Discover the essential beats needed for the end of your story, including resolving raised issues and showcasing protagonist growth. From gathering the team to executing the plan, explore the five-part finale structure. Dive into crafting a seamless narrative flow and explore the final image beat depicting the protagonist's change. Get inspired to develop your plotting style and create a fulfilling conclusion for your novel.
Act three focuses on the protagonist's growth and change, integrating lessons learned with their original identity for a new evolved character.
The finale beat resolves all story conflicts, showcasing the protagonist's transformation through a structured approach, including 'gathering the team' and 'digging deep down.'
Deep dives
Key Points of Act Three in Story Structure
At the end of the story, act three focuses on the protagonist's growth and change. It integrates what they've learned with their original identity, creating a new, evolved character. This section emphasizes blending external plot excitement with internal wisdom and growth, delivering the ultimate payoff to readers.
Breakdown of the Five-Part Finale Beat
The finale beat is a crucial multi-scene section where all story conflicts are resolved. It showcases the protagonist's transformation by proving they've absorbed the story's theme. This five-part finale, including elements like 'gathering the team' and 'digging deep down,' offers a structured approach to driving the story to its climax.
Illustrating the Final Image Beat
In the final image beat, the story culminates with a snapshot of the protagonist's changed life since the beginning. This scene contrasts the opening image, highlighting the character's growth and development throughout the narrative. It serves as a definitive conclusion, showcasing the impact of the protagonist's journey on their current state.
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the end of a story, or the final section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:45] A recap of the last three episodes (episodes #47, #48, and #49)/ [03:15] The average novel is about 80k words, and this section (the end) is about 20k of them. If you write 1,500-word scenes, you're looking at about 14 scenes here. [03:40] Some of the beats are single scene beats while others are multi-scene beats. I will tell you which is which! [04:20] Beat #14 is the five part finale! And this beat is all about resolving all the problems that were raised in act one and act two. It's also about showing how much your protagonist has changed since page one. [05:45] Five Part Finale Part 1: Gathering the Team. [07:00] Five Part Finale Part 2: Executing the Plan. [08:35] Five Part Finale Part 3: High Tower Surprise. [10:15] Five Part Finale Part 4: Dig Deep Down. [12:15] Five Part Finale Part 5: Execution of the New Plan. [15:00] Beat #15 is the final image. And this is a single scene beat that shows how much your protagonist has changed since the opening image. [18:25] Key points and episode recap.
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