Archetypes and Storybeats Part IV: Three Act Structure

Over the last three weeks I’ve blogged about the nexus between certain well-recognized Archetypes and the story structures that go with them.  I’ve reviewed the Hero’s Journey, The Virgin’s Promise, and the Sinner’s Redemption.  There are, undoubtedly, many more story patterns that fit specific archetypes.

But what if you’re writing a story about a protagonist that doesn’t quite fit the archetypal pattern of a Hero, Virgin, or Sinner? 

What if your main character is a Sidekick?  Or a Mentor?  Or a Networker? Or a Judge?  Or, the list goes on. . .  

In an earlier set of blogs, I wrote about using the positive and negative behavioral traits of Archetypes to develop character arcs, independent of the rigid structure imposed by the beat sheets of The Hero’s Journey, The Virgin’s Promise, and the Sinner’s Redemption.  For many authors, the detailed beat sheet is of no help at all in plotting or navigating through a novel’s story.  These authors need a structure that’s much simpler, more free-form, and in many ways more creative.

That’s where the classic three-act story structure is all about.   

You can find all kinds of writing and advice on three-act structure.  I’m a big fan of Michael Hague and his wonderful workshop on these topics in which he outlines the connection between story beats and character arc. 

In Hauge’s take on story structure, a story’s Main Character needs to move from his “identity,” which is the mask he shows the world in order to deal with a wound he’s suffered in his backstory, into his “essence,” which is the fully realized, authentic person that he needs to become.  Take a look at the video clip in which Hague discusses the Main Character’s “inner journey.”

If this sounds a lot like the Virgin’s Promise, or the Sinner’s Redemption, or even the Hero’s Journey, it’s not surprising.  All good stories tell a tale about a Main Character who changes because of the action of the story.  The Hero proves his manhood.  The Virgin empowers herself.  The Sinner sees the error of his ways.  So it’s fair to say that the detailed beat sheets of the Hero’s Journey, the Virgin’s Promise, and the Sinner’s Redemption all follow a basic structure, that’s usually presented in three acts. 

Now, here’s where I’ve added to Hague’s ideas by using behavioral archetypes to help define a character’s identity and essence. Since every character archetype comes with both positive and negative behaviors, I can use the archetype to develop an arc that takes a character from the dark side of his archetype to the light side. 

To give you an idea of this shadow and light quality of archetypes, here are a few:

A Liberator has the ability to free himself and others from outmoded forms of belief.  But a liberator can also impose his own tyranny over the very people he tries to liberate.  Could you write a story about a liberator who learns not to impose his will on the people he’s trying to set free?

An Engineer gives creative energy a practical form.  He has a talent for designing solutions to common problems.  But an Engineer can also rely on mechanical means, and have no regard for emotional consequences.  Could you write story about an Engineer who has to learn compassion?

An Athlete is dedicated to transcending physical limitations and developing personal willpower and strength of spirit, but an athlete can also misuse his ability for personal gain, or have a false sense of invulnerability.  Could you write a story about an Athlete who values money before the love of the game?

A Sidekick is loyal, unselfish, and tenacious.  But a Sidekick’s loyalty is usually be so large that he never moves on to find his own fulfillment.  Could you write a story about a Sidekick who becomes a Hero?

I hope you answered yes to all these questions.  And, just for fun, I’ve used the archetypal shadow and light behaviors of a Sidekick along with a basic three-act story structure to come up with a quick synopsis of a Sidekick story.  Here it is as a series of story beats.

The simple three-act structure above can be used to write any kind of story.  And if you combine it with archetypal behaviors that were first outlined by Carl Jung, you have some very powerful tools for brainstorming story and character arcs. 

I also think that this less rigid beat sheet is perfect for writing a synopsis or coming up with a brief outline, especially if you’re a seat of the pants plotter who doesn’t want to know every scene before you write it.  In fact, the story beats I’ve outlined above, if you put them in paragraph form, would create a very short, but complete, synopsis for this Sidekick story.

Even though I consider myself a tiny bit OCD when it comes to plotting stories, the truth is that I use the three act beat sheet way more often than I use any other story structure because I find that it’s the most fluid and liberating, and the best structure for synopsis writing.

Thanks for tuning in to this blog series.  It’s been fun to write.  Please feel free to ask questions in the comments below. 

And if you’d like to learn more about this topic, I’ll be teaching the three act structure and archetypes at RWA’s convention this July in San Diego.  I’ll also be teaching a workshop on this topic for the Virginia Romance Writers in October.