How To Use The “Three-Act Structure” (+ FREEBIE)

If you are new to our page, then some introductions are in order: We are Blue Raven Club and we offer tips and tricks for new writers. So, if you are just new to the writing world, we are your perfect match. Stick around and we’ll make sure you don’t regret it.

If you are writing just for fun, then it’s okay to experiment, but if you are serious about writing, if this is your dream and want to be the next J.K. Rowling, then it’s important to keep it smart from the beginning.

That’s why in this post, we’ll explain:

1. Why structure is important
2. What is the Three-Act story structure
3. What are the advantages of using it
4. How to use each act for your advantage
5. And last, but not least, why I used a roller-coaster as the featured image of this post

So… let’s get into it.

Why Should I Be Worried About Structure in My Novel?

You need to think of your novel as a building. It needs structure, beams to help it stay up and glamorous. It also needs direction; for your story to feel complete and worth-reading, your protagonist needs to overcome certain obstacles that will make your book stand tall, strong, and juicy.

Without structure, your story will fall apart completely. Well, maybe not completely, but you’ll have better chances of achieving a well round-up final product. Besides, it’s one of the things literary agents will first look for when deciding if they will work with you or not.

There are a few types of structures out there. However, the “Three-Act Structure” is probably the one authors, playwrights, TV screenwriters, and… well, pretty much everyone who has a story to tell, use the most.

So much so, that once you learn the basics about this structure, you’ll start seeing it everywhere… and I mean EVERYWHERE!! and there’s no way back.

How Will My Novel Benefit from This Structure?

Some of the advantages of using this structure are:

• Proven Success: It has been used a thousand times before. It works = your novel will work, too.
• Clear Direction: It will give your writing a sense of direction.
• Easy Planning: It’s easier to organize and plan in advance.
• Reduced Writer’s Block: It reduces the chances of getting “blocked.”

Now, what is the “Three-Act Structure”? Well, the easy answer is: It is a structure used to write a story that has… three acts. Ta. Dam. Just kidding. But essentially, yes. You will divide your entire plot into three main parts or acts:

The Three-Act Structure – Act 1: The Setup

Hero in Ordinary World

Here, you will introduce your protagonist in their/its (let’s not exclude cyborgs, cute monsters, or talking dogs) ordinary world.

But what is the ordinary world? The ordinary world is whatever is ordinary for your protagonist, which is not necessarily, our ordinary reality. You’re going to show how the status quo works for them. To start, you can use a common problem that they have to face in their daily life, and that will give you the opportunity to show their personality, and also the way in which the hero interacts with their world. Their status quo should have them in a disadvantageous position, and it should be clear to the reader that the hero needs to get out of that.

Consider, for example, The Hunger Games or Mulan. In The Hunger Games, Katniss is presented in a post-apocalyptical world. She lives in a destroyed and poor district and needs to work hard to get food for her family. That’s what ordinary life looks like for her:

• She’s shown in a disadvantageous position
• She’s shown doing ordinary tasks (take into account, these ordinary tasks can be extraordinary for your reader, and actually, you want them to be).

Inciting Incident

In the case of Mulan, we take a deep dive into the strong Chinese traditions. The movie begins with her doing daily house chores; and she has to meet with the matchmaker to get ready to marry and bring honor to her family. Once a again, our hero:

• Has a disadvantageous position
• Does ordinary tasks: Meeting a matchmaker would be something completely rare in a modern western society, but for Mulan’s world, is something completely normal, ordinary.

After you give your readers a taste of what “normality” is like for your hero, something will disrupt (inciting incident) that apparent calm your protagonist lives in and they will be forced to make a decision that will push the protagonist into the adventure.

The main obstacles they need to tackle, both externally and internally need to be clear in this part. Ask yourself these questions:

• What external forces do they need to defeat? (antagonist)
• What do they need to change inside themselves to become a better person by the end of the book? (inner conflict)

Continuing with the previously mentioned examples, in the case of The Hunger Games, the inciting incident occurs when Katniss’s sister, Prim, is chosen as one of the tributes during the reaping. As for Mulan, this happens when her father receives his military conscription notice and he is not able to fight but decides to do it to protect the family’s honor. In both cases, we have an external force, forcing the hero to make a huge decision.

The first act is usually the first quarter of your novel and ends when the hero makes the decision of jumping into the adventure.

First Pinch Point

• Katniss decides to take her sister’s place in the Hunger Games
• Mulan decides to take his father’s place in the war

So, summing up:
Act 1 = Hero in ordinary world + Call of  adventure + Decision

The Three-Act Structure – Act 2: Development of Conflict

New World + Promise of the Premise

Your protagonist has jumped into the adventure: there’s no way back. They will get out of their comfort zone and explore the new world while trying to solve the main external conflict.

