Plot: The Three Act Structure

When we talk about the three act structure, the first act is a beginning, the second one is a middle, and the third one is an end. Not all stories need to follow this rigid structure. Depending on the content of the story and the medium, it is sometimes best to do the unexpected. However, if you’re beginning to write a story and trying to figure out how it will play out, a three act structure is a good blueprint to follow. You can always change things later on and reverse expectations, I am just giving you suggested instructions for an early draft of your story. 

Act One: Beginning- This is where we have not yet left home and you have time to explain everything we need to know about the premise, setting, and characters so that you don't have to interrupt the action later on. Before anything happens, tell us who most of your main characters are, give us a little backstory, and have them explain their motivation that will drive the story. If the story will involve a character losing a precious heirloom, here’s where to tell us about that heirloom. If there are any subplots, this is the time to begin those. This is also the time to explain the events leading up to the first major plot point. At the very end of act one, the plot point that begins the story occurs. If the story is about finding a lost dog, the end of act one is when the dog gets lost. It is the plot point that entire the rest of the story revolves around resolving. 

Act Two: Middle- It is less clear what should happen in this act. Whatever needs to happen that isn't being saved for the end, use it here. Introduce any characters and subplots you couldn't fit into act one. Build up anticipation for act three. Make each plot point progressively more exciting and complex. Like act one, act two should be a series of events that lead to a major turning point that changes something about the characters, the setting, or the plot. Reveal a big secret or destroy a place, something that changes things and makes the reader have to find out how it ends. 

Act Three: End- This is the act that finishes the story. It should begin with the most exciting part, the climax. Sometimes it’s a big battle, sometimes it’s another challenge. It all depends on the story. The climax is the final confrontation in which everything else in the story depends on the outcome. After the climax resolves the main plot, resolve any other loose ends and subplots left over. This is only act that should not end with a major change. Rather than ending with the reader wanting to know what happens next, end with a sense that everything is finished and there is nothing more to tell. End on a satisfying note.