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Three-Act Structure: My Writer’s Compass

By on November 12, 2020   /   Articles  

Understanding three-act structure in storytelling isn’t just for writers. In a writing workshop for a crew of fifth-graders, I presented it as a framework for analyzing novels, plays, movies, and picture books with plots—anything with a story arc. The kids got into it, applying it to their own favorite books and films.

That said, I find that three-act structure serves as a compass in my own creative writing. If I wander off in the weeds or lose the thread of the story or mangle a mixed metaphor, I can return to these pivotal plot points to recalibrate the way forward. It ain’t perfect but I find it elegant in its functionality, and for someone who has almost no sense of direction, like me, it helps fend off writer’s block. It offers steady reference points that point to where the story is going.

 

Back to Basics

So here’s a refresher course, as much for me as other readers and writers. Let’s start real basic:

BEGINNING, MIDDLE, END

Seriously, those are a story’s essential three parts whether it’s Click, Clack, Moo, Chicken Little, or Hamlet. Three-act structure helps define and refine this, expanding the story and managing its pace and flow.

ACT I

Exposition: As a rule, the very beginning introduces the central characters and gives us reasons to care.

The Catalyst or Inciting Event: This sets the story in motion. (In movies, it usually occurs 10 minutes in—check your watch!) If the catalyst doesn’t happen the story doesn’t happen.

ACT II

Turning Point 1: This event sends the action in a new direction. It makes clear what the main conflict is. The plot, or storyline, now gets more and more complicated as the protagonists face obstacle after obstacle.

Halftime Smooching: About halfway through the story or movie, there usually comes a period of calm. Now the main characters have time to reflect on what has happened and plan what to do next. Sometimes there is kissing!

ACT III

Turning Point 2: Like Turning Point #1, this shoots the action in a new direction. Everything now accelerates toward the climax.

Climax: This is the BIG MOMENT when the central conflict of the story is resolved: The protagonists win, the antagonists lose, the sweethearts fall in love, etc.

Denouement: This answers any remaining questions and shows characters reacting to how things turned out.

 

The Three-Act Structure of an Old Favorite

Yada, yada, right? Example please! For the sake of familiarity, let’s use a story many of us know and dissect its three-act structure: Star Wars—A New Hope.

ACT I

Exposition: We are introduced to Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and some kid named Luke Skywalker.

The Catalyst or Inciting Event: Luke buys the droids C3-PO and R2-D2. If he doesn’t get those droids, he never meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, never leaves his home planet, never learns about The Force, never becomes a Jedi.

ACT II

Turning Point #1: The heroes discover the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon is captured with a tractor beam. They also learn Princess Leia is being held prisoner there and plot to break her out. The main conflict and what’s at stake becomes crystal clear. They must get the plans for the Death Star to the Rebellion or all is lost!

Halftime Smooching: There isn’t much of a break for reflecting or kissing in A New Hope. Halftime Smooching fans have to wait for The Empire Strikes Back.

ACT III

Turning Point #2: The Death Star tracks the Millennium Falcon to the Rebel base. The Rebels, including Luke Skywalker, launch a desperate attack to try to destroy the Death Star before it obliterates the moon where the base is located. All looks lost when …

Climax: Luke trusts the Force. At the very last second, he drops two torpedoes into a small thermal exhaust port … and … and … BOOM! Conflict resolved: Protagonists win, antagonists need to go build a new Death Star.

Denouement: This is very short and weird in the movie. The rebels celebrate and Luke and Han Solo get medals. (Hurray! Hey! What about Chewbacca?!)

Whether by Nature or Nurture, three-act structure seems to appeal to our story-loving minds across cultures. For writers, it can be a reassuring road map that can guide us true from first draft to The End.

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Plotting Puzzles and the Necessity of Silence: An Interview with Jennifer Gennari

By on November 11, 2020   /   Articles  

I jumped at the chance to interview author Jennifer Gennari as soon as I heard about her newest book, Muffled. As a special education teacher, I’m always excited for stories that portray exceptional kids with honesty, humor, and strength. Muffled does it beautifully, and as it happens, Jen is just as insightful and honest as her main character, Amelia.

