How to plan a novel with the three-act structure

Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, it’s always a good idea to have a sense of the world you’re stepping into when you begin a novel. The three-act structure is one of the oldest and most beloved story structures for novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters alike. And that’s because it works.

To plan out your story using the three-act structure, take a piece of paper and write a few lines about each of the plot points we’ll look at below. It’s okay if you don’t know what you’re going to do for every single one; some you may discover later in the writing process. But going through each plot point will get you thinking about how your story idea fits into this classic narrative framework.

The great thing about the three-act structure is it gives you a sturdy, reliable skeleton to hang your story on without suffocating your artistic vision. You can plan a story around this structure and still leave lots of room for discovery as you go. Let’s dive in.

Act I

Act One of the three-act structure takes up between 25 and 30 percent of the total story. Its purpose is to introduce the characters, their world, and the complications that push them onto their journey.

Exposition

The first couple of pages are devoted to establishing what’s known as “the ordinary world,” or the status quo. Here your readers will learn about your characters and what life is like for them on a day-to-day basis. You’ll start hinting at what your protagonist wants, and what’s preventing them from getting it.

Don’t spend too long on this section. Remember, you can feed in backstory gradually throughout the narrative. This is to get the reader oriented in your story world and give them a broad sense of what’s been happening up to this point.

The inciting incident

All stories can be summed up as this: “Once upon a time, everything was going fine. WHEN SUDDENLY—!” The “when suddenly” is your inciting incident.

This is an event that knocks the “status quo” (that’s the exposition, remember?) off kilter. It can be explosive, or it can be subtle. It may come in with a roar, or it may take your protagonist a little while to notice that something is amiss (but your reader should pick up on it right away). The inciting incident often happens in the first chapter.

Very often you’ll find your inciting incident in your premise. This is the first thing you think of when you get a new idea. What if a deadly illness occurred that only targeted Y chromosomes? What if someone saw a premonition of their own death? What if a mysterious spooky circus suddenly appeared in town?

(That’s Y: The Last Man, Final Destination, and The Night Circus, in case you were wondering.)

The first key plot point

The first key plot point is a turning point which happens at the end of Act One. Its purpose is to raise the stakes and force the protagonist to become more personally invested in the repercussions of the inciting incident.

For example, let’s say your inciting incident was option one: the rise of a deadly illness. Your first plot point then would be if someone in the protagonist’s life became sick, and the protagonist then had to take a more active role in finding a cure.

Even though the inciting incident heralded change in the protagonist’s life, they still could have made the choice to walk away. The first key plot point is their point of no return.

Act II

Act Two is the bulk of a story’s plot, and it takes up roughly 50 percent of the total story. This is where new challenges will be introduced and the stakes will grow steadily higher.

The rising action

The rising action, sometimes called “progressive complications,” is a series of escalating events that happen as the main character travels along their journey. This takes up roughly 20-25 percent of the novel, taking us from the bridge between Acts One and Two to the midpoint (below).

It’s helpful to think of this section as a series of action and reaction, or call and response. The protagonist does something (action), which has unexpected consequences. They then have to recalibrate and deal with this new development (reaction). Everything they do in pursuit of their goals creates waves that reverberate throughout the world of your story.

The midpoint

The midpoint happens half way through your story, and it starkly divides the protagonist’s life into a “before” and “after”. It often causes them to begin pursuing a new goal, sending the story in a new direction.

This can be a major setback, revelation, or discovery. It will almost always be a surprise to both the characters and the reader, and will upend everything they thought they knew. In some ways it’s like a second inciting incident, with new complications and sometimes new characters being introduced.

The second key plot point

The second key plot point is another major turning point, often a period of victory, that comes from the new elements introduced at the midpoint. Despite the brief respite, more challenges lie ahead.

The second key plot point might also be accompanied by a sacrifice or loss that makes the heroes reflect on how far they’ve come, and what they still have to lose. The pacing might slow down a little bit here to give the characters a chance to celebrate, mourn, and look back on their adventures so far. Because in a moment, things are going to start gathering momentum as we power towards the end.

Act III

Act Three is the final section of a narrative, and it takes up around 20 to 25 percent of the story. It can sometimes be a little shorter than the first act, because the pacing gets faster. This is where all the plot threads you’ve raised throughout your novel come together in a spectacular finish.

The catastrophe

The catastrophe, sometimes called the pre-climax or false climax, is a major setback that sends your characters reeling. Sometimes this is accompanied by a brief victory that makes it seem like the story has reached its conclusion (that’s why it’s called the “false climax”). But there’s one last twist coming to knock the characters off their feet.

In the Hero’s Journey plot structure this is called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” because it can feel like all is lost. The protagonist will need to dust themselves off and gather their strength in order to face the final battle.

The climax

The climax is the epic finish of your masterpiece. It’s the all-or-nothing final battle that will determine the characters’ fates forever.

It’s important to note that the climax can take many forms. The cinematic classic is the major battle between multiple armies with gratuitous bloodshed and sacrifice. And your climax can be this. But it can also be more internal, a crisis of self, a degradation of morality, an acceptance speech, a lit match, a desperate dash to the airport before the hero’s true love disappears forever.

What’s important is that your reader knows this is it — what they’ve been waiting for all along. Everything your characters have gone through has culminated in this moment.

The dénouement

Finally, you’ve reached the dénouement, or resolution. In these final pages you’ll show how the characters have been changed by their experiences, and hint at where they’re headed next. The dénouement gives you — and your readers — a chance to say goodbye.