Welcome back to my writing series on the Save The Cat storytelling structure! So far in this series, we have covered Narrative Structures, Opening Image, Theme and Set-Up, the finally, the Catalyst and Debate.

In last week’s post, we ended on Debate, the final beat (a scene or several scenes that move the narrative forward) of Act 1, where the hero or protagonist makes a choice that sends them into a new world.

Break Into 2

What does it mean to break into Act 2? It means that your hero made a choice that puts them in a new, exciting world. What’s most different here is, in this new world, you, the writer, get to expand on all those hints you dropped in Act 1. This is where your protagonist’s world gets to expanded and elaborated. This is where we over-writers get to shine! Remember, in Act 1 you could only drop hints about this amazing world you created via the opening image. And stating a theme is usually pretty short as well, being that, most often it’s revealed in dialogue. You had to keep the set-up and catalyst event for the story short to keep the reader (or potential agents) interested. But Act 2 is the opposite.

You break into Act 2 with the immediate follow-up to your main characters debate– the choice they were measuring, the situation they were facing, the question thy were faced with… This is where your hero makes that proactive decision to do something, and then does it. In most cases, a proactive choice is necessary, in order for the hero to own their journey. In my opinion, it’s okay to have a character forced into a situation, and then watch them squirm as they make other proactive decisions through Act 2. But many pro writers think the debate and break into 2 work best with a strong character that makes the conscious choice to choose for themselves, because it shows the audience who they are rooting for.

Pacing-wise, this should be a single scene that takes place about 20% of the way through your story.

Now, if your debate beat posed a question, then this beat is the answer to that question.

The heroes decision will either take them somewhere new (the new world, where the hero’s everyday life is irrevocably different) OR the hero tries a new way if doing things. Like, in Yes Man, Carl (Jim Carey) character decides to always saying “yes” to everything, which kicks off Act 2:

Carl’s debate is a question. Act 2 begins to answer that question, and in the end everything works out for Carl.

Collateral (2004) is a film about a cab driver who makes a small choice, a wrong choice (that seemed right) that leads to other, tougher choices — a cascade of wrong choices, a snowball effect! Jaime Foxx’s character is a cab driver who picks up the wrong customer. The first beat of Act 2 lands him in a new world, from which there is no going back:

No matter what type of choice your hero makes, the consequences of their choice need to take them to that new world.

“Act 2 is the ‘upside down’ world.” – Jessica Brody

Act 1 showed the reader the hero’s normal, status quo world. So Act 2 is the upside down version of that.

It has to be drastically different! Or else it feels like Act 1 and the reader gets bored. The purpose of the story is to force your hero to change, to make them face their biggest flaw, to test them. If your hero can find what they need or make changes in their status quo world, then the story is pointless. The very best stories show the hero trying something different and new (for them) that takes them on a physical or metaphorical journey.

Wants vs Needs = Flaw vs Wound

In the Break into 2 beat, the character is being motivated by their wants, not by their needs.

In previous posts I touched on the hero’s flaw, how it is a manifestation of the hero’s deeper wound. The flaw is on the surface, it’s a knee-jerk reaction, a thing they always do and (probably) don’t realize it’s a problem. But the wound is deep beneath the surface and the hero doesn’t even know it’s there. The wound might be something like a lack of self-love or (worse) self-hatred. That is a wound that can manifest (as a flaw) in many different ways. Like being a push-over, or never speaking your mind, body image issues, or like in the After series, a tendency to mistreat and manipulate the people closest to you. I’ll do a full post on The Flaw at some point in the future.

I bring this up here because, as your plot moves forward, he hero’s fatal flaw has to manifest in ways that cause them problems (obstacles). Plus, it is vital to understand that your protagonist is on this journey because they are seeking something they want. Every hero thinks that finding what they want will fix their life. But we know that is not true. If money and fame were viable answers, celebrities would be the happiest people on the planet. Right?

In order to have believable, relatable characters, a storyteller must differentiate between what the hero is seeking is seeking and what they actually find. If your hero finds what they are looking for, it won’t really solve their problem. So let them find it and learn that lesson late in Act 2. And for now, let them think what they awnt is what they need.

Just keep in mind, when you hit that 80%-ish mark in your story, the hero has to find what they need in order to fix their life and fully transform in a gorgeous character arc that leaves audiences amazed.

But right now, in this single-scene beat where we break into Act 2, the hero is “fixing things the wrong way” (Brody). They have the wrong motivations, they are looking for the wrong things and/or making all the wrong choices. Which can be a lot of fun! This beat is just the start of your hero’s journey and the beginning of their transformation.

That is all for this week!

I hope you learned something and you’ll come back next week when we cover the beats B-story and Fun and Games!