Jennifer Gennari

CL: Hi, Jen! Thanks for chatting with me! Let’s start with how the idea for Muffled came about – can you tell us about it?

JG: Thank you, Chris, for inviting me to the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors! Like many writers, I keep a story file of ideas. For more than fifteen years, I had a note about a blizzard from my childhood: “I’ll never forget that snowstorm. The silence without cars. What would happen if all the noises stopped?” It wasn’t until much later that I saw a way to approach that idea. I realized that for many people, including my husband, silence isn’t just beautiful, it’s something they need to recharge, to be able to participate in our very noisy world. And that’s how Amelia’s story began.

CL: And the story is set in Boston – any particular reason you chose that city?

JG: I lived in Boston when I was the age of Amelia, and it was important to me to show a family that depends on public transportation. Many children who live in cities don’t have cars, and I wanted to reflect that reality. I love Boston, for its Public Garden (and Make Way for Duckling statues), the stately, amazing library in Copley Square, and the Red Sox. Like Amelia, I grew up riding the green line!

CL: It’s so cool to have that personal connection! How about research, then? Muffled seems like a super realistic portrayal of life with sound sensitivity—did you have to do any research for the book? 

JG: Researching is an integral part of writing. I didn’t rely on my memory of Boston—I looked at images of the library’s lions, transit maps, and apartment buildings. To develop Amelia’s character, I read The Highly Sensitive Child and spoke to a therapist and special education teachers. Researching also means empathizing, an important skill for writers. I notice people’s emotions in certain situations, and try my best to get those details right. Stories introduce young readers to different ways of being, something I take seriously. Readers will always find hope and connection in my books.

CL: Muffled is your second traditionally published book. I’ve heard that second books can be harder to write…was that your experience?

JG: Yes! I’m glad you asked. I wrote three books between My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer and Muffled. Each one was beloved but the stories, in the end, were not viable. I think of those manuscripts as plotting practice: I got better at increasing tension, giving characters a satisfying arc, and rewriting scenes that didn’t work. For all those aspiring writers out there, know that persistence and a willingness to revise are key to success!

CL: That’s a great way to think about it! You actually mention on your website that plotting a story is a bit like a puzzle. Could you explain that?

JG: I am a big fan of jigsaw and crossword puzzles—especially during this pandemic! When you first start a jigsaw puzzle, all the colors and details are scattered. You have to organize the pieces, and see what picture emerges, just like the details and scenes of your manuscript. And to carry the metaphor on, revising is like doing the same puzzle twice—it’s still hard but memory helps you find the path forward to complete a story without any holes.

CL: I love that! So if it wasn’t obvious already, you’re also an editor and writing teacher yourself, right?

JG: My career began as a reporter, and later, I became a news editor of a weekly paper. If your article doesn’t fit on the page, it will be cut! I discovered I’m good at preserving voice and intent and excising the fluff. When I studied for my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, I understood even more completely that every word choice matters. Now, through The Highlights Foundation, I teach others how to edit their own manuscripts. It’s an essential skill and I love teaching writers!

CL: So cool! Okay, Jen – now it’s time for the lighting round! Favorite place to write?

JG: Surrounded by shelves of kidlit books with a cup of tea nearby!

CL: Favorite authors?

JG: Jacqueline Woodson, Kate DiCamillo, Erin Entrada Kelly to name a few!

CL: Best dessert?

JG: Any homemade pie!

CL: Do you have any pets?

JG: No, but I love watching shorebirds from my home.

CL: Favorite elementary school memory?

JG: Like Amelia, I often snuck off during recess to find a cozy place to read. 

CL: And lastly – favorite piece of advice for other writers?

JG: Read, read, read!

