The Basic Three Act Structure

The simplest building blocks of a good story are found in the Three Act Structure. Separated by Plot Points, its Act 1 (Beginning), Act 2 (Middle), and Act 3 (End) refer not to where in time in the story they lie but instead fundamental stages along the way.

• Beginning is an introduction for the reader about the setting, the characters and the situation.

• Plot Point 1, thrusting the main character right into the thick of things, but they never really leave out Act 1, instead filling it in with back story along the way.

• Middle the story develops through a series of complications and obstacles, each leading to a mini crisis.

• Plot Point 2 (The resolution of the Climax), as the story progresses, there is a rising and falling of tension with each crisis, but an overall rising tension as we approach the Climax.

• End, the Climax and the loose ends of the story are resolved .

Every story must have beginning.There are some examples of the beginning of the short story.1. The Beginning of the short story which provides an introduction about the scene and the situation of a particular place or character of the participants.

The prayers of the thousands children in Devon had been answered. After years

without snow, the Christmas of 2004 was as white as greeting cards. By New Year, the snow had not been reduced to dirty grey slush as expected, but had packed down hard. Devon had been transformed into a giant ice rink and there was no sign of a

thaw.

The Devils Footprints by Malcolm Rose

It was a full moon that night, the umpteenth in my life. As on earlier occasions I sat, in the dark, where nobody could observe me and my eyes could rove freely, feasting on all that was to be seen. What gave me most pleasure was to sense the cool night breeze entering my pores; to relax in the evening’s embrace and feel the freshness of the moon’s rays. I’d look at the moon and watch dreamily as the silvery light and dark shadows formed pictures. All this reminded me of the story of the moon goddess, a story that always had the power to affect me deeply, so that sadness and happiness were joined together in one overwhelming emotion.

Mas Ruscitadewi, The Contest.

“You’ve been living in this one-room apartment on 75th street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues for two years now, Miranda,” said Martin. ”And this is the first time, I’ve been here. How do you like it here?”

“Oh, I’d like to move over to a better neighborhood on the East Side, where you live,” answered Miranda. “But my salary at the law firm where we both work, me as secretary and you as a rising young lawyer, is so small that I can’t afford to move”

“It certainly is lucky for me that I worked up the courage to speak to you at the water cooler at work,” said Martin.

“Yes, and we’ve had many good times together since, but always at lunch,” answered Miranda “And this is the first time we’ve ever had a date in the evening,” she added.

3. The beginning is in the form of dialogue

4. The beginning which the opening sentence will directly lead us to the heart of the story

Mangku Rajeg was overwhelmed by disappointment when he realized that most of the seats for the audience were completely empty. From the back of the stage he peered out and saw that not more than twenty five people had to come to watch the performance by his coconut orchestra. They sat scattered among only four rows of seats. Fortunately, there were five foreign tourists who were watching attentively which made Mangku a bit happier.

Robert C Meredith in his book The Professional Story Writer and His Art

proposes seven requirements

SEVEN REQUIREMENTS OF THE BEGINNING

The beginning must be placed in time as close to the ending as

possible.

P walked up and down, back and forth like Napoleon in the middle of Siberia. He turned ideas over and over in his mind, playing with the brush in his hand. He picked away absently at his nose and then looked again at his canvas, where his painting remained unfinished. What he was really thinking about was not any idea or object or new technique, but how he could manifest dollars in the centre of his canvas.

Cancelled-Abu Bakar

The formula story commences either with full blown complication or with a minor problem that swiftly leads

to a major complication

It is important to give a minor problem that leads the reader to the major complication. It will make the reader more attracted to read the rest of the short story. Example: The Pearl (John Steinbeck)

If the complication itself is not immediately presented, a minor problem leading to the complication must be given.

The scene must be set

Darkness began to fall on the horizon and the village of Sangkur was already deserted. Most of its inhabitants were

farmers and when night started to fall they left their rice fields and went to their separate homes. People were

seldom seen in the streets or in the little warungs, except when the villagers went to take a bath in Tukad Dakuh

River nearby. After bathing they seemed to prefer to stay in their own houses and go to sleep before it got too late.

Such a way of life made a certain impression on people who came to Sangkur for the first time –they were sure to

think that the village had no life in it. Its quiet deserted atmosphere reinforced this.

Dark Sky over the Village-Windu Sancaya

The principal characters must be introduced with an indication of the opproximate

ages and the point of view must be established.

it is obvious that the point of view must be established immediately, in the beginning of the short story.

In his later years, Grandpa Landuh had one obsession: how to die. On the one hand he was conscious that it wouldn’t be too easy to fulfill his wish without arousing the suspicion that he had committed suicide. On the other hand he was frightened of dying a slow, helpless, bedridden death. He also hated the thought of dying demented, unable to see or speak. He was well aware that nobody wanted to be burdened by an old man like himself if that meant hoisting him around every time he needed to use the bathroom.

Death by Misfortune-Gde Aryantha Soethama

Going home one night on his bicycle, Gde was forced to jam on his brakes. He was amazed to see several balls of fire exploding in the air, spinning around, and then gathering together at the side of the road just a few meters in front of him. These fireballs behave like a troupe of Minangkabau candle dancers, suddenly speeding meteor-like through the sky. As the minutes passed there were more and more of them, crowding in from all directions, like a thousand fire-flies returning home in the dead of night. In actual fact it was not yet very late, but the streets of the village were deserted, as they always were when the lecturer came back home in the evening

The Ogik Gedegik Conference of the Leyaks-Gde Aryantha Soethama

The tone of the prose must let the reader know what type of story he is reading

• The reader must know where he stands and what the story is about.

The beginning must imply what ending is desired

Whatever the type or the theme of the short story, it must suggest the reader at the very beginning what he wants the ending to be

A certain village had been struck by famine. It was next to impossible to obtain any rice and even the local cabbage was in short supply. Already the faces of the children were terribly pale and there were some dozen or so whose stomachs had swollen up as though they were pregnant. Unless help came within the next two weeks, there were certain to be victims who would have to be buried.

Disaster-Putu Setia

The short story should begin with some action which, through swift characterization, movement, dialogue, will hook the reader into reading the remainder of the story

The reader must be trapped into reading the story through the use of narrative hook

Laura sat down on the narrow, padded red velvet bench and flexed her fingers. Her knuckles cracked.

“Laura!” From the living room across the hall came her stepmother’s voice – screech of a night owl. Shriek of an angry cat, hyena’s howl “I can’t hear anything! Laura, did you hear me? You’ll never be rich and famous like your precious grandmother if you sit on that bench like a lump. Let’s get those fingers moving, dear!”

Laura muttered bitterly to the piano, “What does she mean, let us? It’s only my fingers that spend hours and hours on these piano keys. I am so tired, I can’t think straight. Can’t think at all………”

The Piano-Diane Hoh

Thank’s for Your Attention

Thank…..

You…..