The Three-Act Structure: 3 Steps to a Powerful Story Structure

The three-act structure is perhaps the most common technique in the English-speaking world for
plotting stories — widely used by screenwriters and novelists. It digs deep into the popular notion that
a story must have a beginning, middle, and end, and goes even further, defining specific plot events
that must take place at each stage.

In this post, we dissect the three acts and each of their plot points — using three-act structure
examples from popular culture to illustrate each point.

Let’s begin! In three, two, one...

How to write a novel using the ever-popular three-act structure. #amwriting

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What is the three-act structure?

The traditional three-act structure includes the following parts:

Act I - Setup: Exposition, Inciting Incident, Plot Point One

Act II - Confrontation: Rising Action, Midpoint, Plot Point Two
Act III - Resolution: Pre Climax, Climax, Denouement

Within each Act is a number of different “beats” — a plot event. According to Aristotle, who first
analyzed storytelling through three parts, each act should be bridged by a beat that sends
the narrative in a different direction. In Poetics, he posits that stories must be a chain of cause-and-
effect beats: each scene must lead into what happens next and not be a standalone "episode."

Now that we know what the three-act structure is, let’s dive into how it works.

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How to use the three-act structure

It’s clear that a lot of writers agree that “good things come in threes” when it comes to storytelling. In
this section, we’ll dig deeper, breaking each act into three further “beats.” And just so we’re not
talking in purely abstract terms, we’ll be using The Wizard of Oz and The Hungers Games as
examples throughout (and we've also got a post with a more in-depth analysis of trilogy structures).

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Act One: The Setup
Despite being one of three sections in a plot, Act One typically lasts for the first quarter of the story.

Dorothy dreams of going somewhere else in Act One of The Wizard of Oz (image: Warner Bros.)

Exposition
Act One is all about setting the stage: readers should get an idea of who your protagonist is, what their
everyday life is like, and what’s important to them. Of course, nobody’s life is perfect, and the
exposition should give readers a sense of the current challenges facing the main character. Their
desire to overcome these challenges will inform their overarching character goal.

Plotting your exposition will require you to already have a fairly firm grasp on your character. Prepare
yourself with these resources:
 How to Develop Characters Your Readers Won’t Forget
8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character
How to Create a Character Profile: the Ultimate Guide (with Template)

Examples
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s home life in Kansas forms the bulk of the exposition. We see that her
family are hard-working farmers and that she has a dog she cares for called Toto. We learn that
Dorothy feels misunderstood and under-appreciated.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss is introduced as a responsible, determined teenager who hunts
illegally to feed her family, which suffers under the rule of the Capitol.

Inciting Incident
This is the catalyst that sets the protagonist’s adventure in motion. The inciting incident is a crucial
beat in the three-act story structure: without it, the story in question wouldn’t exist. The inciting
incident proposes a journey to the protagonist — one that could help them change their situation and
achieve their goal.

Author and editor Kristen Kieffer suggests asking yourself the following questions to help you craft
the inciting incident:

How is my protagonist dissatisfied with their life?

What would it take for my protagonist to find satisfaction? (This is their goal).
What are my protagonist’s biggest fears and character flaws?
How would the actions that my protagonist needs to take to find satisfaction force them to confront
their fears and/or flaws?

The catalyst is referred to as the “call to adventure,” and asks your protagonist to push themselves out
of their comfort zone. Does it make sense for your character to resist action after the inciting
incident? If so, you may want to dedicate a scene (or sequence of scenes) between the plot points — in
particular, Inciting Incident and Plot Point One — for your character to reflect on their motivations:
how will their life change? How will their journey affect the lives of those around them? What’s at
stake if they’re successful? What’s at stake if they fail? Depending on the character, and their core
fears and flaws, you may need to raise the stakes so that the character has no choice but to accept.

Examples
Dorothy runs away from home when she feels like her family doesn’t take her concern over Mrs.
Gulch’s dislike for Toto seriously. She encounters a Professor who encourages her to return home,
where a twister causes Dorothy to be struck in the head by a window. When she wakes up, she’s in
The Land of Oz.
Katniss’ beloved younger sister, Prim, is randomly chosen to participate in a televised fight to the
death.

PRO-TIP: Did you know that the three-act structure is just one of many story structures that
you can use? You can read more about the Hero's Journey and Dan Harmon's Story
Circle here — or head here to find three additional models.

Plot Point One

It’s full speed ahead now! No more hemming and hawing for your character: the First Plot Point
represents the protagonist’s decision to engage with whatever action the inciting incident has sent
their way.

In some novels, the Inciting Incident and Plot Point One happen in the same scene. For instance,
in The Hunger Games, Prim’s selection as a tribute is the catalyst. Immediately after, Katniss
volunteers herself in her sister’s place, representing her reluctant acceptance of the call to adventure.

Think of the First Plot Point as the springboard that launches your character into Act Two. Speaking
of which…

Examples
Frightened and confused, Dorothy wants to go home and is told by Glinda the Good Witch that the
only way is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City where The Wizard lives. Dorothy
decides to follow the Road, and it’s established the Wicked Witch will try to stop Dorothy on her
journey.

Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place in the Games — thus pulling her into the heart of the
story.

Do good things come in threes? In regards to plotting your story: yes. #amwriting #3actstructure
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Act Two: Confrontation

Typically the longest of all three sections: Act Two usually comprises the second and third quarters of
the story.
 Dorothy and friends travel down the Yellow Brick Road in Act Two of The Wizard of Oz (image: Warner Bros.)

Rising Action
Here’s the part where Dorothy waltzes down the Yellow Brick Road to meet Oz who sends her home
without a hitch, right?

Nope. This is the part where the protagonist’s journey — or the pursuit of their goal — begins to take
form and where they also first encounter roadblocks. The protagonist gets to know their new
surroundings and starts to understand the challenges that lay before them. This is the part of the
story where you should better acquaint readers with the rest of the cast (both friends and foes) and
the primary antagonist. You will also elaborate on the story’s overarching conflict (whether it’s a
person or a thing).

As the protagonist starts to learn more about the road ahead, they’ll change and adapt in order to
have a better chance of achieving their goal. In this way, the main character is usually more
reactionary than proactive in the Rising Action phase.
Examples
Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Lion. They travel down the Yellow Brick Road, where
they encounter obstacles such as apple-throwing trees and sleep-inducing poppies.

Katniss trains to survive the Games. After the Games start, she gathers supplies and runs for her life.
Thereupon, she faces many physical dangers before a fearsome group of Tributes discovers and
begins to hunt her.

Midpoint
It’s no big surprise that the Midpoint takes place at… drumroll, please… the middle of the story! A
significant event should take place here, usually involving something going horribly wrong.

Return to the protagonist’s main goal to establish what this Midpoint event should be. What would
have to happen for them to feel that their goal is being directly threatened? What could make the
character even more acutely aware of the stakes at hand?

Examples
Dorothy finally reaches the Emerald City and meets with The Wizard — who turns out to be a big
disappointment. He initially refuses to meet with them, and when he eventually does, he declines to
help them until they bring him the Wicked Witch’s broomstick.

Katniss — having been hunted and trapped by her fellow Tributes — has to take violent action to
escape their clutches. This is the event that convinces her to stop running and start fighting to win the
Games.

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Plot Point Two

Our poor protagonist has fallen on hard times. They thought they were making headway on their goal
and then the Midpoint came and threw them off their rhythm.
Give them some time to reflect on the story’s conflict here. The aftermath of the Midpoint crisis will
force the protagonist to pivot from being a “passenger” to a more proactive force to be reckoned with.
You might want to plan a sequence here in which the main character’s resolve is bolstered through
productive progress on their journey’s goal. Think of Plot Point Two as the pep talk your character
needs in order to stand up straight and get ready to meet their antagonist head on. They’ll need this
confidence to handle what comes next…

Examples
Dorothy must decide whether to take the risk of heading to the Wicked Witch’s castle or to give up on
her chance of going home. She and her companions decide to confront the witch.

Katniss works to destroy the Tribute’s supply cache and kills a Tribute in an effort to protect Rue. She
later tracks down Peeta, fights another Tribute for medicine that will heal his injured leg, and makes
sacrifices to keep them both alive.

How can the three-act structure help you nail the pacing of your novel? Find out here. #amwriting
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Act Three: Resolution

The final act typically takes up a quarter of the story — sometimes less.
 The Wicked Witch melts into a puddle in Act Three of The Wizard of Oz (image: Warner Bros.)

Pre-Climax
Even the strongest knight has weak spots in their armor: their deep-rooted fears and flaws. As the
protagonist has been gearing up to meet the antagonist head-on, their main foe has also been getting
stronger and is now ready for battle.

Also called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” Act Three starts with the final clash between the protagonist
and the antagonist. We’ve experienced the entire journey with the main character — but this is where
we get our first glimpse of the antagonist’s true strength, and it usually catches the main character off
guard. Even though most readers are aware that the protagonist typically wins the day, we should
have some doubt here about how the last act will play out, and if the main character will be okay.

Examples
While on the way to the Wicked Witch’s castle, Dorothy is captured. The Witch finds out that the ruby
slippers can’t be taken against Dorothy’s will while she’s alive, so she sets an hourglass and threatens
that Dorothy will die when it runs out.

Katniss realizes that the mutated hounds chasing her bear striking resemblances to deceased
Tributes, including those she killed, dredging up trauma Katniss had suppressed to survive.

Climax
The climax signifies the final moments of the story’s overarching conflict. Since the antagonist has
just hit the protagonist where it hurts in the previous beat, the protagonist has to lick their wounds.
Then they face-off one more time and the main character lays the conflict to rest.

The climax itself is normally contained to a single scene, while the pre-climax typically lasts longer
and might stretch over a sequence of events.

Examples
Dorothy throws a bucket of water on the Scarecrow who is on fire. She ends up accidentally dousing
the Witch who melts into a puddle. The guards hand the Witch’s broom to Dorothy.

Katniss saves Peeta from Cato, the final tribute whom she later kills as an act of mercy when he is
mauled by mutts. When the Gamemakers try to force Katniss and Peeta to fight to the death, they
move to commit suicide instead, maintaining their integrity despite the Capitol’s demands.

Denouement
Finally, the dust settles. If the protagonist’s goal is not immediately obtained during the Climax, the
denouement is where this should be achieved (or redefined, if their goal changed during Act Three).
Along with this, the denouement should also:

Fulfill any promises made to the reader. Check out our post on Chekhov’s Gun to learn more about
this,
Tie up significant loose ends,
Underscore the theme, and
Release the tension built up during the climactic sequences of events.