER'S JOURNEY. With the aid of these problem-solving archetypes, the protagonist crosses the bridge, and enters the climax a character that readers can't wait to cheer for.
