New people - please feel free to continue to introduce yourselves!
Okay @Everyone ! It is very early Saturday morning for me and that means it's time for our first discussion. For the first few discussions, I'm going to drop some infographics that explains things. I may not always have time to make these, but sometimes I will so that the topic itself gets explained alongside the discussion.
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Oh, well, uhhhh
(might as well talk about my projects, I guess)
Ummm.. I really don't know how to describe my main comic project, but like I'm sure that there's some anime or manga like it out there in the world lol it's Japanese police officers hunting down yokai with super backhanded special abilities, the only real thing keeping it "unique" is the fact that the main character duo is an older sister and her younger brother.
The other idea is a short GL thing we're barely developing. There's room for drama, but I wanna keep it light-hearted as possible even if it gets crazy. The rough idea being that two best friends are close, but one likes the other.. thing is, she's about to move, and uhh.. silly shenanigans happen in a huge downhill run. I wanna have it have like just.. a fun, airy vibe, idk something like Studio Ghibli movies. Obviously not as skilled, but you know
Hey everyone!
So, most of the of the work I'm putting out as of now is general audience friendly. I draw with the idea in mind that a lot of people might it (even if that's not the case now), and that will reflect back on me. I try not to alienate anybody. Of course, I can't really accomplish that but still. Now, the literature I write is all the way on the other side of the spectrum, at least the one I'm working on now. I think the thing keeping me from finishing it is that, in all honesty I've never finished a project before. Not only is this project far removed from my norm, it is also such a hard reflection of the major issue I have in my writing: shallowness and a lack of structure. So I'm hoping to get some good advice and interesting perspectives from this thread.
Welcome @IndigoShirtProd !
I just started in Historical! It was shaky, but I loved writing the book. I'm more of a contemporary writer. Which one do you prefer? Do you have a preference between contemporary and historical fiction?
So many people who want to go into this! Maybe one day we'll have a discussion about self-publishing. Welcome!
I'm sure you'll get there!
@Chita Welcome to the thread. 
Answers to the daily discussions!
I think it's main purpose is to over a template for proper story pacing.
Just like "The Heros Journey" it's a simplification of what works---it's one of those things that people also do subconsciously when telling stories. We all know that we need to introduce a character, and that we need to tell the important bits of our stories, and that we need to end a story (3 act structure.) It's used because it works and because it's engaging enough to an audience.
The three-act structure is fine for most genres, but in genres like Mystery and Crime where most storytelling uses parallel timelines, and disjointed act arrangements to keep the mystery hidden, it becomes ineffective.
Most contemporary romance novels.
Master Of The Game, Kiss The Girls, Tell Me Your Dreams (all Mystery and Crime novels.)
Name: Cal
Pronouns: she/her
Genres: fantasy, horror, paranormal, romance, western
Writing journey: I honestly have no idea right now
Link to account: https://tapas.io/calblackwriter1
The three act structure is basically your expanded 'every story has a beginning, middle, and end' explanation for elementary school. I'd say it's the most popular structure because it's the easiest to adhere to and gets the point across effectively. But I suppose adhering to it strictly can snuff out a lot experimentation.
Most works I've come across use the three act structure, while varying the lengths of each act of course. But I think one that does this beautifully is The Breadwinner (highly recommend it. It's on netflix!). You're introduced to the protagonist, her family and living situation. Shit goes down. She overcomes her fears and finds the courage to embark on a difficult journey where we witness her trials and tribulations. And there's a resolution for her and her family at the end.
Things that break the structure can be anything not intended to tell a set narrative with a problem to be solved or characters to be developed: the Travels of Marco Polo for example, or any sort of historical/factual account.
Hello,everyone! Big thanks to @KRWilliams for starting this thread. A lot of valuable information to go around!
Preferred Name: Makayla
Pronouns: She / Her
Genres you create: Fantasy and Paranormal romances. My tag line is “romance that bites”!
Where you plan to take your writing journey: I want a combination career of writing serial fiction and traditional publishing.
Link to Tapas Account: https://tapas.io/makaylasophia2
Answering the daily questions!
What do you think is the purpose of the three act structure?
The three act structure is a guiding post for stories that has worked since basically the beginning of stories. It introduces characters, a conflict, and a resolution.
Why do you think this structure is the most popular among storytellers across the world?
It’s popular because it works. There’s lots of ways to manipulate it. It’s a general outline with tons of wiggle room.
What issues do you think sticking rigidly to a three act structure could cause?
