Three act storytelling makes
for one of the most popular ways to tell a story. You’ll find it in
short stories by Roald Dahl, books by Stephen King and James
Patterson, fables by the Grimm brothers, and nearly every other
story you can think of. It’s widely used because it works, and when
done right, it’s impossible to predict what finally happens in
the third act or how.
Getting
the third act of your story right matters more than you might think. If you’ve ever read a book that
had a great beginning or middle but a terrible, disappointing ending,
you know how frustrating that feels. As a writer, you don’t want to put your readers through that.
Here
are a few practical and easy ways to nail act three when you’re working with the three
act structure.
Classic
Bad Endings
What
makes for a bad ending? Any third act that doesn’t make the first two
acts feel satisfying. That’s it.
Endings
can be final conclusions or cliffhangers that leave a few
exciting loose ends for the reader’s imagination or the next story or
book in the series. Both work fine.
But
endings can’t be anything that makes the reader feel cheated about
how the story got there. They also can’t be completely predictable from the first chapter.
“When
he/she woke up, it had all been a dream” is one of the most
hated endings in fiction. It makes the entire journey feel pointless. “Obviously he/she did it” is equally bad
for a mystery story unless you have a damn good reason for making
your murderer the most obvious suspect.
Use
the Second Act Right
The
second act builds tension
toward your ending. For murders and mystery stories, it’s
where your protagonist investigates (or chases the villain,
whether or not the reader knows who they are yet).
The
second act is perfect for showing character growth and the journey itself. It’s also where you throw in conflicts that
distract your characters from their goal, or discoveries that
push them closer to the truth.
Red herrings, false leads, and misleading clues work great in
your second act. They keep the hero guessing and prevent
readers from figuring out where you’re headed.
When
done well, the second act of your story stays
unpredictable right up to the end.
Ending
Act Three
How
do you end a story effectively?
Some
endings are twists. Some are epic confrontations. Some
are quiet, emotional moments. Others leave a few loose
ends for the next book or for the reader’s imagination.
To
understand how story endings work, pick five
of your favorite stories and look at the last sentence or paragraph.
How does it end? What did the writer do throughout the story to set up that ending
without telegraphing it too early?
Then choose stories where you hated the ending. Look at these and compare them to the ones that worked. What makes them different? The three act structure takes practice to get right.
Twists
and Turns
Smart
twists and turns often make the difference between a forgettable story and one that sticks with readers. Not
every lead has to go somewhere useful. Dead ends and false trails
can send your hero in circles while keeping
your ending surprising.