If You Think It, You Can Write It: Part 2
A Primer on How To Write Your First Novel: The Three Act Structure
Hi there lovely readers,
I hope you and yours are well. A very warm welcome to new readers and a genuine thank you to those of you who have been with me for longer. I am grateful to you all for giving me your time and support by reading my newsletter.
I hope life is giving you a few good surprises — don’t we all deserve a few along the way? I had a surprise myself two weeks ago, when my appendix dropped. “Oh,” the consultant said with an amused smile, “I’ve never seen one of those before.” In a no-time-to-digest-what-was-happening moment, I was whipped into hospital, the disobedient organ removed and sent home just in time to get this blog post out.
This month’s post introduces what is understood to be the skeleton or bones of story structure. The Three Act Structure, (aka The Dramatic Arc) is a template of when, where and how to organize the building blocks we use to create a work of fiction.
We’ve all listened to, watched and read stories since we were old enough to make sense of the sounds people around us were making. So, while this information isn’t new, an analytical understanding of how fiction stories are structured enables us to use it to craft our own books.
Everything that we’re aware of has a beginning, a middle and an end. All that that exists, including our own lives, the planet Earth, the solar system, in fact, the entire universe has a beginning, a middle and an end. If you think about ancient myths and legends, folk tales and fables, Greek and Shakespearean plays, right up to the modern novel, we see the same format. We call this arrangement the dramatic arc and refer to in fiction, theatre and film writing as the three act structure.
THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE (AKA THE DRAMATIC ARC)
beginning (introduces setting, character & conflict)
middle (escalation of conflict leading to climax)
end (conflict resolution)
Let’s face it, this not only sounds simple but downright obvious, so why bother to discuss it? Well, although this arrangement was originally described by Aristotle in his Poetics and expanded by Gustav Freyag to analyze plays it is, even today, the perfect framework on which to hang the protagonist’s journey. If our homes have a sturdy foundation, structural stability, and a strong roof, we are secure, but we don’t see these things when we’re sitting in our living rooms.
Freytag’s Pyramid is an expansion from three acts into five:
introduction/exposition (introduces setting, character)
rising action (introduces conflict, followed by escalation of conflict)
climax (ultimate conflict)
falling action (events/reactions after the climax)
denouement/conclusion (wraps the story up and life continues)
Writers follow the 3/5 act structure because it works and, despite our best intentions, without it, our creative streak may lead us into uncharted waters where we’re liable to sink and drown.
In the constructed worlds of fiction, struggle and confrontation create tension which grips readers, leaving them eager to know what happens next. If our most exciting incident takes place in the first few pages and the rest of the novel is a drawn-out downhill cruise, there’s an excellent chance people will end up comatose instead of enthralled or put the book down and never touch it again.
The drama can be internal or external (more about this later), large or small, but each chapter should increase the forward action, like the pressure of tightening a screw, leading readers onward.
IMHO John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a perfect example of how this system works.
The book opens with Lennie and George arriving at a new farm for work with a brief reference to why they were on the move; during the middle section they settle down and make friends, have minor clashes and moments of joy along the way. The climax comes when Lenny’s friendship with the wife of the ranch owner’s son culminates in disaster; and a final tragic end (which just happens to neatly circle back, storywise, linking the ending to the beginning).
An important point to note is that these divisions are not of equal length. The introduction is a shorter section, allowing the suspense to build over the course of the narrative to a climatic event, before tailing off in a final shorter section to the conclusion. The brilliant Kurt Vonnegut has a lot of fun creating a visual of the narrative arc in this short talk on YouTube.
We also come across novels where the action is dealt with differently due to the influence of Modernism. For example, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway is a less plot driven tale and the action, focusing on one day in Mrs. Dalloway’s life, is more subtle and internal. This shows that dramatic arcs need not pivot around grand sweeping actions. Events may appear minor, yet have an effect on characters that can cause significant changes.
The dramatic arc is a tool that writers learn how to use. Study how your favorite authors employ it and if we make it our friend, our novel will have the impact we want.
HOMEWORK
EXERCISE 1
Draw a diagram or write notes — whatever method works for you — and sketch out the dramatic arc of your novel in as much detail as you can, checking that it corresponds to the analysis above. A visual representation highlights weak areas in the plot, so you can figure out where improvements will lift the story. I juggle ideas around in my head for a while, then write notes.
Bear in mind the following caveat (which I’ll often say): there is no right or wrong about how you plan and write your story, there is only what works for you. Take the advice you find helpful and leave the rest aside.
REFERENCES AND LINKS TO EXPLORE:
A quick read of the following article will give an overview of the advent of Modernism and how it affected the novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_modernism
https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/literary-devices/plan-novel-using-three-act-structure/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-the-elements-of-a-narrative-arc-and-how-do-you-create-one-in-writing#how-to-create-a-narrative-arc-in-4-easy-steps
Until next time, keep reading and keep writing!
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Stay safe and well. See you soon
Best wishes,
Teagan.