Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [3-act-structure]

This tag should be used for questions about the "Three acts" structure commonly used in fiction that consists of the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution. Questions with this tag should deal with common ways of implementing the structure in their own writing and for example planning how to realize this structure.

This tag should be used for questions about the "Three acts" commonly used in fiction that consists of the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution. Questions with this tag should deal with common ways of implementing the structure in their own writing and for example planning how to realize this structure.

You should mention which parts of the structure are difficult for you to implement in your own writing and what you have already tried. Furthermore you should mention which part of the three different acts you are interested in as each one has different requirements. Your genre, such as or might also be relevant as well as your intended target .

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Act 3 totally broken...keep writing?

I'm ready to enter the final act, Act 3, of my (first big) story and by now I'm pretty sure I'll have to rewrite 50-70% in ACT 1 and 2. I outlined the whole story but it is clear that my main hero is boring, his motivations (and story arc) change…
Tim Dams
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Is it time to start closing up my novel?

I realize this may be a duplicate question. I've seen, for reference [ How long can a first novel be? ] yet I think my situation is a little more specific. I find myself in a similar situation. My novel is a science fiction about the coming-of-age…
Liquid
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My readers are losing interest halfway through. What is a list of possible remedies?

I see a pattern among my readers, specifically where they tend to stop reading - it is about 2/3 through the story, during "Act 2." A few readers push through to the end and say they are glad they did. One wanted the end longer (which may be saying…
SFWriter
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Magic is the twist

It feels silly to say, but I've got myself into a bit of a bind of a side project. In a three-act structure (not what everyone uses, but a good reference point) you generally need to set up all expectations and major setting truths in the first…
Weckar E.
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Do Novels follow a 3 Act/2 Plot Point structure like most Movie Scripts?

Many Movie scripts use a Structure where there are 3 Acts (Setup, Climax, Resolution) with 2 Plot Points (end of Act 1 and end of Act 2) (Three Act Structure) I wonder if there are standards for organizing Novels? Most (Fantasy or Sci Fi) Novels…
Michael Stum
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Skipping the first act?

In traditional story structure theory, the ACT 1 is made to set up the world and host the inciting incident, the ACT 2 is made for the main quest and sequence of obstacles, and ACT 3 is made for the resolution. Is it possible to completely skip ACT…
FraEnrico
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Abandoning the Ordinary World

As I understand it, when considering the Three-Act Structure, the first half of Act One prior to the Inciting Incident is used to show the reader the 'Ordinary World'. In the story I am working on, I spend that first half of Act One to develop…
Arkenstein XII
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Respecting classic dramatic structure in a documentary

I'm planning on shooting a documentary on a potentially important shift in a friend's life. In an attempt to educate myself a little bit before shooting the events, I'm reading about the classic structure in three acts, with act one depicting a…
Lucien S.
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Is starting In Media Res compatible with a Three-Act Structure?

I have a story in mind which I am confident will fit a three-act structure very well. However, I am uncertain about the exposition that I have been writing, as it feels a bit stifled, almost as though the character is in a holding pattern waiting…
Arkenstein XII
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Turning away from the 3-act structure - what guides my pacing now?

Not all stories follow a 3-act structure. As an example, Les Misérables is rather episodic in its nature: first there's the story of Bishop Myriel and how he meets Jean Valjean, then there's Fantine's story, then Cosette's, then we have Marius who…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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From reactive to proactive; When should the protagonist change tack?

In my exploration of story structure, I have encountered some conflicting advice. In some instances, it has been suggested that the midpoint of a story represents the moment that the protagonist shifts from being a reactive character, simply…
Arkenstein XII
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Introducing a character in the third act?

I'm well into the third act of my novel and I'm introducing a new character that will play a part in the ending and an even bigger part in the roughly sketched sequel I have in mind. Now, I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that you shouldn't…
Liquid
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Confused about motive and goal of protagonist

I'm outlining a story and am all confused about motive and goal of my protagonist. She has been brought up to believe that she is weak and easily controlled. She yearns to teach her children to be strong (like she wishes she was) but has gotten…
nuggethead
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The three acts and their relative length

Let's take for granted that the 3 acts structure is relevant and exists. This, of course, is an assumption. How the three acts relate with the length of the novel? In a standard book - let's say 50k words, by rule of thumb the first act should be…
Liquid
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What is the meaning of the dictum that the third act should contain the greatest crisis?

I am working on a screenplay in which the protagonist has to surmount a crisis in each of the three acts. That is, a physical crisis in Act I, a social crisis in Act II, and a psychological crisis in Act III. Or, in storytelling language, Woman…
Tom Au
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