Writing Notes: Outline your Plot
THREE ACT STRUCTURE
Act 1: The first act establishes the world and rules of the world in which your story is set, starts the central conflict, and ends with a turning point that leads to the next act.
Act 2: Act two is the middle of your story and includes the rising action that sends the story and characters into crisis. This act raises the stakes of your story, fully immerses your characters into their journey, and ends with a turning point that leaves readers wondering if the characters will succeed.
Act 3: The third act leads to the climax and main confrontation of your story, sees them through this conflict, then de-escalates into resolution.
FREYTAG’S PYRAMID
Exposition: Exposition provides background information and presents the audience with the who, where, and when.
Inciting incident: The inciting incident is the first conflict your characters encounter.
Rising action: Rising action begins with the inciting incident and is when the conflict starts to escalate.
Climax: This is the height of tension in your story. Here the main character is usually forced to face a difficult truth or make an important decision.
Falling action: Falling action occurs due to the character’s reaction or decision during the climax. This section starts the process of tying up loose ends, dissolving the conflict, and leads to the resolution.
Resolution: The resolution finishes tying up loose ends and shows how events have unfolded and characters and their world has changed.
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