MIKHAEYLA KOPIEVSKY

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RINSE & REPEAT – THE FOUR ACT NOVEL STRUCTURE

April 14, 2017 by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky
mikhaeyla kopievsky

Four Act Structure,

Recently I reached the midpoint in the first draft of Divided Elements (Book 2). As anyone
middle of your story, who has read my blog would know, I am not a fan of drafting ‘story middles’. After
novel middle, plot smashing through 5000-word weeks while drafting the first act, I watched with dismay as
problems, plotting, Story
Structure, Three Act
my production levels dropped and my indecision set in.
Structure
So, I did what I always do – I went back and reviewed my story structure.

Like most advice on novel plotting, my own story structure model is great for guiding a
writer through the first and final act – the breakdown in structure is clear and detailed
and logical. But looking at the middle acts and it all breaks down. The gaps between the
single turning point (the Midpoint) stretch for too long and the detail of what is required
is reduced to ‘Plan A’ and ‘Plan B’. Not very helpful, is it?

I’m not alone in that department, though. Even the legendary Save the Cat (Snyder) only
gives us ‘B Story’, ‘Fun and Games’, and ‘Bad Guys Close In’. Story Engineering
(Brooks) makes it even simpler, ‘Reaction’ and ‘Attack’.

Looking back on my plot outline, I knew immediately that the ambiguity around my story
middle was the issue. Whereas all the other acts had detailed notes and clear plot
points, Act 2A and Act 2B were notated with bare, broad-brushed statements – narrative
equivalents of ‘Reaction’ and ‘Attack’.

I needed more detailed advice and guidance, so I started to analyse movies to find a
common structural breakdown (I tend to find movies easier and quicker to analyse…).
And what I discovered was surprising.

All story structure can be broken down into four acts. And those four acts
essentially follow the same structure consisting of five elements.

To draft this story I didn’t need to plot five turning points and the gaps in between, I just
needed to write the first act four times.

“What??” I hear you say.

Stay with me…

THE RINSE & REPEAT STORY STRUCTURE

So, this is my new and improved model of story structure, which borrows heavily from
the old model but re-imagines it from a completely new perspective:

There are four acts: Act 1, Act 2a, Act 2b and Act 3
The main story elements still apply – the inciting incident, the plot points (or
doorways), the pinch points, the midpoint, the dark night of the soul, the final
battle, the denouement – they’re all still there, but they’re framed differently.
There are five elements to each act – i) Status Quo, ii) Incident, iii) Initial Response,
iv) Escalation -/+, and v) Decision
Each act deals with these elements in slightly different ways

And this is how it plays out when plotting a novel:

Act 1 – NO ACTION or WRONG ACTION | Protagonist Mission: Maintain

Status Quo – The Normal World – Showing the current state of play and hinting at
why it shouldn’t (or can’t) continue on the same trajectory…
Introduction to protagonist in a characteristic moment that hints at their
strengths, their ‘armour’ (what they draw comfort, protection, stability and
strength from), and their critical weakness (their ‘fatal flaw’, ‘wound’, ‘misbelief’)
Introduction to the story world or environment that hints at its dark
underbelly, vulnerability or weakness
Early indications, emerging issues and/or opportunities for a potential incident
Incident – The ‘Inciting Incident’ – the incident that threatens the status quo or (as
is often the case in sequels) exacerbates it, and that calls the protagonist to action
Initial Response – Lack of engagement due to avoidance, resistance, ignorance,
inability or error
Escalation -/+ – Increased Threat (the negative) followed by the Removal of the
Obstacle to Action or emergence of a New Incentive for Engagement (the
positive).
Decision – ‘Plot Point 1’ –
Conscious decision to engage, and
Articulating the goal or desire that will drive the protagonist forward from this
point on.

