Back in April Chris Eboch did a guest post about “Suspense
Versus Surprise.” This Sunday morning she is back and offering her thoughts
on the “Three Act Structure for Novelists.”
Three
Act Structure for Novelists
by Chris Eboch
To celebrate
the release of my new book, You
Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles,
and Books for Kids and Teenagers,
I’m sharing an excerpt from a chapter on Three Act Structure.
There’s no
magic formula for writing a fabulous book. But there are formulas that offer guidelines for constructing a satisfying
plot. Scriptwriters have long used the three act structure handed down from
theater, with additional “turning points” as guidelines for when high and low
moments and surprises should hit. Various resources identify and name turning
points differently, but here’s a basic list of the most important ones:
- Act 1 (the first 25%): Introduction of the character
and situation.
- The Inciting Incident/Catalyst (in the opening pages):
Something that introduces a problem or goal for the main character.
- Plot Point One/Act 1 Break (about 25% of the way in):
The point of no return, when the character embarks on the journey
(physical, mental, or emotional).
- Act 2 (the middle, from the 25% point to the 75%
mark): The character tries to solve the problem but faces escalating
obstacles and rising stakes.
- Midpoint (in the middle of Act 2, at about the 50%
mark): A moment of seeming success, but it may twist the story in a new
direction or raise the stakes.
- Plot Point Two/Act 2 Break (at the 75% mark): The
moment when failure seems inevitable.
- Act 3 (the final 25%): Wrapping up the story. Things
may continue going downhill, and/or the hero(es) may develop a new plan,
leading to the ...
- Climax/Resolution: The big final scene where the
character ultimately succeeds or fails.
My brother Doug
Eboch, writer of the movie Sweet Home
Alabama and a scriptwriting teacher, says, “These ideas date back to
Aristotle; they’re not some new Hollywood formula. Three Act Structure is
really just a way to talk about literary concepts. So, for example, the first
act is the section where we set up the character, their dilemma and the stakes;
the second act is where the character faces increasing obstacles to that
dilemma; and the third act is where we get the resolution.”
Following this
format doesn’t mean the result will be perfect, but, “If you understand the
concepts, they can help identify and solve problems in your story, or even
prevent problems from occurring in the first place,” Doug says. “Think about
acts and turning points as a way to organize your story and make sure you stay
on track.”
Many authors
find three act structure helpful when writing books, although they may not focus
on structure at the beginning of a new project. Some wait until the revision
stage and use three act structure to make sure they have a solid, well-paced
plot. Personally, I like to thoroughly brainstorm and outline before starting a
novel. Matching scenes on the outline to traditional turning points is a way to
identify weak spots or to discover when important plot points are happening too
late in the story. This allows me to add complications or shift scenes around
before I start writing.
Tools, Not Rules
Whether you
start with plot structure or consider it only after a couple of drafts,
checking your work for turning points can help ensure the story feels
well-plotted and satisfying. But that doesn’t mean you have to force a story to
fit the “rules” precisely.
“It’s more
important to understand the concepts behind the structure than to take a
fill-in-the-blank type of approach,” Doug says. “Sometimes people focus on the
idea that the act one turning point should happen on page 28 [in a screenplay,
which is typically 110 pages]. But the reason we bother identifying an act one
turning point at all is that it’s the place where the hero takes on the problem
and gets locked into the story. Without that, there’s no tension because the
hero could just walk away at any time. It’s far more important that the act one
turning point fulfill those requirements than that it fall on a certain page.
As a
scriptwriting teacher, Doug has many chances to see what works and what
doesn’t. “Many beginning writers get into their story too late. Often, they
don’t introduce the problem until the act one turning point and don’t trap
their character in the story until the midpoint. Again, this comes from not
understanding the purpose of the beats.” Those students are satisfied to find a
big event at the appropriate place – even if it’s not the right kind of event.
It’s not enough
to have something happen, just
because you need a turning point. “Many beginning writers have major events
happen at the turning points that are unrelated to each other or even the main
character,” Doug notes. “[Turning points] are not simply twists for the sake of
having a twist; they serve a bigger structural purpose. All the turning points
should be related to your main character and main story line and to each other.
And each should be the result of the main character’s actions and choices. So
even if the second act turning point involves the villain getting the best of the
hero, the villain should be taking that action in response to what the hero’s
done before. The turning points should grow out of what the character wants in
the story and what obstacles stand in the way of that goal, including internal
obstacles.”
This article
was adapted from a chapter in my new book You Can Write for Children:
How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers. Check out the book for more advice,
much of which works for authors writing for an adult audience as well!
Chris Eboch/Kris Bock ©2015
Posts
