Since I cannot separate fantasy fiction novel writing and my own personal journey, I wanted to share some reflections and connections coming up for me when I think of Act I in young adult fantasy fiction writing and the tie ins I notice from my own personal journey.  

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Act I of the Three Act storytelling structure in a nutshell:

I summarize Act I of the three act storytelling structure as the following, thinking specifically of young adult/ crossover fantasy fiction:

The Protagonist is solving their problems the best way they know how, in order to survive, in order to tend to the wound created by outside forces, outside of their control. Most of their energy goes to this.- Protagonist Magic, Lindsay Leon, 2023

I would essentially call it "Act I: The Wound." You can see my free guide, Protagonist Magic, for brief, conceptual breakdowns of the acts and how to take inventory of your Protagonist's life & world.

Is there ever really, truly a passive Protagonist?

If we can conceptualize Act I as above, then even if in Act I the protagonist feels "passive," disheartened, frozen, completely disenchanted by their life and the world around them... are they ever truly "passive"?

My point is they are doing something.

Something is happening and the writer illustrates what that looks like, on the surface and internally, to the reader. We wouldn't be able to witness the story otherwise!

Personal Reflection on Act I

As I pursued exploring my protagonist's Act I, naturally, I thought of my own "Act I," how that felt and consequently what that looked like. When I realized I felt pretty defeated, powerless, passive in my life during that time, "Act I," then thinking, out of curiosity, how would that translate onto the page... I realized I wasn't entirely passive, 100%, every single day of my life in Act I. When I thought of myself as a Protagonist, and having to use the medium of words for a fiction manuscript, I was able to recognize the actions I did take, what I did pursue, the agency I exercised, what we would "see," read, or what would be narrated or translated on the surface if my life were a novel. You could try the same exercise if your life were a movie. The Protagonist, no matter how they feel internally at the beginning of their Act I, is still tending to their Wound, created by forces outside of their control, the best and only way they know how, with what is available to them. They may not realize it or make the connection, but their energy is being expended in some way, on some level, somewhere.

The Beauty of Act I

And so the beauty of Act I for me, was realizing even though I felt down trodden and defeated, I did, even at my most disenheartened, exercise agency and power to tend to my Wound the best way I (consciously & unconsciously) knew how <3 I was surprised I felt empowered after revisiting that time of my life, with the reframe of myself as a protagonist. Your Protagonist, no matter how down trodden they feel, is tending to their Wound the only way they know how with the resources available to them.

Reflection Questions

Can you think of any examples of Protagonists who may be in freeze or fawn in their Act I?  

What does your Protagonist's Act I look like in their daily life, on the surface? What is it like for them internally?

Resources

If you haven't already, check out my free guide, Protagonist Magic, for exploring & taking inventory of your Protagonist's life, world, the theme they're working towards, and what that looks like for them.

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

If this was helpful, posts like these will be available monthly to subscribers of the blog at the Unicorn level.