the origins of the three-act structure is a pretty fascinating question. i would say that beginning, middle, end are not just inherent to story, but it's basically how our brains process information. i almost think we are hard-wired to look for beginnings, middles and ends in everything.

i would love to hear you talk, or be referred to someone who talks, more about breaking down the third act. This to me is the hardest part to really get my hands on in my own writing. And I've found that for some reason it is always the least discussed in the books/blogs I read. Everyone is always fixating on the first two acts but I find the machinations of those two SO much easier to understand. I know the third act is obviously where all the various threads are brought to their conclusion...but for example you are the first person I can think who breaks that down into three parts. Which is useful! I want to hear more!

i would love to hear you talk, or be referred to someone who talks, more about breaking down the third act. This to me is the hardest part to really get my hands on in my own writing. And I've found that for some reason it is always the least discussed in the books/blogs I read. Everyone is always fixating on the first two acts but I find the machinations of those two SO much easier to understand. I know the third act is obviously where all the various threads are brought to their conclusion...but for example you are the first person I can think who breaks that down into three parts. Which is useful! I want to hear more!

Tanialidov,
There is a book you can buy from Amazon called The 3rd Act. It's not too long, is bright red, and breaks down the third act. It's not a bad book and worth checking out.

IMO, the 3 Act thing is a kind of general storytelling template that applies to most stories.

But true film structure is individualistic. Every movie story has it's own unique structure.

You can use the "3 Act Structure" as a starting point, but your story still has to be different enough from other stories to keep people's attention.

All movies have 3 acts (or beg, mid & end)... but they also have certain story elements-- char's, theme, chronology, obstacles, etc-- that are different from one movie to the next. The arrangement of these story elements is what constitutes true individual structure.

This is why, even though ON GOLDEN POND and PULP FICTION share the same broad storytelling template, they are very different movies that cannot be mistaken for one another.

@Alexv: I've got two books re the brain, one about creativity, that I've had and been meaning to read for years. Your comment has nudged me to finally do that.

@tanialidov: I'll be happy to post some thoughts re Act Three, hopefully in the next day or two.