Personally? Not a lot. A lot of stories that may seem like they’re not three act structures could potentially be three act structures. Going with the three acts doesn’t necessarily mean there needs to be a singular timeline, point of view, etc. There’s a lot of movement and a lot of ways to move around.
If there is one issue, it could be potentially focusing too much on plot development or character development, instead of finding a nice ground between the two.
What works can you think of that use a simple three act structure?
Most things I think of use three act structures. @saintc mentioned romance, and I agree with that. A lot of children’s, middle grade, and teen also use the three act structure.
What works can you think of that break the rules of the three act structure?
A lot of sequels break away from the three act. Especially in trilogies, the middle book can tend to me a middle ground between an overarching story. Instead of having one storyline that connects the three, sometimes it’s the middle act of the bigger picture.
A bit late for Introductions day because of timezones but gonna hop in anyway!
Preferred Name: Ivan (pen name)
Pronouns: He / Him (I'm female but chose a male pen name for marketing reasons. So it would be weird to call she/her with that pen name)
Genres you create: Action, Scifi, Mystery, Drama (Romance as subplot)
Where you plan to take your writing journey: Would love to have my novels published! But a more achievable goal is to gain more readers and earn a little side money.
Link to Tapas Account: https://tapas.io/ivanskilling
Also to answer the discussion for today:
What do you think is the purpose of the three act structure?
I think the structure helps authors to stay on track.
Why do you think this structure is the most popular amongst storytellers across the world?
The three-act structure is easy to remember and most importantly, general enough to allow room for innovation and experimentation.
What issues do you think sticking rigidly to a three-act structure could cause?
I don't think there's an issue in general. But if one were to compromise the logic or flow of the plot, character development for the sake of sticking to the structure, then it could result in a flawed story.
What novels can you think of that use a simple three act structure?
A lot of novels can be characterized as using that structure. It's a very general structure after all.
What novels can you think of that break the rules of the three-act structure?
Maybe those novels that end with an unresolved problem (although they tend to resolve others). Also novels that start at the end and progress in a reverse time chronological order. (I've personally written one such story and boy was it interesting and fun to write! )
Preferred Name: Nau / Nau Koko
Pronouns: She/Her
Genres you create: Romance, Drama
Where you plan to take your writing journey: Well I started my comic because I really wanted to see the story drawn out personally...And I wanted to try drawing comics as the thought has been on my mind for years, I just could never make the jump to it from 'just' illustrating. Something that really pushed me to start this year was reading akiko hiashimura's autobiographical manga Kakukaku Shikajika.
I don't have any lofty goals with it at the moment, I'd just be really happy to complete it. ^^
Link to Tapas Account: https://tapas.io/naukoko14
Time to answer the questions
What do you think is the purpose of the three-act structure?
I just learned this, i think it is a good first step for us writers, it helps to structure our stories and it is definitely going to help me.
What do you think is the purpose of the three-act structure?
I think it helps to structure the author thoughts on what they want to write for their story for me. I will be using it for sure
What issues do you think sticking rigidly to a three-act structure could cause?
Hmm I am not sure but maybe it may not make the story not flow or too structured not sure
What novels can you think of that use a simple three-act structure?
Pretty much every one of them if they do. It is a good structure
What novels can you think of that break the rules of the three-act structure?
Most of the novels I have read unconsciously use this structure, most resolve the problem and gives us a little epilogue at the end
My apologies if I get any of this wrong, I'm not a writer... or really very good at anything involving writing.
- What do you think is the purpose of the three act structure?
I see it as a guideline for pacing and an overall solid story structure.
- Why do you think this structure is the most popular amongst storytellers across the world?
It's really to work with, the instructions are very clear and the layout is overall simple. At least, that's why I would think it's so popular.
- What issues do you think sticking rigidly to a three act structure could cause?
I imagine, just like with putting too much focus on anything, it could be detrimental to your story. Not every story works with this kind of structure, forcing in this kind of structure for all of them make affect pacing, how the story is told and how the characters act. It's better to put the focus on the story first, brainstorming whether it would call for a three act structure or structure of a different kind.
- What works can you think of that use a simple three act structure?
Lol most stories, at least the movies I've seen. I guess one example would be Jurassic Park, we get act 1 where all the characters and the park are introduced, the midpoint where the dinosaurs escape, the climax is that iconic moment where the raptors are about to kill everyone, the T-Rex bursts into the lobby and eats the raptors. Which allows everyone to escape, leading to the resolution showing the MCs flying home.
