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Onto today's article...

3 essential questions to fix a weak Act Three

After you’ve poured your heart, soul, and probably an alarming amount of caffeine (just me?) into writing a story that engages, entertains, and moves an audience, the last thing you want is to stumble in the home stretch.

Unfortunately, Act 3 is sometimes treated as an afterthought – when it really shouldn’t be.

Sometimes writers – in the throes of new screenplay love – disproportionately heap attention on Act 1 and setting up the premise. Second to that, writers may naturally gravitate toward and spend their time on fleshing out Act 2 – particularly the first half – because it contains the fun scenes that inspired the whole movie.

But then… Act 3? Poor, neglected Act 3 can end up feeling like we ran out of gas before we reached our destination.

Here’s the thing: Act 3 isn’t just “the story ends”; it’s the big finish. It’s what your audience will remember when the credits roll, and it carries more weight than you might think.

Psychologists even have a term for this: the “peak-end rule.” People judge an experience by its most intense moments and how it ends.

So, it stands to reason, nail your Act 3, and your audience will walk away feeling satisfied. A great Act 3 can even buy you a little forgiveness for earlier missteps. (Not that your screenplay has any, of course.)

How do you know if your Act 3 is doing its job? Here are three questions to put it to the test.

1. Does your Act 3 solve the main story problem that the audience is tracking?

Every story has a central problem – a burning question that the audience needs answered. Will the underdog team win the big game? Can the protagonist save their loved ones in time? Will they finally get the rom-com kiss they deserve?

Whatever your story’s core question is, Act 3 is where it must be answered.

Imagine watching a murder mystery where the detective just shrugs and says, “Guess we’ll never know,” or a heist film where the team quits because the vault’s too tough to crack. Frustrating, right?

Your audience has invested emotional energy in your story; they’ve earned a satisfying payoff. Make sure Act 3 addresses the central conflict directly and resolves it in a way that feels inevitable yet surprising – the sweet spot for all great endings.

2. Does your Act 3 feel like it builds to the biggest, most important confrontation in the screenplay?

Act 3 should feel like the cinematic equivalent of fireworks – not a sparkler, not even a handful of those little ground spinners, but the full-blown grand finale. It’s the culmination of everything that’s come before, where stakes and tension reach their peak.

If your climax feels smaller than earlier scenes, your audience might wonder why they’ve stuck around.

I mean, would Die Hard be a classic if John McClane just backed off and let the first responders fix the hostage problem?

Would The Silence of the Lambs have worked if Clarice and a whole team of FBI agents walked in to free the kidnap victim? Not at all; the nature of the final confrontation makes the victory feel earned – and that's satisfying.

That’s not to say that Act 3 has to be the biggest action we see in the movie, although that’s often the case. But it should culminate in what feels like the most important moment.

Your Act 3 must escalate the stakes and deliver a confrontation that tests your protagonist’s resolve, skills, and growth. Think of it as the “boss battle” of your screenplay.

3. Is the protagonist taking the decisive actions of Act 3, more so than any other character?

The story belongs to the protagonist, that’s why they’re the protagonist. And if you’ve done your job, by Act 3 we are fully invested in and rooting for the protagonist to do what they need to do to get what they want, or need, or both.

So don’t disappoint us by letting another character take over at the pivotal moment.

While ensemble stories and subplots are fantastic, Act 3 is where your main character needs to step up and own the resolution. They should be driving the action, making the hard choices, and facing the consequences of their journey.

If your secondary characters are the ones swooping in to save the day, you might have a problem. Imagine if Frodo handed the One Ring to Sam at the edge of Mount Doom and said, “You got this, buddy.”

Or if Robert (The Equalizer) let his Home Depot security guard trainee go to Moscow to finish off the big bad mobsters, while Robert took a self-care day.

It would feel wrong because the story’s resolution is inherently tied to the protagonist’s arc.

So ask yourself: Is my protagonist the one who makes the key decision, confronts the antagonist, or sacrifices something meaningful to achieve their goal? If not, rewrite until they do. Your Act 3 will be stronger for it.

The Last Stand

Act 3 is your screenplay’s victory lap, its last hurrah, and the final impression you leave on your audience. Don’t let it be an afterthought.

By asking these three questions, you can ensure that your ending not only ties up loose ends but does so with impact, excitement, and heart.

Remember: a great ending doesn’t just satisfy – it elevates the entire story. So go forth, and make Act 3 the showstopper your screenplay deserves.

Until next time,

Naomi

👉 P.S. If you're looking for a way to kickstart your 2025 with a writing win, I hope you'll join me in the Writers' Room workshop!

It's five weeks focused on helping you move your project(s) forward, with personalized feedback and guidance from me, plus the support of a writers' room on your side! 🚀 (Limited to 8 writers so that every writer and project gets individual attention.)

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