Scott, you are right about beginning - middle - end, but how do you find the transition from beginning to middle and the transition from middle to end? How do you figure out the middle anyway, which is the biggest part of your movie? Most writers are afraid of mechanical stories and find the three act structure limiting, because it proposes that specific events have to happen at specific pages in their script. The 22 steps Truby presents in his book are actually more specialized beats you can find in the hero's journey, updated to our modern understandig. They grow organically out of your hero. You can switch the order around when you need to. You don't need all of the beats in every story and you can even add more (like more reveals), depending mostly on the length of the story. A lot of screenwriting gurus tell people they need an "all is lost" moment in their script. Truby calls this "the appearant defeat" (which can also be an "appearant victory"), but you can clearly tell a story without it. It all depends on your hero and his psychological and moral journey. Truby says that seven key elements have to be in every good story (I put the counterparts of the hero's journey in brackets): 1. Weakness & Need (Ordinary World) 2. Desire (Call to Adventure, Crossing the Threshold) 3. Opponent (Enemies & allies) 4. Plan (Challenges) 5. Battle (Final Challenge) 6. Self-Revelation (The Elixir) 7. New Equilibrium (The Return, Master of both worlds)

Given the importance of the midpoint as a major beat point, and the relative page count for different acts (i.e Act II is generally twice as long as Act I or Act III), isn't the 3 act structure really a 4 act structure: Act I, Act IIa, Act IIb, Act III?

Sven, as I say, there is no right way to write. Every writer is different. Every story is different. If John Truby floats your boat, good for you. But I believe he has been one of the 'gurus' who has derided three act structure (if I'm wrong, let me know). And for the reasons I pointed out in the OP, one has to be careful about following that advice. Look, I just got back from the Austin Film Festival. I talked with dozens of professional screenwriters. In almost every conversation we had about story structure, the consistent talking point was three act structure. Beginning, Middle, End. You can write your scripts however you'd like. But if you expect to be able to communicate to a Hollywood movie development person as well as agents, managers, directors and actors, it's almost a lock you will need to be able to think and talk in terms of that approach. Moreover, as noted, it's not just about the overall structure of a script, but also scenes, sequences, and subplots. Finally per Truby's seven key elements you have detailed (I have never read Truby myself), it appears he is riffing off J. Campbell's Hero's Journey. And even there I see three movements: 1 + 2 = Act One (Beginning) with Crossing the Threshold from Old World to New the transition into Act Two. 3 + 4 = Act Two (Middle) 5 + 6 + 7 = Act Three (Ending) Even Campbell himself articulated the Hero's Journey with three macros movements: Separation. Initiation. Return. At the end of the day, it's all semantics as story trumps theory, the organic nature of narrative having primacy over ANY paradigm we choose to use. I just happen to love and find a natural affinity for the number three in relation to story.

