GlossaryStory structure
Reversal
Also: twist · turning point
A reversal is a moment where a character's situation flips: winning turns into losing, or the other way round. Strong scenes usually end in a different place from where they started, and a reversal is the clearest way to get there.
A reversal can be small (a character walks into a meeting confident and leaves humiliated) or huge (the ally turns out to be the villain). Either way, the audience feels the story move.
If a scene ends exactly where it began, look for the reversal you are missing. Something should be different on the way out.
Sam walks into the bank sure the loan is a formality. She walks out with the folder pushed back across the desk, unsigned.