By Jill Williamson
The plot of a story is simply the series of events that takes your character from the beginning of the story to the end as he chases after his story goal. By far, the most popular plot structure is the three act structure that divides a story into three parts: setup, confrontation, and resolution. This is by far the most popular plot structure and perhaps the oldest too. Greek philosopher Aristotle gets credit for the idea since he said in his Poetics, “A whole is what has a beginning and middle and end.” Hollywood has perfected this structure, as have novelists, because it works. Let’s look at the movie The Wizard of Oz for an example.
In the Beginning, we see our hero in her everyday world. Dorothy is running home. Miss Gulch threatened Toto, and Dorothy wants to tell her aunt and uncle. But no one has time for Dorothy’s concerns. We see how her life is far from perfect.
Then Miss Gulch arrives and takes Toto away. There is nothing anyone can do. Dorothy is weeping in her room when Toto jumps through the window. He ran away from Miss Gulch! But Dorothy knows Miss Gulch will be back. And here we have our Inciting Incident. Dorothy packs up, and she and Toto run away.
The inciting incident is sometimes called the opening disturbance. It is the something that happens, usually by the end of chapter one, to get the story moving.
Shortly thereafter comes the Second Thoughts. This is the Will they?/Won’t they? part of the story where the main character thinks about whether or not to go on the adventure. The character usually says “no” here (before ultimately saying “yes” at the climax of Act One). In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy meets Professor Marvel and asks to join him to see all the crown heads of Europe. He checks his crystal ball (after peeking into her things) and plays on her love of Aunt Em to get Dorothy to go home.
As Dorothy runs home, a storm is brewing. She arrives too late to get into the shelter, and her house is whisked away by a tornado to the magical Land of Oz. Here she meets many new characters, including Glenda. Dorothy is a hero in Munchkinland for killing the Wicked Witch of the East and is invited to stay, but she only wants to go home. Glenda tells her that only the Wizard of Oz could possibly help. Dorothy is faced with a choice: stay in Munchkinland or travel to the Emerald City in hopes of going home to Kansas. This is the place in the three-act structure where the main character stands at a crossroads. She must choose a course of action that will change the course of the story. Make a plan and embark upon it. Dorothy chooses to go, which is the Climax of Act One, and steps through the door of no return.
Act Two: Confrontation
Our hero then sets out on her journey. Dorothy meets several new companions (Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion), and develops some subplot objectives such as getting a brain, heart, and courage for her new friends. She also faces many unexpected Obstacles: angry trees, a fireball from the Wicked Witch, and sleep-inducing poppies. Yet our heroes prevail and reach the Emerald City and the merry old Land of Oz. They are pampered, and after a few more Obstacles, are finally taken before the great and powerful Wizard of Oz.
Up until now, Dorothy has been led to believe that once she sees the Wizard, all her problems will be solved. She will go home, the Scarecrow will get a brain, the Tin Man a heart, and the Lion some courage. The group is feeling confident that success is imminent. Until the Wizard refuses to help. Their journey had been a waste of time. Dorothy will never get home. Our hero’s goals come crashing all around her. Then comes the Midpoint Twist. The Wizard offers to help on one condition: Dorothy must steal the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West and bring it to the Wizard.
Midpoint twists often put the main character at another crossroads. She must choose a course of action that will again change the course of the story. Usually this choice is a no-win situation. To say yes is to seek out the Wicked Witch of the West. But to say no is to admit defeat and never get home to Kansas. Dorothy again steps through the door of no return, choosing to go and get that broom.More obstacles happen and the stakes are raised. Our heroes pass through a haunted forest and are attacked by the Witch’s flying monkeys. Dorothy and Toto are caught (Disaster) and brought before the Wicked Witch, leaving the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion alone. The Witch threatens to hurt Toto if Dorothy doesn’t give over the ruby slippers. Dorothy agrees, but the Witch realizes she can’t take the slippers while Dorothy is alive. Toto escapes, leaving Dorothy alone, so the Witch turns over an hourglass, giving Dorothy an hour to live while she concots her plan as to how to delicately kill Dorothy. This leaves Dorothy alone to experience the Crisis (also called the “All is Lost” or dark moment). She sees Aunt Em in the Witch’s crystal ball and believes there is no way to survive. She has truly failed.
Act Three: Resolution
Meanwhile, Toto finds the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. This group prepares to storm the castle and rescue Dorothy. This is the most climactic point in the story and leads to the (Climax) when Dorothy destroys the Witch with a bucket of water. What follows in the Wrap-Up (or finale) is that Dorothy and her friends return to the Emerald City with the Wicked Witch’s broom. They have succeeded. They discover the Wizard is a fraud, yet he still helps them. They realize they’ve had what they wanted all along, which was proved when they stormed the Witch’s castle. The Scarecrow had used his brain to strategize, the Tin Man had showed emotion, and the Lion had bravely dressed like a guard to rescue Dorothy. And, Dorothy, needed only to click her heels and wish to be home in order to return.
The End (or Denouement) occurs at the very end of the story. This is where all the loose ends are tied up. Dorothy wakes up at home in Kansas, surrounded by her loved ones and says, “There’s no place like home.”