pliny, as you know from taking my Core classes, I teach Narrative Throughline in which there are two 'realms' to the screenplay universe: External World (Plotline), the domain of Action and Dialogue. Internal World (Themeline), the domain of Intention and Subtext. The former is where the physical journey takes place. The latter is where the psychological journey takes place. [I am speaking metaphorically, of course, not literally, simply using these artifices for story development purposes.] In the Plotline, I bring in the Whammo Theory which suggests that every 10 pages or so, something needs to go Whammo. Hence 10 Major Plotline Points: Act One: The Opening, The Hook, The Lock Act Two: Deconstruction Test, Transition, Reconstruction Test, All Is Lost Act Three: On The Offensive, Final Struggle, Denouement However to your point in the Themeline, there is a persistent form to the Protagonist's metamorphosis as evidenced in a majority of mainstream Hollywood movies which we can understand to be this: Disunity (Act I) Deconstruction (Act IIA) Reconstruction (Act IIB) Unity (Act III) So yes, we can look at the second act as being comprised of two movements as it relates to the Protagonist's transformation. Note: These are all generalities, not rules, but tools for crafting a script. In other words... NARRATIVE THROUGHLINE IS NOT A FORMULA!!!!!! Rather it is a representation of one way -- not the ONLY way -- to craft a screenplay. It happens to be one that I find replicated in dozens of successful movies, but it descriptive, not prescriptive. As to midpoints, which is something both you and Sven brought up, when I lead workshops, we spend a great deal of time dealing with them, not only the Transition in the middle of Act Two, but how to brainstorm and construct each act. For example in Prep, one stage of development is to come up with the Four Primary Plotline Points: What is the beginning of the story? What is the end of Act One? What is the end of Act Two? What is the end of the story? By the way, it's entirely possible to write a screenplay just knowing those four Plotline Points. However I find for most writers, going the next step to determine Ten Major Plotline Points is super helpful in creating a more well-defined backbone for the story's structure. So if you have the beginning and the end of Act One, brainstorm what is the MIDPOINT of the first act? What significant event happens that upsets the norm and can act as a Call To Adventure to the Protagonist? Likewise if you know the end of Act One and the end of Act Two, you can brainstorm what is the MIDPOINT of the second act, oftentimes an event which causes the Protagonist to move from Deconstruction (Reactive) to Reconstruction (Proactive). And once you have the Transition, you can do the same thing: What is the MIDPOINT between the end of Act One and the Transition? What is the MIDPOINT between the Transition and the end of Act Two? So midpoints can be hugely helpful in the brainstorming and plotting process. This is all content I teach through Screenwriting Master Class in depth. It is an approach many professional screenwriters who have worked with me use. I recently returned from a 4-day Quest Workshop in which we used this approach with ten writers and their stories to extraordinary results. In short, it can work. But as I say, it is only ONE approach, not THE approach... because I don't believe there is THE approach or AN approach or ONE approach to screenwriting.

A coincidence that this question was posted today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mI3mxi90bA This is anecdotal, but I've heard similar experiences from others, so I don't doubt its blanket veracity: Whether you like it or not -- and this of course is meaningless if you plan on producing your scripts yourself -- but most anyone in the film industry who can do anything to produce your script is looking for three-act structure. Sure, a lot of those people might not know exactly what they're looking for in terms of storytelling, but they want three-act structure.

Zach, precisely. Plus there's this: I wonder how much of what is being peddled out there by screenwriting 'gurus' creates a sort of complex language system or paradigm as if to mystify the process of writing a script, thereby setting themselves up as the SECRET KEY to demystifying the same process. If I say, "Well, your story basically has to have a Beginning, Middle and End, and the rest of it is you digging into the story and characters, and gutting through a lengthy, laborious process to find the narrative," that's probably not as sexy as, "Hey, learn this SYSTEM or this APPROACH which cuts through all the haze and simplifies the process." The problem with formulas, however, is they often lead to surface-level, formulaic writing. At some point, each writer needs to figure out an approach that works for THEM. If they find inspiration in this or that 'guru,' great. But unless that translates into great screenwriting, it's pretty much a waste of time and money. Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. Beginning, Middle, End. Go into the story and find the animals. That can get a writer where they need to go if they are dedicated enough and stick to it long enough, assuming of course they have talent. And you don't need to spend a dime to do it.

Of course he's deriding it, because it's superficial. Three act structure isn't wrong at all and that's the problem. It's only half of the truth. It doesn't help you very much in writing an organic story, because it's an observation from the outside. As you said, every writer has to GO INTO THE STORY to find the animals. The approach itself doesn't matter. May it be analytical like me, or stream of consciousness or methodologic or a combination of those. You can use whatever model you like. You can start with plot, with character, with a thought, with a premise, with a scene ... In the end, the result is important. Everytime the hero's internal development shapes the three movements BEGINNING - MIDDLE - END, the story will be organic, coming from the inside out and not from the outside in. Of course Truby is riffing on the hero's journey, but his steps show you what's going on inside the character: * While the call to adventure is an event from the outside, the hero's desire is his internal motivation. * The opponent is the best character to attack the hero's great weakness, not just someone. * While the challenges are external manifestations, the plan of the hero is his way of solving the problem. * While the ordinary world shows the problem of the hero, weakness and need are the internal reasons for its existance. You are definitely right about communicating stories to people outside of the writing community. Three movements is easy to comprehend. But first you have to find your animals and only the hero of the story can help you with that.

Couldn't agree more. It takes time and effort to be a good screenwriter (and talent of course). There's a lot of trial and error with prep and actual writing, but eventually -- if you stick with it -- you find your process and then you're off and running.