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

Just Write The Book

If you want to write a book, there’s a really simple way to do it, and this is what you need to do: 

Just write the book.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it.

Don’t make the process too complicated. Outline it first if you want to then start writing.

There are many books on self-publishing too, but it’s really not that hard.

Write your book first and focus all your attention on it.

Then simply publish it on Kindle if you don’t know what else to do. With Kindle, your book doesn’t need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), but if you want one, just buy one online.

Nothing is so complicated that you just can’t do it.

If you want to write, write. It’s that easy if you allow it to be.

Writing and self-publishing cost nothing but time, and if you allow yourself the time you need you’ll do it. Remember the old saying that there are no impossible goals, just impossible deadlines.

And never give up on your writing dreams.

7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System

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and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week

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

A Real-Life Insight Into Focused Writing

For years I’ve witnessed an on-going, real-life lesson in being a focused writer. And the lesson is from my daughter.

She’s now an adult and owns her own home, and she has always loved to write.

Unlike her mother, who loves to write by hand, my daughter types all her stories straight onto her computer. Even as a child, she would sit curled up in an armchair, typing away while her Dad and I watched TV. She was always oblivious to her surroundings whenever she was writing or reading, and she’s an avid reader too.

And now as an adult, she still loves to write, and if I phone her while she’s writing, she just blows me off and says she’s too busy to talk.

Sometimes she tells me “I’m going to write tonight,” and she can’t wait to do it, and she’ll write for hours and not go to bed until the early hours of the morning.

She’s probably written more books than most people even dream of writing. She just loves to write and says it’s “fun” and “relaxing” and her focus when she’s writing is envious.

She doesn’t even publish her work. Never. She’s only interested in writing, not publishing, and as soon as she finishes writing one manuscript, she can’t wait to get started on the next. Writing is her hobby and she always looks forward to doing it.

And I SO envy her dedication to her craft and her ability to always prioritise her writing.

But mostly I envy her focus when she’s writing and her ability to block out all other thoughts while she writes.

If I had the dedication and focus on my writing like she does, I’d have written and published hundreds of books. I’d be a multi-millionaire by now.

Plus I’d be a seriously prolific writer and loving it. I just wish I could have her writing focus.

I wish we all could.

Mission Critical For Life

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

Earn More Money From Your Writing By Focusing On What You CAN Control

 I love earning money from my writing. In fact, I cringe when people say they do it for love or because they love it and don't care that they don't earn much money from it. I always think that if they're not interested in earning money from writing, then why bother publishing it or submitting it at all?

But while I love to write and love (need) to earn money from it, there's no point in concentrating on earning money, because I can't control that. So instead I focus on what I can control.

So what do I have control over?

Well, I can write more. It's up to me how much time I spend writing. I could (and many people do the same) tell myself that I just don't have the time, or I'd write more if I had more time. But we all have the same amount of time every day and it's up to us what we do with it.

Marketing is another thing I can control. It's no good writing if no one reads it. So I spend my time marketing my work with blog posts, SEO, social media (just a little bit because I'm not a fan) and emails, just to name a few things.

Butt-in-chair time is another thing. You may think this is the same as writing more, but it's not because I can't write more unless my butt is in the chair more so chair time always comes first. And once I sit down I make sure I write and not waste time surfing the net.

Less time-wasting is another thing that helps me to earn more money from my writing because I can't earn more if I'm wasting time doing unimportant things. And the truth is that even though I might sometimes think I'd rather sit and watch movies all day, or go for long walks on the beach, I always feel better at the end of the day when my time has been spent productively.

It's no coincidence that the more I write and market my work, the more money I earn.

Looking at it another way, imagine that you write a book and earn money from every copy sold. Now imagine that you've written 20 books. Now you can earn 20-times the income.

So even though you can't control your writing income, you can control how much you write and how much you market your work and get it known and sold all over the world.

So if you're wasting time focusing on writing income, make the change and focus on your writing.

And I've got plenty of books that can show you how so you can start writing more today.

"It's not my brain that's writing the book, it's these hands of mine."

 ~ Madeleine L'Engle

https://ruthiswriting.com/books.html