Czy struktura pomaga w pisaniu powieści? Dowiedz się, czym jest „3 Act Story Structure” w tym wpisie!
Prezentację stworzyłam na podstawie filmów Abbie Emmons – Autorki, która na swoim kanale YouTube dzieli się poradami na temat pisania książek. Naprawdę polecam ten kanał!
Projekt ten przygotowałam na egzamin ustny z angielskiego w drugiej klasie liceum.
Miłego czytania!
Welcome to my presentation about the 3 Act Story Structure.
Let’s get into it!
What topics will I cover in this presentation?
First, I will explain why I chose this topic. Then I will talk about what exactly the 3 Act Story Structure is and if using a structure when writing a book is a good idea. Next, I will go through the way the 3 Act Structure is built and I will sum it up at the end.
Why did I choose this topic?
Well, mainly because I think it’s really interesting! Besides, me and my sisters always liked coming up with book ideas, characters, different worlds or magic systems. We always wanted to write a book, but somehow it never worked out. Then, we found Abbie Emmons – an Author who makes videos on YouTube, teaching how to write stories.
The 3 Act Story Structure helped us a lot when we were coming up with our book idea, and when writing an outline. I’d like to share what I learned from watching Abbie Emmons’s videos.
“I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.” – Abbie Emmons
What is the 3 Act Story Structure?
If I were to sum it up, I’d say it’s a way you can develop your story in a cohesive and structured way. It’s a good base that a lot of writers use, because of it’s simplicity and the way it creates a good flow of the plot.
I think that the easiest way to describe it is as follows:
Act 1 – The Setup, Act 2 – The Confrontation, Act 3 – The Resolution
Is it good to use a stucture when writing a book?
OK, so I can’t really give an answer that’s gonna be good for everybody. Some writers like planning ahead, and using specific structures, but there are also some discovery-writers, that find out how the story will look like while writing.
I can’t answer for everyone, so I will just speak from my own experience.
When I was trying to write without any structures, I barely wrote at all. There were only a few scenes that I knew would be in the book, but I had no idea how to fill the spaces in between. It was hard for me to create a cohesive story without any structures.
Whereas now, when I’m writing with a specific structure (the 3 Act Story Structure) it’s a completly different thing! I’m always excited to write, because I know that every scene is there for a reason!
Someone might be worried that writing with a specific structure is really restricting and that you have to always stick to all the rules. But that’s not the case! Using the 3 Act Story Structure is supposed to be freeing, not restricting. It should help you! And remember: If you understand why the 3 Act Story Structure is built as it’s built, you can always bend this structure as you wish, while still keeping your story cohesive!
So for me – I like writing with a specific structure more than without any structures!
How the 3 Act Story Structure is built?
It has (of course) three acts. In every act, there are a few story beats, that create each act.
I will try to explain every story beat as quickly as I can, as we don’t have a whole day, but I highly reccomend watching Abbie Emmons’ videos! She has a whole playlist dedicated to the 3 Act Story Structure, in which she covers almost every one of these story beats with an entire video!
OK, first up, we have the Act 1.
- The Hook – Show your protagonist’s internal conflict
In the hook, you have to grab your readers attention! This is where you show your reader the protagonist’s internal conflict. (Internal conflict – desire vs fear)
- Set-Up – Life before the inciting incident
Usually it’s where we settle the protagonist’s comfort zone, and show life before the inciting incident.
- Inciting Incident – Protagonist is pushed outside their comfort zone
This is the event that really sets your story in motion! It doesn’t have to be some big, epic, crazy call-to-adventure. It just has to be something that pushes your protagonist outside their comfort zone.
- Build-Up – Facing the consequences of Inciting Incident, impossible choice: leaving the comfort zone and getting the thing they always wanted VS stepping back and living with the pain of never getting the thing
Your protagonist has to make an impossible choice, that the Inciting Incident has forced.
- 1st Plot Point – the character makes the impossible choice, while still trying to avoid their fear. They make the impossible choice based on their misbelief
The protagonist makes a decision which determines what happens next. They choose the least painfull option – they will have to leave their comfort zone and risk some danger, but ultimetly get the thing they always wanted.
- 1st Pinch Point – Danger lurks in the distance
This story beat is sometimes found in the Act 1, and sometimes in the Act 2. It’s where you show something that is ultimately going to come back and haunt the protagonist later.
- Pre-midpoint reactionary hero – MC (i.e. the main character) has made an impossible choice and now they have a plan. A stupid one that’s not going to work because it’s based on their misbelief. They believe that it’s their best idea yet. Avoiding fear AND getting what they wanted.
Abbie Emmons has a video on her channel, in which she explains how to come up with your protagonist’s misbelief. I really recommend it! 🙂
- Midpoint – PLOT TWIST! Everything DOES go wrong. Plot twist messes with the MC’s plan and changes their goal. It doesn’t have to be SUPER big but it has to change the game for the MC. Another impossible choice.
A great plot twist is more than just a radical change in the expected direction of the plot. It changes the game for your characters, and impacts the protagonist’s goal.
- Post-midpoint action hero – New plan. Another impossible choice that MC makes based on their misbelief and fear that will ultimately lead them to their doom.
How the protagonist is going to handle the plot twist? It’s sort of like another Inciting Incident.
- 2nd Pinch Point – Doom is coming closer and closer
It’s like the 1st Pinch point, but this time the oposition/antagonistic force is coming closer and closer.
- Supposed victory – the character almost got the thing they always wanted without confronting their fear (it’s a bonus part of the story, it doesn’t have to be in it)
Protagonist feels confident they will be victorious.
- Disaster – MC’s misbelief destroys them. Disaster could be something external, but it has to be rooted in what the MC fears. They’re to blame.
The Disaster is rooted in the protagonist’s greatest fear and misbelief. Every decision they have made has led them to this moment, wich means they are to blame for their own ruin.
- Dark moment – Protagonist is hopeless
As the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn.
- Aha moment – The biggest pivotal moment. The MC can suddenly see how their fear and misbelief has led them to make the wrong decisions. They see that they’ll have to overcome their fear/misbelief to make the right decisions.
Renewed hope. After your protagonist has been brought to their knees by the Disaster, they have a revelation – the Aha moment.
- Climactic Confrontation – MC faces their biggest challange yet. MC already won the internal conflict, but now it’s time for the external one.
How the protagonist responds to the Climactic Confrontation is the proof that they have transformed as a result of their journey.
- Resolution/end – This is the last part of the story, that ends the whole book.
The protagonist overcame their fear and destroyed their misbelief.
Let’s sum it up!
Thank you for reading my presentation!
Mam nadzieję, że moja prezentacja Ci się spodobała! 🙂
Jeszcze raz zostawiam link do kanału Abbie Emmons – Naprawdę dużo można się tam nauczyć!
Miłego dnia! 🙂
Zobacz także:
