Act 2, with all its length and turning points, can get a little confusing as to what goes where. In an attempt to simplify things a bit, let's summarize (15 Story Beats):

Act 2 as a whole is about being the opposite of Act 1 (Break Into Act 2 Beat) so the hero has the opportunity to grow. From a plot perspective, there is going to be either an upward or downward trajectory that see-saws right in the middle (Midpoint Beat) with either a False Victory or False Defeat, respectively. The first part of that see-saw happens in the Fun and Games (Fun and Games Beat) and the latter happens in the Bad Guys Close In (Bad Guys Close In Beat).

However, regardless of the plot events, the midpoint (Midpoint Beat) raises the stakes of the internal bad guys - the internal flaws (Characters Must Change for Gripping Stories) that never seem to go away. This is the constant of the Bad Guys Close In beat: the increase and ultimate culmination of the hero's internal flaws.

To make this happen, there should be a shift from the plot focusing on external wants to putting an emphasis on how the character's internal flaws are keeping the them from getting what they want. It's not Rick's old fling ((Casablanca #citation)) that's causing problems, it's his unwillingness to pick sides in a World War that's causing his unhappiness.

This should be increasingly frustrating to the hero, and will culminate in the hero losing everything in the next beat (All is Lost Beat).

Citations

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

#toolong #writing