Jennifer Gennari is the author of MUFFLED (Simon & Schuster, 2020), a Junior Library Guild selection, and MY MIXED-UP BERRY BLUE SUMMER (Houghton Mifflin, 2012), a Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year selection, and an American Library Association Rainbow List title. An engaging speaker and teacher, she has presented at the Writing Barn, SCBWI workshops, and Highlights Foundation. She serves as Marin County Co-Coordinator for the SF North and East Bay Region of SCBWI. A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts, she lives on the water in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her @JenGenn and more at www.jengennari.com.

Many thanks to Jen for taking the time to talk to me! Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Muffled!

See you next time!

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STEM Tuesday – Diseases and Pandemics — In the Classroom

By on November 10, 2020   /   Diseases and Pandemics, STEM Tuesday  

Throughout history, infectious diseases have impacted humans around the world. Whenever a strange new disease emerges, scientists called epidemiologists study it to learn how it spreads, its effects on humans, and how to stop it.

The books we’re highlighting this month focus on some of the most infamous and deadly infectious diseases in history and the scientific work to study and contain them. They are a great starting point for different sciences activities and discussions in the classroom. Here are a few to try:

Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard

Here’s an extensive evaluation of the causes and human reactions and interactions (from the 1300s to the present) to bubonic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and the 1918 influenza pandemic. This book examines how these diseases changed societies and what it will ultimately take to eliminate cholera worldwide. It also looks at how wealth, bias, and prejudice continue to affect governmental reactions to microbial evolution.

Classroom activity: Divide the class into small groups and assign each an infectious disease to study. Have them answer the following questions: What type of disease is this – virus or bacteria? How does it enter the human body? How does it spread? What effect did this disease have on people around the world? Have scientists been able to stop the spread of this disease? If so, how? If not, why not? Have each group present what they have learned to the class.

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

This book dramatically examines another “invisible stalker.” Using both first-hand witness and medical accounts, newspaper clippings, and contemporary images, it follows yellow fever’s arrival and spread throughout Philadelphia. Detailing the social, political, and medical conditions and struggles to combat this disease, this book examines the changes that the plague brought to modern medicine and the fear that it could reappear.

Classroom activity: Compare the historical yellow fever epidemic to the current Covid-19 pandemic. How would you document today’s pandemic for future generations? Have students create their own modern-day pandemic documentation – using first-hand witness accounts, newspaper articles, photographs, and other primary sources. What do they hope future generations will learn from their work?

Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary, by Gail Jarrow

When typhoid fever breaks out in New York, medical detective George Soper traces the outbreak to Mary Mallon. His job: to prevent her from infecting others. But Mary refuses to comply with quarantine and other medical directives. After all, she isn’t sick. So she continues cooking and passing on the disease. Personal freedom versus public health questions are once again relevant as we deliberate quarantines, lockdowns, and contact tracing.

Classroom activity: When an infectious disease is spreading through a community, should public health take priority over personal rights and freedoms? What are the pros and cons of each point of view? Divide students into two groups – one that prioritizes public health and one that prioritizes individual rights. Have each group prepare arguments that support their assigned point of view and debate the issue.

Fever Year- The Killer Flu of 1918: A Tragedy in Three Acts by Don Brown

Presented in a graphic novel format, this book tracks the course of the 1918 flu from Camp Funston, Kansas around the world. Many images look eerily familiar – empty streets and masks. A very accessible examination of the politics and science involved in battling the spread and ultimate containment of this flu. Additionally, it comments on current scientist’s desire to discover why this flu was so deadly by recreating it.

Classroom activity: The lessons we can learn from history are invaluable. After reading about the 1918 flu pandemic, ask students what they have learned about the spread of the flu virus and the effectiveness of different prevention methods taken in 1918. How have people applied these lessons learned from history to today’s Covid-19 pandemic? In what ways could we do better? What have you learned that you can use to help stop the spread of infectious disease?

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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and her dog. When not writing, she can often be spotted at a hockey rink for one of her kids’ games. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, or on Twitter @carlawrites.

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