When I first began writing, I assumed the three acts of a Three Act Structure were Beginning, Middle and End. Embarrasing, but I’m finding it’s a common misconception. Yes, even a pointless and completely unstructured story can be said to have a beginning, middle and end, but that’s not what the Three Act Structure refers to.
It’s hard to imagine marching into writing without knowing this, but people do. I thought I’d set the actual structure down here for those interested:
ACT I – Setup. About the first fourth of your story in length, the first act introduces the characters, the premise, the dramatic situation, and the conflict. About halfway through the act, there is an incident which sets into motion the events of the story. Act I usually ends with a plot point, or reversal, where the protagonist takes on the problem.ACT II – Confrontation. The second act is the bulk of the story. The protagonist encounters obstacles to his goal. At around the midpoint, everything falls apart, and the protagonist is farther than ever from reaching his goal. At the end of this act is another reversal, pushing the plot in another direction and driving the narrative into the third act.
ACT III – Resolution. In the third act, the narrative reaches its highest level of tension as the forces in opposition finally meet. The climax takes the conflict to the peak of physical or emotional action, and then resolves. The climax is followed by the denouement, a period of relative calm where a state of equilibrium returns, such as it may be.
All of that is in the strictest, most generic terms. It’s a good structure for your narrative, but don’t be afraid to experiment with it.
Some people are taking great liberties with the form. See Jane Espenson’s blog for a discussion on 4-act, 5-act, and even 6-act structures that take advantage of ad breaks on TV shows.
