Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl stays true to the Storytelling Blueprint. See below for a plot structure breakdown…
Part 1
1%-26% – Status Quo a.k.a. Setup
- Amy’s disappeared & Nick’s looked at as a suspect while the characters/setting of N. Carthage, MO are established
Part 2
26%-49% – Reactivity a.k.a. Caution
- Nick responds to the new treasure hunt clues, the investigation piles up a mountain of evidence against him & his fake side is exposed
Part 3
50%-73% – Proactivity a.k.a. Attack
- Nick goes on the offensive, hires a celebrity lawyer, starts to actually tell the truth, begins to try & win people over & repair his tarnished reputation
Part 4
74%-100% – Lucidity a.k.a. Resolution
- Nick’s TV appearance gets Amy home, he navigates her return including the aftermath while deciding both his & Amy’s fate
Key Plot Milestones
1% – Seize a.k.a. Hook
- Nick eerily describes Amy’s head, inside & out
25% – Story Goal Launch a.k.a. 1st Plot Point
- Amy’s diary details she is afraid & she feels like she could disappear, Nick will have to prove his innocence
37% – Face Time a.k.a. 1st Pinch
- Amy’s flashback: Nick gets home after cheating & both showcase their double faced ways & deceit
49% – Illumination a.k.a. Midpoint
- Amy reveals in a new journal entry that she’s alive & she’s been framed for her disappearance & soon, her murder
61% – Face Time 2.0 a.k.a. 2nd Pinch
- Nick’s flashback: Amy “doles out punishment” after a driver cuts her off, displaying her cutthroat potential
73% – Story Goal Enlightenment a.k.a. 2nd Plot Point
- Amy watches Nick on TV as he explains he wants her home, he;ll make it all up, he’ll find her & he loves her forever
89% – Face Time Apex a.k.a. Climax
- Nick confronts Amy after she returns home bloody & alive
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