Secrets of Story Structure: The First Half of Act Two

Each segment of a story offers its own challenges, but perhaps none leave the writers more baffled than the second act. The beginning and end are hard to fix, but at least we have a checklist of things to accomplish. The center of the story, on the other hand, is like an empty yawn. We feel utterly alone as we try to get our characters where they need to be for the ending to work. Fortunately, if we pay attention to the solid structure of the story, we will find that the central part of the story has a checklist of its own to help us.

Since the second act will be the largest part of your story, comprising about 50%, I'm going to break it into three segments, which we'll cover in three posts. Today we take a look at the first half of the second act, which will cover the distance from your first major plot point at around 25% of the story to your midpoint at 50%. This first half of the second act is where your characters find the time and space to react to the first major plot point. Remember how we talked about the first major plot point being final because it forces the character into an irreversible reaction? That reaction, which will lead to another reaction and another and another, launches your second act.

What is the first half of the second act?

That first major plot point will hit your character hard. His life is no longer as peaceful and serene as it always is and he has to do something about it. If we look long and hard at the first major turning point in a book, we realize that it's actually the character's reaction to the event that changes everything and creates our story. Even when the first major plot point incorporates a protagonist's life-changing tragedy (such as the murder of Benjamin Martin's second son and the burning down of his plantation in The Patriot ) , the characters could conceivably go on much the same way. they had done before. It is their reaction (Martin becomes the leader of the "ghostly" militia terrorizing the British Army) that allows the chain of events to continue and create a story.

For the next quarter of the book, up to halfway through, your protagonist will be reacting to the events of the first plot point. He acts, but all his actions are a response (one way or another) to what happened to him. He's trying to find his balance, trying to figure out which direction his life should go after what happened.   In Brent Weeks' The Way of Darkness , the protagonist spends years reacting to his master's orders. In Ben-Hur , the protagonist is forced into a reactionary role, as a galley slave, after being wrongfully caught and convicted at the first major plot point.

Where does the first half of the second act begin?

The first half of the second act will start right after the first major plot point. Your character will act in response to events in such a way that you can never go back to how things were before. The opposing force responds, and again the character is forced to react. The cycle repeats itself as many times and with as many variations as necessary until the story reaches its central point.

Examples from cinema and literature

Again, we look to the masters to find out how the first half of the second act should be constructed to best complicate the plot, progress the character arc, and keep readers reading.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)

After Bingley dumps Jane and he, his sister and Darcy leave Netherfield Park (the first major plot point), Lizzy and her sisters have no choice but to fight back. Jane goes to London to visit her aunt and to try and find out why Bingley is gone. Lizzy, in Mr Wickham's absence, pays an extended visit to her friend Charlotte (the new Mrs Collins). While there, she meets Mr. Darcy again and is forced to react to his attentions towards her.

It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1947)

George's life could have proceeded exactly as he wanted, even after the inciting event in which his father dies of a stroke. But when he reacts to Mr. Potter's attempts to shut down Building & Loan by agreeing to stay in Bedford Falls and take his father's place, his life changes forever. For the next quarter of the film, we find George adjusting to life in Bedford Falls. When his brother Harry (who was supposed to take George's place at Building & Loan) gets married and takes another job, George is once again forced to react. He marries, saves Building & Loan during the Great Crash, and opens Bailey Park, all of which build upon his initial decision to protect Building & Loan.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1977)

After joining Bonzo's Salamander Army, Ender must fight to stay afloat in the Battle School. Learn to fight and win in zero gravity war games. He makes friends and enemies and sets in motion the events that will ultimately cause the standoff between him and Bonzo. Everything he does in the first half of the second act is a reaction to his presence in the Battle School, in general, and the Salamander Army, in particular.

Master and Commander directed by Peter Weir (2004)

Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew spend the first half of the second act reacting to their second sighting of the Acheron . After turning the tables on the enemy ship, Jack later loses it in a tragic accident at Cape Horn and is forced to devise new plans and new ways to manage his crew until he reaches the Galapagos Islands and the midpoint.

What do we take with us from these examples?

Now that we have a good idea of what should happen during the first half of the second act and have studied how excellent stories make this segment work, what can we get for our stories?

1. Characters should react quickly and forcefully to the events of the first major plot point.

2. With their lives and plans disrupted (or at least significantly altered), they must find new ways to deal with the world in general and the main opposing force in particular.

3. Their reactions should be deep and varied enough to fill the next quarter of the story.

4. Their reactions must be dominoes, advancing the plot and deepening the plot of scenes, subplots and themes.

5. Usually, this is when the character will acquire the skills or items needed for his final battle in the third act.

The first half of the second act is where you delve into your character development and your foreshadowing of important plot elements. Even in fast-paced action stories, this will be the slowest and most thoughtful part of your story as you finish building the foundation your characters will be on during the climax.