Act II was/can be a scary act, for me at least. It’s the heaviest, beefiest of the three acts and can either drag a story down, bringing it to a grinding halt, or it can raise the stakes and tension for a sweet payoff in Act III. Act II is really where the hero is thrown into their new world to flourish or flounder. It’s the opposite of Act I, the comfy reality the hero trudged through as their every day life. Act II is the time when the hero is put through the ringer, challenge after challenge, obstacle after obstacle, with success or failure hanging by a thread. It’s where the fun & games play out, the promise of the hook of the story the reader is looking for. For my debut novel, HOST, it’s where my characters are on the run, trust is at an all-time low among everyone, and I put my main characters through the worst I could throw at them given the situation. Knowing all this I feel Act II is a little less scary now, and I’m looking forward to getting to it for book 2. Tim and I get into the nitty gritty of Act II story beats from Save the Cat! Writes a Novel in our latest episode and our own trials and tribulations with Act II.
Categories: Podcast
