Plotting + Outlining: Combining the Three-Act Structure & Eight-Point Arc
- M.L. Bull
- May 16
- 4 min read
Updated: May 16
Every story has a beginning, middle, and ending, but when it comes to plotting and outlining, things become much more complex than just pen and paper. Writers and authors can take many different approaches to plotting and outlining a novel or short story before taking on the drafting stage. Some writers use the Snowflake Method, some use the Saving Cat Method, and others use the good ole Plot Diagram. For this post, I'll be discussing combining the three-act structure with Nigel Watts' eight-point arc.
While plotting and outlining can be extremely detailed, I'm myself am not an extensive plotter who knows every scene and sequel prior to writing stories, as I like to give my characters more freedom and exploration during a storyline. After all, it's their life stories--I'm just the one writing it. Nonetheless, I'm also a planster who likes to know all the major plot points in the main and sub plots prior to writing the first drafts of my novels or short stories. Plot points are the pivotal story events that absolutely must happen to complete a story. But before I discuss combining the three-act structure and eight-point-arc, first I'll go over exactly what these two plotting structures consists of and how to outline them. Let's dive in!
WATCH THE EPISODE
See episode 9 of season 3 of my Journey of a Christian Writer series, Plotting and Outlining: Combining the Three-Act Structure & Eight-Point Arc or continue reading the blog post.
THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Three-act structure is a plotting method mostly used for plays, movies, and TV scripts, but many novelists also use this structure. The first act is the beginning, the second act is the middle, and the third act is the ending. As you can see from the three-act structure, the first act is the setup, the second act is the confrontation, and the third act is the resolution.
ACT 1 - THE BEGINNING
The Setup is the introduction of the story where the exposition, inciting incident, and plot point 1 take place. Characters and settings are introduced (exposition), and something happens to set off the story and alter the characters' ordinary world (inciting incident), resulting in a point of no return. Hence, the (plot point 1).
ACT 2 -CONFRONTATION
The Confrontation is where the midpoint and plot point 2. The protagonist or characters have grown, but another major setback has happened (midpoint), causing the stakes to rise. As a result, the protagonist or characters go into an action mode with renewed strength. Hence, the (plot point 2).
ACT 3 - RESOLUTION
The Resolution is where the climax and resolution take place. Sometimes a (pre-climax) is set before the climax; but overall, this is where the protagonist or characters face and confront their greatest challenge (climax), and the story ties up and slows down, showing the protagonist's new stasis or new normal and how they have changed for the better or worse. Hence, the (resolution).
THE EIGHT-POINT ARC BY NIGEL WATTS
The eight-point arc is a plotting method by Ph. D novelist Nigel Watts, which he talks about in his writing non-fiction book, Write a Novel and Get It Published.
This plotting method is very precise and to the point and includes eight plot points that form a cohesive storyline. These plot points are stasis, trigger, quest, surprise, critical choice, climax, reversal, and resolution.
The first plot point, (stasis) is where the exposition of the protagonist's ordinary world is introduced. This is the equilibrium of the protagonist before they are faced with story obstacles and complications.
The second plot point, (trigger) is when an unexpected event or inciting incident happens and interrupts the stasis, starting the story's main conflict.
The third plot point, (quest) is when the protagonist or characters actively pursues a goal or some need as a result of the trigger. Hence, this is where the protagonist's inner journey begins to unfold.
The fourth plot point, (surprise) is when unexpected twists or turns and complications arise that make the quest more challenging and difficult. It's important to note this surprise can also be positive or negative.
The fifth plot point, (critical choice) is when the protagonist is forced to make some kind of decision based on the surprise, which pushes them forward closer toward the climax.
The sixth plot point, (climax) is the highest point of tension and conflict, which results from the protagonist's critical choice.
The seventh plot point, (reversal) is the result of the climax where the protagonist goes through an internal transformation and their situation changes significantly in the storyline.
The eighth plot point, (resolution) is when the protagonist reaches a new normal or new stasis and the plot comes to closure, ending with a reveal of how the characters have changed over the storyline.
Now that I've gone over the three-act structure and eight-point arc, how do writers combine these two plotting methods?
It's simple and just a matter of reorganizing the three acts.
COMBINING THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE & EIGHT-POINT ARC
The Act I or setup will include the stasis, trigger, and the quest. The Act II or confrontation will include the surprise, critical choice, and the climax. The Act II or middle is the largest part of the entire storyline. Because of this, writers can have as many surprises and critical choices as they need or want before the climax to make up the story confrontation. And finally, the Act III or ending will include the reversal and the resolution.
CLOSING REMARKS:
Every writer is different when it comes to plotting and outlining and it's important to discover what works best for you but combining the three-act structure and eight-point-arc helps writers ensure they have created complete plotlines for their novels and short stories. When plotting and outlining your stories, maybe consider experimenting with this creative process and see how it works for yourself. For more writing videos or tutorials, subscribe to my writing channel Journey of a Christian Writer series. All right, that's it for this post. If you enjoyed it and found it helpful, please, give a (heart❤️), take part in the poll 🤔, and share your thoughts or comments 💬 below.)
Happy Writing! 😊✍🏽💻
🤔Hey, writers, have you ever tried to plot a novel or short story using either of the plotting methods below?
❄️The Snowflake Method
🐈 Save the Cat Method
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