Definition
An act is a major section of a story, usually built from sequences of scenes that lead to a significant turn. In many long forms, the story moves through setup, escalation, and final change across acts.
Example
In a three-act novel, the first act may end when the protagonist commits to the central problem and cannot easily go back.
Related terms
Common mistakes
- Dividing a book into acts by page count instead of value change.
- Treating act structure as mandatory for every kind of story.