The Secrets of Story Structure: The Third Act

The third act is the moment we've all been waiting for - readers, writers, and characters alike. This final section of the story is the crux . It's what we've been building all this time. If the first and second acts were engaging and aesthetic mazes, the third act is where the X marks the spot on the map. We have found the treasure. Now it's time to start digging.

Like all the other acts, the third act opens with a bang, but unlike the other acts it never lets up. From 75% onwards, both characters and readers are in for a wild ride. All the threads we have woven up to this point must now be artfully tied together. The main character must finally face (and presumably overcome) the opposing force by first learning and then overcoming his own internal conflict . By the end of the third act, all the important questions must be resolved, the conflict resolved one way or another, and the reader must walk away with a feeling of satisfaction.

Since the third act consists of several important and intricate parts, I will divide it into three sections, which we will cover in three posts. Today we look at the third act as a whole and, specifically, the plot point that marks its beginning.

What is the third act?

The third act is a place without escape for the protagonist. He was cornered. He has no options left but to face the opposing force. All his reactions and actions in the previous acts have led him to the point where he has to face his every last weakness and mistake. If he wants to triumph, he must let himself be broken by them and then rise from his ashes with new wisdom and strength. This is do-or-die territory. When she makes her latest bid to achieve her goal in the story and satisfy her deepest inner need (which may or may not be the same, and, indeed, may even be antithetical), she's putting all her cards on the table. . If he doesn't win now, he never will. This, of course, means that the stakes need to be pushed to breaking point. The third act is about raising the stakes. It's an all-in.

The third act will begin with another plot point that will change the protagonist's life. This plot point, more than any that preceded it, will set him on the path that will lead him to the final conflict in the climax. From here on, your clinking dominoes form a straight line as your protagonist rushes towards his inevitable showdown with the opposing force. The third act, as a whole, is full of big and important scenes, so in comparison its initial plot point is often less defined than the plot points that marked the first and second acts. However, his drive must be absolutely unshakeable.

In Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins , the third act is launched when Ra's Al Ghul announces his intentions to destroy Gotham, then burns down Bruce Wayne's mansion and thinks he's dead. In Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games , the opening plot point of the third act is the announcement that, for the first time in history, two contestants can win if they both come from the same district, prompting Katniss to find Peeta. In Charles Portis' True Grit , the third act revolves around Mattie's discovery of the murderer Tom Chaney and his subsequent capture by Ned Pepper's band of outlaws.

Where does the third act fit?

The third act takes up the last third of the book, starting at or just before 75% and continuing to the end. This is a relatively small part of the book, particularly when you think of everything that needs to be accomplished in it. One reason the third act quickens the pace from the previous acts is the sheer need to cram in everything that needs to be addressed before the book runs out of time and space.

All characters (and other important game pieces) need to be assembled. Subplots must be tied together satisfactorily. The premise must be satisfied. Both hero and villain (if there is one) must be given time to implement the final aspects of their plans. The hero must face his inner demons and thus complete his character arc , most likely concurrent with the final decisive conflict between the hero and the opposing force. And then everything must end in a satisfying epilogue. There's so much to accomplish in just 25% of the book, so there's no time to waste. In the third act, we can see one of the main advantages of the structure: for the story to work, all the pieces of the first and second acts must be correctly placed to lay the necessary foundation for the finale.

Some examples from cinema and literature

The third act is where the masters rise above the mediocre, and nowhere can we see this more clearly than in the stories that wowed us with their endings. Our four books and films, chosen as examples, certainly qualify.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)

The third act opens with the dramatic discovery of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham. As with the previous main plot points at 25% and 50%, this is a game changer. The Bennets' lives will never be the same, not only personally with the loss and concern for their youngest member, but also publicly as Lydia's outrageous behavior will almost certainly ruin the other sisters' ability to marry well. More importantly for Lizzy, as she fears that Darcy's abrupt behavior towards her upon hearing the news is an indication that she has lost, once and for all, any chance she had of winning back her love. As a woman in early 19th century England, Lizzy is unable to take direct action to correct the situation herself. But he does what he can immediately leaving Lambton with his uncles, returning home to his stricken family.

It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1947)

The second act concludes with Uncle Billy losing $8,000 and George's frantic attempts to recover it. In most stories this plot point would already be more than dramatic enough to open the third act. But in this classic film, the third act opens with an even more forceful turn of events: the appearance of the angel Clarence, foreshadowed in the opening, and his fulfillment of George's wish "never to be born." The third act consists almost entirely of Clarence's action and George's reactions. The antagonist isn't even present in the unborn sequence that fills most of the third act (although his presence looms large). The focus here is entirely on George's inner journey and transformation.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1977)

When Ender is forced into lethal confrontation with Bonzo, he is also forced to the breaking point. The time has come for Ender to leave the Battle School and step up to command the Dragon Army in a bigger arena. But after Bonzo's death, the Commanders realize they are about to lose the boy they have devoted so much time and effort to training to save the world from Formic aliens. Ender is thus granted permission to return to Earth to visit his beloved sister Valentine. While there, she must make a decision that will change not only the fate of the world, but her own life as well. From the moment he decides to move forward, return to space and get his promotion, events are projected into the irrevocable spiral that will lead to a climax.

Master and Commander directed by Peter Weir (2004)

When a convalescent Stephen, set free for his long-awaited and delayed Galapagos expedition, accidentally discovers the Acheron at anchor on the far side of the island, the third act sets off in a flurry of preparations. Jack formulates his plan to lure the enemy privateer close enough for the kill, and his crew scrambles to get everything ready for the battle we all knew was coming from the very first scene.

What do we take away from these examples?

As always, our best lessons are the ones we learn from executing great stories. So what do we take with us from the stories we have chosen? How do they set up and implement the long to-do list in the third act?

1. The third act starts around 75%, although this timing is more flexible than it was with the previous acts. Sometimes the third act can start as early as 70%, though it rarely starts after 75%.

2. An important plot point marks the end of the second act and the beginning of the third. This can be a total upheaval of the advantages the character thought they had gained in the second half of the second act (as in Pride and Prejudice ), an unexpected event (as in It's a Wonderful Life ), a personal decision (as in Ender ) or a direct encounter between protagonist and antagonist (as in Master and Commander ).

3. From that initial plot point onwards, the third act picks up speed and there's not much chance it will slow down.

4. However, the third act needs to be detailed enough in its early moments to allow for all the pieces to be fully tied together and set aside (like, say, Ender's relationship with his sister) or assembled for showdown (as in Master and Commander ).

The third act is where stories are made or ruined. Everything that came before matters, but this is where the author's mettle is tested. If we can deliver a solid third act, we have accomplished what thousands of novelists before us have failed to do. This is where writers become authors!