This part of the writing process can be daunting. When working with the hero's journey, there's something of a framework, and that's wonderful. But in the murky middle, that's when all of the main plots, the sub plots, and so forth tend to hit their stride. And so then the question becomes related to staying on track. Because even when you plan, it can be a skill.

Well, there are a few plot points you can consider, if you want to study the path. Let's take this article as an example: https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/rising-action

The thing is? At this stage, there are a wide range of possibilities regarding the shape of your rising action. Whether you're using Romancing the Beat, or you're using the plot structure from James Scott Bell (read about it here:https://www.irismarshedits.com/the-super-structure-method), or if you're using the heroes journey, there are a few things you might consider.

Remember that you can pretty much decide what beats are best for your story, and you can choose how to execute those. Because this part of a story is still very open.

Here are two examples of story beats which can elevate your rising action:

Midpoint: The point in your story where your main character stops reacting to their situation and starts acting.
Breaking Point: At this point in the story, all hope seems lost.

For this exercise, there are 2 parts:
1. Look at some examples of rising action in your favorite media. What plot points resonate with you the most?
2. Now compare those plot points to your story. Can you mimic that beat structure? Why or why not? There are no right or wrong answers here, but it can be used as an exercise to start thinking about your story.

As always, good luck,
Anders