Act Two - the Struggle
This is the next installment in the Three Act Structure - Act Two, Part Two is the Struggle.
Act Two is the protagonist's struggle against adversity. This comprises the bulk of most mysteries. When the main character has to try to solve the crime. It is filled with setbacks, each progressively worse with rising action. This is where the protagonist in a mystery will come across the red herrings, false clues, get help from secondary characters and work toward the epiphany which finishes Act Two.
At this point in our mystery, the protagonist has already had the crisis and is now endeavoring to overcome it. For example, in Menu for Murder, Jayne's crisis happened when she was arrested and faced the possibility of life in prison or worse, the death sentence.
The struggle the most exciting part of the story, in that it's where the action builds. Each time the protagonist gets closer to solving the mystery, there is a setback. I like to think of this part of Act Two as a character roller coaster. She goes up to the top and, just when she thinks she knows what's coming, the bottom drops out and she is headed back down-each time faster.
Along the way the character will face obstacles. The author will throw red herrings in the path and false clues to lead the reader astray. If you read mysteries, you may already be aware of red herrings and false clues. Do you think you have the murder figured out before the last few pages? Hopefully, you do! The struggle is fast paced, comprised of shorter dialog and makes your heart race. If not, then the author hasn't done her job.
The suspense continues until we reach the last part of Act Two which is the epiphany. Watch for the next part of the Three Act structure.
Happy trails,
Leslie
Visit my website
Act Two is the protagonist's struggle against adversity. This comprises the bulk of most mysteries. When the main character has to try to solve the crime. It is filled with setbacks, each progressively worse with rising action. This is where the protagonist in a mystery will come across the red herrings, false clues, get help from secondary characters and work toward the epiphany which finishes Act Two.
At this point in our mystery, the protagonist has already had the crisis and is now endeavoring to overcome it. For example, in Menu for Murder, Jayne's crisis happened when she was arrested and faced the possibility of life in prison or worse, the death sentence.
The struggle the most exciting part of the story, in that it's where the action builds. Each time the protagonist gets closer to solving the mystery, there is a setback. I like to think of this part of Act Two as a character roller coaster. She goes up to the top and, just when she thinks she knows what's coming, the bottom drops out and she is headed back down-each time faster.
Along the way the character will face obstacles. The author will throw red herrings in the path and false clues to lead the reader astray. If you read mysteries, you may already be aware of red herrings and false clues. Do you think you have the murder figured out before the last few pages? Hopefully, you do! The struggle is fast paced, comprised of shorter dialog and makes your heart race. If not, then the author hasn't done her job.
The suspense continues until we reach the last part of Act Two which is the epiphany. Watch for the next part of the Three Act structure.
Happy trails,
Leslie
Visit my website
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