- What works can you think of that break the rules of the three act structure?
This one is a little tougher to answer since I'm admittedly not the most well versed in writing, also opinions on this are more subjective. Like, there are people who see Forrest Gump as a movie that breaks the three act structure due to it's style of narrative with how the flashbacks and present day stuff is laid out, while other's see it fitting right in with the said structure.
I guess for me personally, one movie I can name off the top of my head that I feel doesn't fit the three act structure is Swiss Army Man. If not for the introduction style, or the fact that it feels like it has more peaks and valleys, but it kinda has two climaxes. The first one where Hank escape a bear attack thanks to corpse-man Daniel Radcliffe learning to walk, and they scare it away with a fire explosion. The second, smaller one, is when the cops are about the arrest Hank for stealing corpse-man Daniel Radcliffe and taking him to the shoreline. But before they could take Hank he farts, causing corpse-man Daniel Radcliffe to "come back to life" and jet fart his way back into the ocean, making everyone except Hank question what just happened.
I may be misreading the structure of Swiss Army Man, but it is a very unique film regardless.
As for the writing exercise, I don't really feel like breaking out my MS Paint or Photoshop since it's my bedtime, but I will say I don't think it quiiite fits into the three act structure. The pacing is very slow and doesn't progress like a normal story, there are about two major realization moments and one major event, also the story gets more sad or upsetting until it reaches the second realization moment after the major event. So it's like: Act 1 - Act 2 - Act 3 - Act 2 - Act 3 - Act 3? Although this may be my lack up understanding talking, and my comic could very well have a normal three act structure.
I know that shaky feel! I guess I'm more of a contemporary writer. I love writing contemporary because I find it easier to write the backdrop. (though I have to keep up with the latest trends 
) Historical fiction is challenging for me because of lots of research needed, like double compared with contemporary. But I love writing it because it's like creating your imagined society.
What do you think is the purpose of the three act structure?
It's structure. Anything with structure is often perceived as good. I especially think that this form holds a lot of value in one-shot books. And by that, I mean, a story that starts and ends with one book.
Why do you think this structure is the most popular amongst storytellers across the world?
The format. It's sequential and uni-directional. Most stories are linear, and benefit greatly from such form. I think that's what adds to the beauty of this format. Interestingly, I've been writing for so long, and I've been kind of winging it. Never really studied the three-act structure until your infographic, @KRWilliams. But I can see patterns form from the way I've written my other books, when in comparison with the three-act structure. It's almost wired into your brain to write that way, and at the same time, I think the readers are also wired to read stories the same way. That probably adds to the popularity.
What issues do you think sticking rigidly to a three-act structure could cause?
I love this question! And the reason I love this question is, I try my best to not think of a structure when writing my stories. I like to think of building a world, its characters, and its premise. Now. After developing personalities, I often step back and let the story simmer the way it's supposed to. I loosely hold onto the overall plot, but I let the characters guide the story more strongly. It helps with my emotions as well.
Several of my characters have died because that's just how they would've reacted in such a situation, or because they simply couldn't overcome said situation no matter how hard they tried. Similarly, one person's decision, at a certain point, would have made my life as a writer much better, but instead, due to their personality, they end up doing something else entirely, throwing a wrench into my plan and progress of the story. When you create a world, you can't become its god. I think that's the beauty of writing, unless you're writing non-fiction, to allow the characters to carry your story forward, even if it stops being uni-directional. Does that still ensure a three-act structure? Perhaps. But I'm fine even if it breaks away from it in such scenarios.
What novels can you think of that use a simple three-act structure?
I grew up reading a ton of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, and also a ton of Jeffry Archer's works. They're usually very defined stories. And I think they fit best with the structure in question.
What novels can you think of that break the rules of the three-act structure?
The Alchemist from Paulo Coelho comes to mind, despite being a one-shot. In my opinion, it's as far as you can get from a three-act structure. But it was still wildly entertaining, and with a good sense of finality attached to it. Let's see, anything that spans over several books, or even manga or manhwa? Although, one could argue that they follow bite-sized three-act structures throughout the course of their arcs. But in totality, are all those pieces necessary for the story to have progressed from A to Z? Take One Piece, for example. It's a story with a defined plot and ending - Become the Pirate King. But if you remove one or two, or even multiple arcs between chapter 1 and chapter 900, does it still take away from the overall story? I don't think so.
That felt great to write!
