By noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra Sokoloff)
Black Friday! But I know none of you Nanos are out shopping, oh no. Not when there is climaxing to be done.
Yes, we’re into Act III, now. Or maybe you’re not that far yet, which is all perfectly fine. As long as you’re writing, it’s all good.
But if you are into Act III, here are the prompts for that last act. Hope everyone is having a wonderful and productive long weekend!
– Alex
ELEMENTS OF ACT THREE
The third act is basically the Final Battle and Resolution. It can often be one continuous sequence —the chase and confrontation, or confrontation and chase. There may be a final preparation for battle, or it might be done on the fly. Either here or in the last part of the second act the hero will make a new, FINAL PLAN, based on the new information and revelations of the second act.
The essence of a third act is the final showdown between protagonist and antagonist. It is often divided into two sequences:
1. Getting there (Storming the Castle): Sequence 7.
2. The final battle itself: Sequence 8.
• In addition to the FINAL PLAN, there may be another GATHERING OF THE TEAM scene and a brief TRAINING SEQUENCE.
• There may well be DEFEATS OF SECONDARY OPPONENTS
Each one of the secondary opponents should be given a satisfying end or comeuppance. (This may also happen earlier, in Act II:2.)
• THEMATIC LOCATION
This is often a visual and literal representation of the Hero/ine’s Greatest Nightmare.
We see:
• THE PROTAGONIST’S CHARACTER CHANGE
• THE ANTAGONIST’S CHARACTER CHANGE (if any)
• Possibly ALLY/ALLIES’ CHARACTER CHANGE and/or GAINING OF DESIRE(s)
• Possibly a huge FINAL REVERSAL OR REVEAL (twist), or even a whole series of PAYOFFS that you’ve been saving (as in Back to the Future and It’s a Wonderful Life)
• RESOLUTION: A glimpse into the NEW WAY OF LIFE that the hero/ine will be living after this whole ordeal and all s/he’s learned from it
• Possibly a sense of coming FULL CIRCLE
Returning to the opening image or scene, and is a great way to show how much things have changed, or how the hero/ine has changed inside, which makes her or him deal with the same place and situation in a whole different way.
• CLOSING IMAGE
What do you want to leave your reader or audience with in the end?
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All the information on this blog and more is in the writing workbooks. Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Writing Love, Screenwriting Tricks for Authors, II, are available for just $3.99 and $2.99.
If you’re a romance writer, or have a strong love plot or subplot in your novel or script, then Writing Love: Screenwriting Tricks II is an expanded version of the first workbook with a special emphasis on love stories, and more full story breakdowns.
– Smashwords (includes online viewing and pdf file)
Via: Alexandra Sokoloff
