The three-act structure is fine, sure, but what about the five-act structure? It isn’t all that different, don’t worry! If you like working with three acts, but they don’t give you quite the support you’d like, you might find five acts more helpful. So: what’s included in the five-act structure? What are its advantages, and how can you use it? Let’s take a look!
What is the five-act structure?
The five-act story is based on Freytag’s pyramid, one of the oldest known dramatic structures. It’s made up of the following:
Exposition
In the first act, your readers should see the inciting incident. The moment that kicks off the whole story. You also have this act to set the scene for your story. Worldbuilding, introduction of your protagonist and other key characters.
You want to set up the world the character starts in, so that when you move into the second act the difference is clear. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a difference of setting. But it should be obvious that your main character can’t just slide back into their old life. The only way out is through!
Rising action
In act two, the drama kicks into gear! This is where your main character, or characters, start trying to solve the problem introduced in the inciting incident. They come across obstacles on the way, of course. You can’t make it too easy for them, after all! The challenges should get more severe, and the stakes higher, as we move through this act. This is also likely to be the longest part of your five-act story.
Climax or midpoint
The central turning point of your story should go here. A significant confrontation, perhaps, or a big battle. If the central conflict of your story is an internal one, the midpoint might involve some deep reflection on the part of your protagonist. This is likely to be the shortest arc of your novel.
Falling action
This act mirrors the progress of act two. If things were going steadily better for your characters in the run-up to the climax, this is the act where everything falls apart. If everything got increasingly dire in act two, post-midpoint things should start to look up. Then, finally, we have…
Denouement
The final act gives readers the pay-off to everything that has come before. The finale, and the tying up of any loose ends. Often the shortest act, you may only need a handful of scenes to wrap up your story.
Why use the five-act structure to write your story?
The five-act structure can be helpful in planning out the various components of your story. The three-act structure provides a loose framework, but not a lot of guidance. Breaking up your story into smaller, more manageable chunks, can be helpful if you’re having difficulty.
This structure can be particularly helpful for shaping the middle of your story. As the middle of the plot is often the most challenging section, having it further divided like this is often helpful!
Are there any disadvantages to the five-act structure?
The greater specificity might well be helpful if you’re hoping to use the structure to get you un-stuck while plotting or drafting. But that same feature can also make it difficult to apply the five-act story structure more broadly. It’s not as flexible as the three-act structure, and not all stories will fit into it as a result.
Do you find the five-act story structure helpful when writing?
Or do you prefer to play around with structure, without playing to a specific rule book? Let me know in the comments!
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