Act 3 is a cool part of the book (15 Story Beats). It might be tempting to wrap up the book quickly now that the character has changed internally. But to do so now will remove the satisfaction of watching the hero put into practice the things they've learned. You still have another 20% of your book to fill out with your character actually changed. Cool!

• Act 1 = Who the hero was
• Act 2 = What the hero learns
• Act 3 = Who the hero becomes

This act is the blending of the good parts of their Act 1 self with the good parts of their Act 2 self.

So this beat is a single-scene beat where the hero has a breakthrough! They know what they need to do! They've, for all intents and purposes, repented ((For Times of Trouble - Holland #citation)). The realization here is almost always something like "Oh, I now see that it was never they who needed to change. It's I who needs to change." Now that they accept that they are flawed (Characters Must Change for Gripping Stories), they can do something about it in the Finale (Finale Beat).

Citations

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

#toolong #writing