Skip to main content
← Back to All Structures
📊

Three-Act Structure

The classic Hollywood structure: Setup, Confrontation, Resolution. Used in 90% of films and novels.

Documenting sources for workshops? Drop your structure notes into CiteFast so references stay organized while you analyze each beat here.

Structure Diagram

Act 1 Setup Act 2 Confrontation Act 3 Resolution OpeningPlot Point 1MidpointPlot Point 2Climax25%50%25%

How It Works

The Three-Act Structure divides narratives into Setup (introduce characters and conflict), Confrontation (protagonist faces escalating challenges), and Resolution (climax and denouement). Act 2 is typically 50% of the story.

Famous Examples

  • 📖Star Wars: Luke's journey from farm boy to hero
  • 📖The Hunger Games: Katniss volunteers, survives arena, defies Capitol
  • 📖Die Hard: John arrives, terrorists attack, he defeats them

See It In Action

Generate a 250-word flash fiction story using this structure.

💡 Tips for Using This Structure

  • •The midpoint of Act 2 should fundamentally change the protagonist's approach
  • •Act 2 should be roughly as long as Acts 1 and 3 combined
  • •The inciting incident must force the protagonist to act
  • •The darkest moment at the end of Act 2 shows why the protagonist has grown