Act 2A – ACTION WITHOUT STRATEGY | Protagonist Mission: Survive

Status Quo – The New World – Showing the Protagonist challenged by and
reacting to the new world they find themselves in
Pandora’s Box – Removing the obstacle to action has introduced a whole raft
of other obstacles to the protagonist goal
Introduction to other players – who assist, distract, antagonise, mentor…
Introduction of subplots – to deal with the various new obstacles presented
‘Promise of the Premise’ – Let’s get tropey! – this is what Snyder calls the ‘Fun
and Games’, it’s all the stuff you imagine when you hear ‘alien caper film’ or
‘time-travel romance novel’.
Incident – ‘Pinch Point 1’ – Hints at the true nature of the threat encountered in
Act 1 and raises the level of tension and expectation. Requires a ‘boosted’ effort
by the protagonist – i.e. deciding to engage isn’t enough; they need to interact
with the threat (note: this is unlikely to be the true antagonist at this stage and
more likely to be a manifestation or cronies or similar…)
Initial Response – Failed attempts. This is the heart of ‘all action, no thinking’.
Everything is reactive, incoherent, unorganised – either because the protagonist
and co are acting in the heat of the moment or because they don’t yet have what
they need (information, resources, expertise, collaboration, etc) to develop a
strategy. In this part of the story, the protagonist is still approaching the new
problem the way they would in the old world.
Escalation -/+ – Threat of overall failure (the negative) – This needs to be HIGH
STAKES! In the face of total failure, the protagonist can not have the option to just
walk away. “Failure is not an option!” Immediately followed by a new
understanding, revelation, or insight (the positive) that changes everything the
protagonist and/or the reader knew (also the ‘Midpoint’)
Decision – To take on the antagonist – To deal with the real problem, not just its
manifestation.

Act 2B – STRATEGY WITHOUT CHANGE | Protagonist Mission – Win

Status Quo – New Imperative – the frenetic action of a new plan coming together.
Anticipation, excitement, urgency. Preparation and initial implementation/roll-out.
Incident – ‘Pinch Point 2’ – Highlights the underestimated strength of the
antagonist and the continued weakness of the protagonist. Sets tone of menace
even though the plan seems to be going swimmingly.
Initial Response – Continued implementation of the plan, building towards
confrontation with antagonist, stringing together small wins, meeting the interim
milestones needed for the plan to ultimately be successful. Building towards the
False Victory. (This is the opposite of the Initial Response in Act 2A)
Escalation -/+ – The plan fails in the worst possible way and all seems lost (the
negative) (also the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’). Immediately followed by a reprieve –
an indication that success can be obtained, but that it will require facing
impossible odds and taking extreme risks.
Decision – ‘Plot Point 2’ – The possibility of success is worth the risk / the threat of
failure demands that every chance of success is pursued. The greater good takes
precedence over personal safety.

Act 3 – CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION | Protagonist Mission: Resolve

Status Quo – Final preparation. Coming to terms with what is being risked.
Shedding the ‘armour’ and confronting the ‘misbelief’.
Incident – ‘Final Battle’ – Confronting the antagonist in the ultimate battle – a zero
sum game – only one can survive.
Initial Response – The protagonist stumbles. This is the moment in The Karate
Kid when Johnny sweeps the leg, or the moment in Rocky when he’s down for the
count, just before the music builds and he lurches himself into one final effort.
Escalation -/+ – Threat of overall failure is palpable (the negative), immediately
followed by new and extreme resolve (the positive).
Decision – The last ditch effort. All-in.

The Decision of Act 3 doesn’t lead into a new act, instead it progresses to:

Outcome – the Protagonist defeats the Antagonist (and either survives, or dies
(literally or metaphorically) in the process)
Impact – the ‘Denouement’ – the resolution of the story. The impact of defeating
the Antagonist. The ‘true’ goal of the protagonist is achieved – the intangible,
bigger picture, ‘thematic’ goal (e.g. happiness, closure, forgiveness, etc)

I hope this helps you with your novel drafting and editing as much as it helped
me. Can you see this structure playing out in your own book or favourite movies?
Does it work? Let me know in the comments!

LIKED THIS? WANT MORE?

