A Deep Dive into the Three Act Structure and why it is so Powerful

  • Post category:Lore

Act I

  • The world and characters are introduced.
  • Usually, the protagonist is seen in the light of “everyday life” before some trigger sends him or her off into the unexpected.
  • Having this grounding provides a key comparison in “there and back again” tales to who the protagonist has become at the end.
  • The First Act isn’t dull. There is turbulence in the protagonist’s life and/or in the world around him.

 

Transition to Act II

  • Act I concludes with a crisis, change, or decision point that forces the protagonist out of the normal.
  • This is what sets the protagonist on the path to the climax.
  • The stimulus may be external or internal. It may be a choice the protagonist makes or one that someone else makes that acts upon the protagonist.
  • Frequently, the “journey” has begun before the transition. What makes this moment critical is that it is a major decision point that changes the “landscape”.

 

Act II

  • General Notes
    • The Second Act is the core of the story and is usually the longest.
    • It sees action increasing both in frequency and intensity.
    • The protagonist (and perhaps other characters) begin to grow and change based on their experiences.
  • The Turning Point
    • Usually near the middle of the novel there is a significant Turning Point.
    • Typically, it involves a change of behavior on the part of the protagonist. This might be external (a change of strategy) or internal (a change of belief) or both.
    • The Turning Point provides a prime opportunity for significant character growth, escalation of tension, and deepening of stakes

 

Transition to Act III (The Pit of Despair)

  • At the end of Act II everything goes wrong. The protagonist’s goal suddenly appears completely out of reach.
  • It is the lowest point of the protagonist’s personal journey and often the character arc’s greatest test.
  • This is the greatest opportunity to “hit the audience in the feels”.
  • While the Pit can be any number of things, it almost always includes a psychological element where the protagonist decides to persist.
  • The depth of the Pit can vary heavily depending on the type of story and genre.

 

Act III

  • Out of the Pit
    • The Third Act usually begins with the protagonist climbing out of the Pit and preparing for the climactic moment of the story.
  • Climax
    • The climax is when the protagonist faces the ultimate test by taking on the primary conflict of the tale.
    • It is the point of highest tension.
    • This moment is usually not only a climax of plot but of character and theme as well.
    • Be careful: This is the moment where you either thrill your audience or tick them off.
  • Resolution
    • In the resolution, the main plot has been resolved and the tale winds to a close.
    • It is an opportunity for the protagonist (if he survives) to look back and assess his journey and who he has become.
    • If the protagonist didn’t survive, others can make that assessment.
    • During this stage, the last loose ends should be tied up.
    • It usually involves the protagonist transitioning back to “normal” life, though this may be a different “normal” than at the beginning of the story.

 

 

Proportionate Lengths of the Acts

  • Act I is typically about a quarter of the story, but it can vary widely with a general range of about 10-33%.
  • Act III follows the same pattern as Act I, though it can see more extreme variations. For example:
    • Climaxes may be short or long depending on story and genre. The more plot, character, and thematic threads there are to weave together in this final moment, the longer the climax is likely to be.
    • Resolutions can be particularly long when there are a lot of things to wrap up. Alternatively, there may be an extremely brief resolution when post-climax retrospectives are deemed unnecessary.
  • Act II in the middle comprises the remainder of the tale and can vary widely in length from perhaps about 33-80%.