When I was about sixteen years old, I almost drowned.
Our family was big on water sports ever since I was a little kid. And most of all, we loved surfing.
Still do.
But one day, while on vacation in Florida, I didn’t notice something that would’ve kept me from going in the water in the first place.
What was it?
Well, we’ll get back to that story in a minute…
For now, you’re wondering what a three-act structure is. I know I sure did until I researched the topic.
What I discovered was this:
- The three-act structure has been used in every best-selling novel ever.
- It’s actually an easy structure that makes story-crafting heckin’ easy.
- Novels that don’t use this structure deadline pretty dang quickly.
The term comes from the literal acts in a theatre production. There are three acts and each act is determined by the rise and fall of a literal curtain.
This phrase, also used by the writing community, is used in the same way. Except, in fiction, there’s no distinct rise and fall of a curtain signifying the end of an act. So, sadly it’s not obvious to us. But the curtain rises and falls nonetheless, invisibly parceling every story according to this structure.
Our job is to train ourselves to see this curtain, understand it, and apply this parceling in our own works of fiction.
Act One:
Act one Introduces your main characters and shares what their daily routine is like in an appealing way. It sets up what their world is like. It lets readers know what the world is suffering or lacking, especially if it will be addressed in the story.
This is where you introduce possibilities in your world. Is there magic in your world? Are there advanced sciences or technologies? Is there an oppressive super-government that has created a class divide? Do unicorns DJ raves? What is the day-to-day norm for this world?
If in act one you’ve created a modern world without even so much as suggesting the existence of magic, then when your protagonist is saved by a mermaid in act three, readers will distrust you as a writer.
They will feel angry, cheated, and roast marshmallows over the fire they start with your book.
So if your world has magic in it, provide readers with tangible evidence of it at the very outset. Don’t hide it.
While the inciting incident comes at the close of your first act, it’s really the beginning of your story. The inciting incident is when someone (typically your protagonist) or something challenges the status quo. Your character(s) leave the world they once knew behind and enter a new one.
Remember my story from before? You know, the one where I almost drowned when I was sixteen? So what was it that I missed before heading into the surf that day?
I missed the red “rip tide” warning flag staged at the other end of the beach. But I just wanted to hang ten and feel that salty water on my skin. I dove right in with my longboard like the carefree teen I was.
The thing about rip tides is, you don’t know you’re caught in one until it’s too late. Until you’re exhausted, until you’re suddenly a mile down from where you parked your umbrella. And that’s exactly what happened to me.
At the end of the hour, I realized that I couldn’t see my family anymore. In fact, I couldn’t see our umbrella, period. Worse still, I had been paddling nonstop and getting nowhere for about ten minutes.
Then something even worse happened. And it forced me to act fast.
What was it? Well, I’ll share the rest of that story shortly…
For now, let’s talk act two 😉
Act Two:
Act two is a direct response to the inciting incident at the end of act one. Everything from here on out is cause-and-effect. So whatever choice your character(s) made at the inciting incident starts the cause-and-effect in act two.
Act two is also an exploration of possibilities. Explore what’s possible for your character- his reactions, his expectations, his adventures, his friendships, his choices, his conflict- everything.
But act two is split into two parts, mainly because act 2 makes up 80% of your story.
At the fulcrum, or the halfway mark of your story comes the obstacle which derails the character’s goal.
It’s very much like the obstacle that threw me for a loop while on my surfboard. So what happened next that could’ve possibly been worse than the circumstance I was already in?
A giant wave tumbled me over, separating me from my board. I couldn’t touch the bottom, and already exhausted from paddling and getting nowhere, I began to panic. My head bobbed up and down as I wailed for help. Exhausted, muscles giving, and far from shore, I was sure this was it for me…
The surprise ending of that story soon, but let’s talk about what readers expect in part 2 of act two.
The second half of act two is another series of cause-and-effect, but this time it’s all about how your character(s) respond to the derailment introduced at the fulcrum.
It seems like all is lost at this point. It seems like your character will never reach his goal now. Yet, it may also be the moment your character realizes his goal is narrow, or keeping another character from reaching his or her own goal. So it’s also the time the character shifts goals to be more widely encompassing, or rethinks the way he achieves his original goal.
This is a pivotal point when your character starts to grow up big time. So how does this obstacle help him grow or change his perspective on life?
How will this situation turn him into the person he is supposed to be?
Act Three:
This is the beginning of the end of your story. Your character makes a discovery that leads him to the ultimate solution. A chain of events is released in fiery spurts that lead to the climax.
The opposing force strikes back even harder than before, challenging the character’s growth and determination to reach his goal. This is when your character finally reacts as a new person, as someone he was meant to become.
The third act ends with change that was promised at the outset of the novel- the world will be different, the character will be a new person, etc.
(You introduce a promise in the first chapter of your story. Not sure what that is or what else your first chapter needs? Read this article here)
Following the climax is what is called a “denouement”. A popular denouement we all know is “They lived happily ever after”. It’s basically a scene or two letting your reader know what your world is like and your character(s) after the journey. It also reiterates your message and the subtle lesson readers can take away from your story.
So what happened in the third act of my story?
As my head bobbed under water I heard a yell. Using all my strength, I throttled myself back toward my surfboard, grappling on for dear life. My muscles, tense, couldn’t hang on. But two strong arms secured me on my board, despite the tossing waves. As I was placed back on my board, coughing and sputtering, I saw my hero. My parents had raced to the shoreline and my father dove in and dragged me back to shore.
I had long been taught the dangers of rip tides. That day, experience was my harshest teacher, but my father was my biggest hero. And although we still love surfing as a family, I’ll never make that mistake again.
The power of the three-act structure is palpable. Use this structure to help build a strong outline for your story and you will have a best-selling novel on your hands!
Get your own FREE COPY RIGHT NOW of the three-act structure outline taken straight from the Fundamentals of Fandom-Worthy Fiction Course just by subscribing to the Course newsletter!
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