Tuesday, October 04, 2005
The Internal Three-Act Structure
There are a minimum of two threads that run through traditional Three-Act story structure. The External, which consists of plot-propelling events (Act 1 - Decision / Act 2 - Action / Act 3 - Consequences), and the Internal, which consists of character-changing events. Some authors add the Romantic and/or Spiritual threads. Ideally, these are tied or braided together in every scene.
For study purposes, it's worth examining the threads separately to better understand how they are constructed and function.
The Internal theme of Act 1 involves the character coming to a specific realization about others in her life. Her understanding is enlightened, and she recognizes a particular truth she'd been blind to when the story opened on page one. She's been wrong in her judgment, and she realizes it for the first time. For instance, if she grew up believing she needed men to protect her (because she couldn't do it herself), she may realize that the man she trusted the most is her greatest threat in the External plot. But she may not know what to do about her new knowledge. This is the first step toward character growth, and that's a scary path to follow for most characters.
The Internal theme of Act 2 prods the character further along on her journey. She begins to take personal responsibility for her earlier blindness about the relationships in her life. For instance, the heroine may realize that when it comes to men, her own sense of inadequacy made her too gullible. The character begins to adjust her behavior accordingly. It's hard to do because she's established a habit of thoughts for years, so the change is gradual and filled with mistakes and setbacks. But change happens, nonetheless.
The Internal theme of Act 3 completes the character arc with confrontation and action. The character is confronted with the same issue that defeated her consistently in the beginning, and takes instinctive action that demonstrates internal change. For instance, the heroine may step into a position of trust herself, where the safety of a man she cares about depends upon her.
For study purposes, it's worth examining the threads separately to better understand how they are constructed and function.
The Internal theme of Act 1 involves the character coming to a specific realization about others in her life. Her understanding is enlightened, and she recognizes a particular truth she'd been blind to when the story opened on page one. She's been wrong in her judgment, and she realizes it for the first time. For instance, if she grew up believing she needed men to protect her (because she couldn't do it herself), she may realize that the man she trusted the most is her greatest threat in the External plot. But she may not know what to do about her new knowledge. This is the first step toward character growth, and that's a scary path to follow for most characters.
The Internal theme of Act 2 prods the character further along on her journey. She begins to take personal responsibility for her earlier blindness about the relationships in her life. For instance, the heroine may realize that when it comes to men, her own sense of inadequacy made her too gullible. The character begins to adjust her behavior accordingly. It's hard to do because she's established a habit of thoughts for years, so the change is gradual and filled with mistakes and setbacks. But change happens, nonetheless.
The Internal theme of Act 3 completes the character arc with confrontation and action. The character is confronted with the same issue that defeated her consistently in the beginning, and takes instinctive action that demonstrates internal change. For instance, the heroine may step into a position of trust herself, where the safety of a man she cares about depends upon her.
