Need some Structure help.

Tormod

Tormod

Active member
Im writing a story about a guy who loses his fortune to the antagonist. He then with the help from a mentor type he regains power to fight the antagonist in the end.

Now to my question.
Is it ok to introduce a love story in act 2, and end it with a happy ending, before act 2 is over. Then when this has been resolved, he returns to fight against the antagonist in the climax?

I need something in act 2 to spice up the story to not just make it a revenge flick.
 
I don't see any problem with introducing the love story in the second act, but it would probably benefit the story to at least intoduce the characters that will play a part in the love story sort of alerting the audience of the potential of fireworks between the two characters.

For the 2nd act, I don't think I would close the deal with a grand finaly of any sort, as it may render your story to sparatic and give your viewers a since of watching to seperate movies at the same time. I would establish the love story in the second act, but create some sort of tension and dynamics in the relationship in relation to your vendetta. I would then settle the score in the grand finaly while allowing the love birds to ride off into the sunset. This scenario you see quite offten.
 
I think it's fine to introduce a love story in the second act, but having the love story end happily before the end of the second act may unbalance the 'peaks and valleys' of the overall script. A happy love story is a pretty important plot point that an audience wouldn't glaze over or push aside lightly. It's common to have the love story be the main plot point so to have it come and go might take impact away from your other storyline.

It may be best to try to work the love story ending into the 3rd act coming to fruition as the main character is getting his revenge and/or you could have it where the character picks being in love and happy over getting his revenge against the antagonist. OR maybe he chooses revenge over love.

You have to choose as the writer, but climaxing too early takes away the momentum and impact of the 3rd act climax that could confuse the audience at the end of the 2nd act and bore them through the 3rd act if it doesn't purport a more intriguing ending is coming.

It's like when Indiana Jones survives the ground zero of a nuclear bomb in only a fridge in the latest movie. Don't get me wrong...that's a cool scene, but starting the movie with it made most of the rest of the movie pale in comparison since nothing match that scene in awesomeness.

Hope this helps,
Andy
 
I'd suggest that you make sure, also, that the love story actually contributes to the main plot somehow rather than being separate from it. Make sure that some aspect of the love story impacts the revenge plot, either positively or negatively, and that the resolution of one brings about the resolution of the other. Otherwise the love plot has no business being there.

That's why bad guys always, always, ALWAYS wind up kidnapping the hero's love interest in act three. Gotta take out the bad guy and win the girl at the same time. :) There are less cliche ways of achieving this, though.
 
It's all about character.

Act 2 is *struggle* - the fight between the protag and antag with escalating conflict.

So that will be the focus. You don't want an act 2 that's just a stall between act 1 and act 3 - that's a common rookie mistake.

But that doesn't exclude a love story... you just need to make sure that the love story is part of the main story - that all subplots are there to support the main plot. Are part of the story, not tacked onto the story.

So always go to character - and how the protag's physical problem (the antag) is tied to their emotional problem... and the emotional problem may be where that romance comes in.


PS: One of my favorite movies is about revenge and has a romantic subplot - POINT BLANK. Lee Marvin is double crossed and killed by his wife and his best friend (who have hooked up without his knowledge). But you just can't kill a badass like Lee Marvin, so he tracks them down to kill them, and anyone else who gets in his way. After his wife is dead, he has to find his best friend - who has used the money stolen fro Marvin to pay back a crime syndicate in L.A. so that he can rejoin them. To find the guy, he goes to his wife's sister, a smokin' hot Angie Dickenson. The syndicate murdered Angie's boyfriend, so she'll help Marvin get some revenge... and as they work together to kill the people who have wronged them, they develop a relationship. But when Marvin throws his ex-best friend off the roof of a hotel, he doesn't need Angie anymore and dumps her. But here's the cool thing - this is a movie about a man who is dead, dead inside, who learns to live again... through killing people. But also, through *love*. And he comes to realize that even though he doesn't need Angie to get revenge, he does need her to become a whole person... to live again. So he makes up with her, takes her on a date, and then finalizes his revenge (without killing anyone else). So the love story is part of act 2, and also part of the revenge plot. They are connected. Nothing pasted on from the outside.

That way, when Angie gets nekkid, it's not gratuitous.

- Bill
 
Last edited:
Along the lines of what's already been stated:

Your love story is usually your B plot. You usually introduce this right after the break into Act 2 when it is helpful to break up the action of the A plot. Your B plot needs to tie into the A plot somehow and their resolutions must somehow connect. I would advise against concluding the B plot before you break into Act 3, unless you are going to 'kidnap the princess' so to speak. :) In fact the conflict in both your A and B plot need to have escalated to what seems insurmountable odds, and the resolution needs to tie them both together. Often the love story B plot is actually used to discuss the main A dilemma and in turn the overall THEME of your story... and often the A plot creates obstacles for the 'lovers' to overcome.

Just my opinion (based on reading McKee, Snyder, etc multiple times) I could be wrong. (And that's a Dennis Miller quote)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top