Make a Stronger Story by Defining the Start and End of Act II

In Act I, the story begins. In Act III, the hero fights the villain in the final battle where only one can emerge triumphant. However, the bulk of any story occurs in Act II, which is usually the hardest part to write because it takes up half the story. So the key to writing a stronger story is to identify the beginning and end of Act II.

In the beginning of Act II, the hero has to enter a new, unfamiliar world. By the end of Act II, the hero risks leaving this unfamiliar world. If the hero leaves the unfamiliar world of Act II, the hero will lose forever.

The beginning of Act II defines a goal the hero needs. The end of Act II shows the hero appearing to lose that goal for good. Look at how the beginning and end of Act II shapes the following movies:

“Legally Blonde”

• Beginning of Act II – Elle starts law school at Harvard.
• End of Act II – After being propositioned for sex by her law professor, Elle gets discouraged and plans to leave law school.

“Top Gun: Maverick”

• Beginning of Act II – Maverick is given the job as instructor to a dozen Top Gun pilots.
• End of Act II – After multiple setbacks during training, Maverick is grounded and relieved of his duties as the instructor to the Top Gun pilots.

“The Hunger Games”

• Beginning of Act II – Katniss travels to the Capitol to prepare for the Hunger Games.
• End of Act II – After trying to retrieve medicine for Peeta, Katniss is nearly killed by another tribute.

In the beginning of Act II, the hero enters a new world but by the end of Act II, the hero risks leaving this new world but not usually by choice. This moment is where the hero hits rock bottom which is often the worst point in the story. Immediately following this low point, the hero looks defeated. That’s when the mentor gives the hero encouragement to try again, and the hero responds.

In “Top Gun: Maverick”, this low point occurs like this:

• After Iceman dies, Maverick gets relieved of his duties as the instructor for Top Gun.
• Maverick feels defeated until he gets together with Penny, his girlfriend (mentor) who encourages him to keep fighting to find a way to keep flying anyway.
• Maverick decides to steal a plane and run through the simulated mission to prove that it can be done. Now his commanding officer reluctantly decides to reinstate Maverick as the team leader.

In “Legally Blonde”, this low point occurs like this:

• After her law professor propositions her for sex, Elle decides to leave law school.
• Elle feels defeated as she stops by the beauty parlor to say good-bye to her friend, Paulette, the hairdresser. That’s when Elle discovers that one of her law professors is getting her hair done at the beauty parlor and tells Elle not to let one jerk ruin her life and to stand up for herself.
• Elle decides to return to the courtroom and take over the case from her law professor.

In “The Hunger Games”, this low point occurs like this:

• Katniss tries to retrieve medicine for Peeta but gets ambushed by another tribute.
• Katniss struggles but ultimately loses and is about to get stabbed when another tribute saves her.
• With the medicine, Katniss rushes back to help heal Peeta.

In “Top Gun: Maverick”, Maverick risks losing his role as instructor, which is what started Act II. In “Legally Blonde”, Elle risks leaving law school, which she entered in the beginning of Act II. In “The Hunger Games”, Katniss risks getting killed in the Hunger Games, which she was sent to compete in at the beginning of Act II.

Study any good movie and you’ll find the beginning of Act II defines the end of Act II. In “WALL-E”, the beginning of Act II occurs when WALL-E first enters the starship holding the human race. By the end of Act II, WALL-E is about to get ejected into space through a garbage compactor where he’ll be forced out of the starship.

In “Miss Congeniality”, the hero enters a beauty pageant in the beginning of Act II and gets kicked off the case at the end of Act II where she risks leaving the beauty pageant.

In your own story, think of the new world that your hero must enter in Act II and leaving this new world will be the low point your hero must experience by the end of Act II. This will help create a more structured story and help you shape the entire plot so it’s emotionally satisfying.

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