Welcome to the Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast. I'm K M. Wyland and I am here to take you

deep with story theory, writing techniques, and the incredible wisdom of story.

I believe story is the greatest power on this earth,

and that as writers, we carry the torch of wielding that power

with responsibility, passion, and skill.

There is no such thing as just a story.

Today, it is my honor and my purpose

to help you write your best story,

astound the world, and maybe change your life.

Hello and welcome, you are listening to

The Secrets of Story Structure Part part 9 the third act. The third act is what

readers, writers, and characters have all been waiting for. This final section of the story is the point. It's what you've been

building up to all this time. If the first and second acts were engaging in

aesthetic labyrinths, the third act is where X marks the spot. You've found the treasure. Now it's

time to start digging. Like the previous axe, the third act opens with a bang, but the other two acts it never lets up.

From this point on everyone is in for a wild ride.

All the threads you've been weaving up to this point must now be artfully tied together.

The third act occupies the book's final quarter, beginning around the 75% mark and continuing

until the end. This is a relatively small portion of the story, particularly when considering all that must be accomplished.

Within the third act, we find the final three structural beats, the third plot point at the 75% mark, the climax, which begins around the 88% mark, and the resolution which ends the story.

The third plot point, which we well discuss next week is the final major turning point within the story. Like the first plot point it does not explicitly belong to either the second act that precedes it or the third act that follows it.

Rather, it creates the threshold between the two.

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