In this Act, there is generally a change of location, a new world, to which our hero will need to adapt. It can be a completely different world, like in the case of Harry Potter when he goes to the magical world, a different city, like the Capitol in The Hunger Games, or the army encampment in Mulan. You need to introduce your readers to this new world through the experiences of your hero. What is different now? How does your hero feel about this?

Here, it is important to get into the elements that make your book stand up, aka the promise of the premise, aka the good stuff. The beginning of the Hunger Games, Harry in the Wizarding world, Mulan preparing for battle while trying to hide her true identity… as I said before, the good stuff.

Your hero will have to face many challenges while meeting new people that may help them later.

Also, the Second Act is when your subplots and your supporting develop. You probably remember Rue from The Hunger Games, or the many sub-plots of The Lord of the Rings, well, all of them happened during the Second Act.

Act two generally corresponds to the middle 50 percent of your book. A lot of people think of it in two parts: A and B.

In part A, your protagonist will mostly react to the events while the action rises, until something really big happens (midpoint), turning their world upside down and pushing them to part B, where your protagonist will stop being a punching bag and start to take action.

Midpoint + Second Pinch Point

The midpoint will represent a new change in the previous status quo. It will explode both the external and the inner conflicts, and our hero will have a story-altering response. It should be one of the most exciting moments of your story, and should not be similar to anything that has happened before during your hero’s journey.

After this, your hero will have a low point and will have a revelation that will make them more determined to reach their goal. That would be the Second Pinch Point of your story. Again, Our protagonist needs to make a decision. This time, the decision will lead your protagonist to finally face the big problem and end things once and for all. In the case of Harry Potter, this happens when he finds out about the Philosopher’s Stone and sees Voldemort drinking blood from a unicorn in the dark woods, which makes him realize he will have to confront him at some point.

This Second Pinch Point should be placed around the 75% mark in your story for it to flow naturally. Placing it before that would only feel rushed and would make your story look poor in terms of development. If it comes too late, it will make your novel tedious.

Act 2 = New world + Promise of the Premise + Midpoint + Action

The Three-Act Structure – Act 3: The Resolution

Now it’s time to wrap things up. All the challenges from the Second Act take your protagonist to the big final challenge against the scary monster. But, to defeat that hypothetical monster, your hero needs to solve their inner conflict.

A big fight (or confrontation) will happen, for which you need to pull all your big guns and make sure your page ignites with the power of that big fight. But this fight will face the hero not only against the antagonist but also against themselves. This will be the climax of your story, and as such, should be as intense as possible.

Your protagonist needs to enter this fight at a clear disadvantage and have a moment where the obvious solution is losing. There’s nothing exciting in being successful against something that doesn’t look like a real challenge. The perfect example is Mulan, when Shang discovers she is actually a woman, she is left alone in the mountains. Mulan sees the Hun army is heading to the capital and she makes her way towards Shang to warn him about this. She is alone but manages to recruit new allies and defeats the Hun’s leader.

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it”

Moliere

The hero will sort things out (hopefully in a clever and surprising way). After this, everything will come to an end and you are going to leave your readers with a “final image” of the aftermath… Or, you can resort to the well-known: “x amount of time later.”

No loose ends should be left behind. So, be sure all the conflicts of your story are solved by this time.
Act 3= Everything is lost + Sorting things out (climax) + Final image

At the end of the novel, your reader should be left with the impression of having ridden a roller coaster. All the highs and lows in your story will make people connect with your characters and feel for your book.

Summing Up…

The Three-Act structure is definitely a very effective method. If you decide to use it, there are big chances of having a strong result.

Now, let’s sum up what we’ve learned today:

1. The “Three-Act Structure” is a method that we can find in thousands of different types of stories, with excellent results.
2. The First Act is a setup for your whole story and will introduce your hero in the ordinary world and the challenges he will need to face.
3. The Second Act is all about conflict and how your protagonist faces it. The Midpoint will change everything and your protagonist will need to recalibrate.
4. The Third Act is the Resolution of your story. Your protagonist will have a big fight and you’ll need to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s.

Now, I invite you to think of some of your favorite movies or books, notice a pattern?

This has only been an introduction to this structure. Each of its parts needs a different blog post to be completely covered. If you want to continue learning about it, make sure to check all the posts in this category… See you soon.

DOWNLOAD A FREE TEMPLATE TO OUTLINE THE THREE ACTS OF YOUR NOVEL!!!