First Pinch Point (Act 1 of the 3-Act Story Structure)
The First Pinch Point The First Pinch Point is the point in the plot where the first “bad” thing happens, or the first red flag appears—the first time the bad guy shows struggles to surface or the moment the plot takes on an aspect that will manifest into something big later on in the story. This is the part of…
View PostFirst Plot Point (Act 1 of the 3-Act Story Structure)
First Plot Point The First Plot Point is the point in the story where the main character makes a choice. The impossible question from the build-up is answered and the character’s journey really begins. This decision sets in motion a lot of hurdles and challenges that your character will face throughout the rest of the story. Some questions to ask…
View PostBuild-up (Act 1 of the 3-Act Story Structure)
The Build-up The build-up is literally a phase in which the story is ‘building-up towards the conflict’. This is the point where your characters or main character faces their ‘Impossible’ question or situation. Building on the inciting incident, what would be a realistic, difficult choice for your character to make? What question would have two choices that are equally hard?…
View PostInciting Incident (Act 1 of the 3-Act Story Structure)
Inciting Incident The Inciting Incident is one of the most famous plot beats in the 3-act story structure—and storytelling in general. The moment in the story where everything is flipped upside down and the plot officially kicks off. Something happens that triggers your character to spur into action. Usually, they’ll have to face a certain choice or obstacle, that absolutely…
View PostThe Hook (Act 1 of the 3-Act Story Structure)
The Hook The start of a story always starts with the hook. The hook of the story is the introduction to your main character and plot. It’s everything of the story that happens before the inciting incident. It is a picture of what their life looks like BEFORE it all changes. The hook of a story is also literally the…
View Post3-Act Story Structure: Series Announcement
3-Act Story Structure One of the most famous and fun topics in story structure is the 3-Act Story Structure. It’s basically the beginning, the middle and the ending, including plot points that mark different points in a story. There are many different 3-act structures in circulations, but I will show the plot points that I use (throughout single blogposts, which…
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