The 3-Act Structure of Stories and Articles

If you want to do a lot of writing then it’s important to make it as easy as possible.

Don’t get me wrong though, writing is work. But it doesn’t have to be hard work.

One of the ways to make it easier is to write in a 3-Act structure. And it doesn’t matter if you’re writing a story or an article (or a non-fiction book or a novel) because they both need to span 3 Acts.

In a story, Act 1 takes up 1/4 of the story, Act 2 is ½, and Act 3 is the final 1/4.

These 3 Acts are - Introduction - Crisis - Solution.

And it’s the same for writing an article in 3 Acts.

Act 1 is 1/4 of the article, Act 2 is ½, and Act 3 is the final 1/4.

These 3 Acts are - Say what you’re going to say - Say it - Say what you’ve said.

In other words, it’s an introduction, then the information, and then a conclusion which rounds it all up and satisfies the reader’s curiosity of “what’s in it for me?”

In the end, both Act 3s in fiction and non-fiction must satisfy the reader.

In fiction, the characters have learned something and in non-fiction, the reader has learned something.

And that’s all there is to it. Introduce your story or what you’re going to say, tell the story or say what you have to say, and then bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

It’s the same 3 Act Structure that I talk about in my popular book, How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/15.html