Discover the Divided Elements series now with award-winning Resistance (Divided
Elements #1) and just-released Rebellion (Divided Elements #2). Available as paperback or
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9 THOUGHTS ON “RINSE & REPEAT – THE FOUR ACT NOVEL STRUCTURE”

HOW I OUTLINE MY NOVELS IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS – ALYSSA LOST IN SPACE SAYS: […] new to the
novel-writing scene, then you might want to do a bit of research on the three-act, four-act, and five-
! Likeact structure. I also find Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat beat sheet to be really […]
November 5, 2019 at 7:53 am • Reply »

RAYMONDLBURTON SAYS: Thank you for sharing this. I find it immensely helpful as I’m
tweaking my three act structure right now and looking for more of a break down.

! Like
May 5, 2017 at 11:42 pm • Reply »

MORGYNSTARZ SAYS: Dearly beloved, like Caroline, I’ll print this out and give it a hard
stare. IMO, the sweet spot of storytelling lies somewhere between structure and
internalization. Prepare to be tweeted!

! Liked by 1 person
April 14, 2017 at 9:58 am • Reply »

MIKHAEYLA KOPIEVSKY SAYS: Thanks Morgyn! I agree – Structure can only get you
part of the way there. A deeper understanding of your characters, your story problem,
your theme and your story’s driving forces is what fleshes out the skeleton of structure
and breathes life into the novel.

! Liked by 1 person
April 14, 2017 at 4:45 pm • Reply »

CAROLINE SCIRIHA SAYS: I like it and I’ll be printing it out! Actually I keep an abridged
copy of something similar which I honed in from Weiland’s books. The only thing I would
add would be the mirror moment which comes between Act 2a and Act 2b (or 2 and 3 if
we’re thinking 4 acts). It’s when the protag realises she’s been living/ accepting a ‘lie’.
Looking forward to reading how the story continues…

! Liked by 1 person
April 14, 2017 at 1:30 am • Reply »

MIKHAEYLA KOPIEVSKY SAYS: Thanks Caroline! I think the Midpoint is an interesting

plot point – I don’t think it *always* has to be a mirror moment (i.e. the realisation of
the protag living a lie), but I do think it has to signal a dramatic shift in how the
protagonist sees, understands and approaches the problem.

I was watching the new ‘Independence Day’ the other night (let’s just say it wasn’t my
favourite movie, but it still helped with breaking down plot structure) and the midpoint
was the realisation that the old understanding of how to defeat the aliens was no
longer applicable. In ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ (a movie I always use when breaking down
structure, since the plot points are very clear and clean and easy to identify), the
midpoint doesn’t confront Cal’s *lie*, but it does confront his misconception about
what it is he really wants.

For me, the Midpoint has to change either what the protagonist is doing, how they are
doing it, or why they are doing it (if you’re interested, I’ve written more about this here:
https://mikhaeylakopievsky.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/tipping-the-balance-how-to-
find-plan-b-and-write-your-midpoint/ and here: http://publishinginsider.net/how-to-
diagnose-a-sick-story-using-triple-loop-learning/ ) – interested to hear your thoughts!

! Liked by 1 person
April 14, 2017 at 4:42 pm • Reply »

CAROLINE SCIRIHA SAYS: I agree! It took me some time to understand what

Wieland meant by Lie. And I’m still not 100% sure I’ve understood.
To me the midpoint change is more something internal, a new way for the protag
to see herself and her situation, rather than a change of direction in terms of plot. I
believe you say something similar in the blog posts: ” Her motivation changes and
her new Plan B is to let go of the charm and create her own luck.”

! Like
April 14, 2017 at 5:05 pm

MIKHAEYLA KOPIEVSKY SAYS: That’s what I love about story structure – my

understanding of it is always evolving! The most helpful thing I’ve found is testing
story structure models on movies and seeing if they stack up or not. If they don’t, I
look at where the structure falls down and see whether it is a flaw of the movie or
an opportunity to develop the story structure further. It’s really interesting doing
this for genres that you don’t write in – I’ve found so much insight from watching
action movies (where the plot development takes precedence over character
development).

! Like
April 14, 2017 at 5:18 pm

CAROLINE SCIRIHA SAYS: The more I learn about writing and plotting the more I
find I can no longer just sit back and enjoy a book or film. I find myself critiquing it
and analysing what the writer/scriptwriter etc is doing

! Liked by 1 person
April 14, 2017 at 5:28 pm

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