Core structure

Three-Act Structure template

Plan setup, confrontation, and resolution with a visual three-act structure template for novels, screenplays, and short fiction.

Best for: Almost any story that needs a simple beginning, middle, and end.

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Three-act story structure shown as a visual plot map
Template beats

What to map first

Put these beats down before you write the scene list. The order matters less than the connections: what causes what, what mirrors what, and where the story changes direction.

  1. 1Opening
  2. 2Inciting Incident
  3. 3Act One Turn
  4. 4First Trial
  5. 5Midpoint
  6. 6Second Trial
  7. 7All Is Lost
  8. 8Climax
  9. 9Resolution
Step 1

Start with the act turns and midpoint before adding smaller scenes.

Step 2

Connect each turning point to the decision that causes it.

Step 3

Use the map to check whether Act Two escalates instead of drifting.

Best fit

  • Novels
  • Screenplays
  • Short stories
  • Writers who want a flexible starter structure

Watch for

  • Act Two can stay vague unless you add real pressure and reversals.
  • The template shows shape, but it will not solve weak character motivation by itself.
Related templates
Screenplay structure

Save the Cat Beat Sheet

Fifteen screenplay beats mapped as connected story events, with mirrors between the opening, theme, midpoint, and final image.

Novel planning

Novel Outline

A book-planning template for turning a premise into acts, chapters, character turns, and subplot checkpoints.

Screenwriting

Screenplay Outline

A film-outline template for logline, act turns, sequences, beats, and scene-level pressure.