The Story Structure Secret: Actions and Goals (Plotting a Novel or Screenplay Using Character Actions)

by Marshall Dotson

If the antagonist has a secret weapon he’s been holding back, he will likely unleash it upon the character in this act.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader breaks out the big guns on Luke with the whole “I’m your father” bit. The antagonists of these stories each hold back their ultimate weapon in hopes it will be enough to break the character’s resolve.

The Lowpoint in Act Four, the antagonist may believe the character is all but defeated. Because of this, the character’s Longshot catches the antagonist off guard, and he uses the element of surprise to get the drop on the antagonist, managing to land a few lucky blows in the process. Unfortunately, the high probability of failure of the character’s plan soon rears its ugly head as the antagonist’s physical or tactical superiority turns the tide in his favor. When this happens, the antagonist begins to see the holes in the character’s attack and exploits them to gain the upper hand in the conflict. Once again, the character appears to be defeated, and it now seems All is Lost.

In the fifth act of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke faces off with Darth Vader in lightsaber combat. Though Luke has initial success in the confrontation, and Vader even admits to being impressed by his skills, Luke is revealed to be no match for his more experienced opponent. Using Force telekinesis, Vader pummels Luke with heavy objects pulled from the walls. At this point, Luke’s defeat would seem to be a foregone conclusion (and with the tragic nature of the film’s ending, I suppose it is).

Because Act Five focuses on the character and his allies confronting the forces of antagonism, the entirety of this act can be rightly thought of as the Climax of the story. But if the fifth act is a battle royal for ultimate supremacy between the opposing sides of the conflict, then the Act Five Turning Point is the showdown between the last two men (or women) standing. It is the Climax of the Climax.

If the character has a team of competent allies around him, they will have all failed during the All is Lost catalyst, leaving the success of their cause up to him. He knows he must now put his life on the line to ensure the success of their cause.

Needless to say, the Final Push culminates in the ultimate defeat of the forces of antagonism (unless we’re talking tragedy, in which case, it’s the character who’s defeated). Because we have been repeatedly told over the course of the story just how indomitable the antagonist is, the moment of his defeat is that much more cathartic for the audience and the character.

This act is commonly referred to as the denouement, which I believe is French for obfuscation. In this portion of the story, all the dangling plot threads are tidied up and resolved.

In those happily ever after stories we’ve all been brainwashed to love since childhood, the New Situation in which the character finds himself is often the polar opposite of his Imperfect Situation in Act One. This is because, through undertaking the journey of the story, the character has achieved his Initial Desire. By overcoming the obstacles and antagonism that stood between him and a seemingly unrelated physical goal, he has obtained the one thing he so desperately wanted all along.

The Empire Strikes Back ends on a tragic note for Luke and his pals. Not only does Luke now know Darth Vader is his father, he also knows Vader knows that Yoda knows that Obi-Wan knew the whole time. In addition, he’s lost a hand, Han is a statue, and the Empire is still running the galaxy exactly the same as they were at the beginning of the film. Not only has Luke failed to impact any change, he and his friends are worse off than they were when the film began. Maybe next time he should heed the advice of his dead Jedi master who can physically project himself from beyond the grave.

The purpose of the sixth act is to give us a brief glimpse of the character living in, or in an extreme tragedy, not living in, his New Situation. It allows us to see how the character’s actions have affected his world, giving the story a sense of completion. Having gone on the ride with the character, watched him repeatedly succeed and fail, we are entitled to witness the spoils of his triumph or come to terms with the reasons for his defeat.