At last, we’ve reached the final act of your story. But how do you write Act 3 of a novel? It can be difficult because everything in the book has been building up to this point. You made promises to the reader in Act 1 and made progress on those promises in Act 2. Now it’s time to see the payoff.
So how do you write Act 3 of your novel? Let’s get into it.
Act 3 Beats – How to Write Act 3 of a Novel
There are 3 beats in Act 3 according to Save the Cat:
- Break Into Three
- Finale
- Final Image
In this act, the main character (MC) evolves by combining who they were in Act 1 with what they learned in Act 2. Everything comes together in this act as the internal and external story intertwine and become one.
When it’s done right, Act 3 can be one of the most exciting and powerful parts of the story.
Let’s go over each beat in Act 3.
Break Into Three
After the Dark Night of the Soul at the end of Act 2, the MC breaks into Act 3 when they realize how to fix things the right way. They’ve lost everything, and that finally made them realize what they need to do.
In this single-scene beat, the MC finally sees their own flaws and recognizes that they need to change. They stop ignoring their problems and take action.
Finale
The Finale is the beat where the MC proves that they’re not all talk. It’s where they enact whatever they realized in the last beat.
This is the longest beat in Act 3. In fact, it takes up the majority of this act. So, what do you put in this act? How do you fill all this space in a satisfying way?
Act 3 will involve whatever the equivalent of storming the castle is in your story. Depending on the story, the characters might literally storm a castle. Or they’ll confront the bad guy, stand up to the bully, face their fear, etc.
But if you’re still not sure what this beat should contain, Jessica Brody discusses 5 sub-beats that make up the Five-Point Finale. While not every story uses or needs the Five-Point Finale, it is a great tool to help you brainstorm your ending.
Gathering the Team
In order to face whatever bad guys (literal or metaphorical) the MC has to face, they need some help. In this sub-beat, they assemble their friends, allies, or troops. They may have to make some amends because of how they acted earlier in the story.
But they may not need or have a team to gather. In that case, this beat is more about preparation: gathering the tools, making a plan, and getting things ready for when the MC storms the castle.
Executing the Plan
Once they’re ready, it’s time to carry out their plan. Let’s storm the castle!
As the MC storms the castle, the plan should seem a bit far-fetched and impossible. You want the reader to be wondering if this is really going to work. But miraculously it works (at least for now).
This is where you can give some secondary characters a moment to shine. In fact, the B Story Sacrifice—where a secondary character makes a sacrifice so that the MC can go on—happens here. The secondary characters don’t have to die, but when they make their sacrifice, it forces the MC to go on by themselves and prove that they have what it takes.
The High Tower Surprise
Up to this point, the MC’s plan has mostly been working. But this is where it all goes wrong. Because we can’t make things easy for the protagonist, right? If the MC won at this moment, the reader would feel like it was too easy.
That’s where the High Tower Surprise comes in. This sub-beat is named after the moment in a classic fairytale when the hero reaches the top of the tower only to find the princess they’re rescuing isn’t there, and it was a trap.
The High Tower Surprise is another twist or challenge for the MC to overcome. Maybe a bad guy who they thought was dead is still alive, maybe the rules of the game they’ve been playing have changed, or maybe the MC is betrayed by someone close to them.
Whatever happens in this sub-beat should shake the MC and force them into the next sub-beat.
Dig Deep Down
After the shock of the High Tower Surprise, the MC is seemingly defeated. This sub-beat is their reaction to that.
But it’s also the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
Because this is when the MC proves that they’ve learned their lesson and overcome their fatal flaw. They decide to do something in this beat that they never would have done at the beginning of the story. They finally address and overcome the thing that’s been holding them back.
The Execution of the New Plan
As part of the Dig Deep Down, the MC comes up with a new plan to lead them to victory. Here is where they carry that out.
And it succeeds! Or it doesn’t. Depends on the kind of story you’re writing and the message you want to send.
If it works, readers will see how hard work can lead you to success. If it doesn’t work, readers may learn that it is better to try and fail than to give up.
Final Image
After that exciting Finale, it’s time for the resolution. This beat shows the MC after their transformative journey. What’s their life like now? What have they learned?
The Final Image contrasts with the Opening Image of the story. The MC should be in a very different place from where they were at the beginning. And if they’re not, readers will wonder what it was all for. What was the point?
Show your readers that there was a point by showing them how much the MC has changed.
Example: The Selection by Kiera Cass
If you need a refresher, this article has a breakdown of the beats in Act 1 of The Selection, this one goes over the first half of Act 2, and this one goes over the second half of Act 2. Spoilers for this book follow.
Break Into Three
America’s maids wake her in the middle of the night, warning her of an attack on the palace. When she realizes the rebels are inside, she decides to bring her maids with her even though they are supposed to go somewhere else.
Finale
When America and her maids reach the underground hiding place, the guard tries to turn the maids away, but America insists they come with her inside, saying if they don’t go in, she won’t go in. Her actions showcase her loyalty and what she’s willing to do for others. The guard lets her and the maids in.
When someone tries to tell America’s maids to serve water and food to the royal family and the Selected, America takes charge and says they can serve the royal family but that everyone else can get their own water and that her maids will be sitting with her.
When Maxon comes to check on her, he isn’t angry anymore. He even seems pleased at how protective America is of her maids. America asks him which rebels are attacking and he tells her it’s the Southern and more dangerous rebels.
After waiting for hours, they’re finally told the rebels were subdued. America finds her room ransacked and works with her maids to put it back together. She learns three girls are going home because of how much the attack scared them. But America isn’t ready to leave. She wants to stay.
At breakfast, America signals to Maxon that she wants to talk. Maxon sends all but six girls home, saying he doesn’t feel comfortable keeping anyone he doesn’t see a future with in the palace with the threat of danger. America is one of the six.
When Maxon comes to talk to America later, they apologize to each other. America asks him why he kept her in the palace, and he tells her that he would have sent everyone else home. He only has feelings for her. While America still isn’t sure of her feelings for him, she tells him that they’re definitely more than friends, and they kiss.
Final Image
Aspen visits America in the middle of the night. When he tries to kiss her, she tells him they can’t do that. She wants to give the Selection and Maxon a full shot, and she can’t do that if she’s secretly dating Aspen. When Aspen asks her if she’s choosing Maxon, she says she’s choosing herself and giving herself time to figure out what’s best for her. Aspen says he’ll just have to fight harder for her.
When her maids come in the morning, America is excited to be a willing participant in the Selection, a stark contrast to her refusal to even consider it at the beginning of the book.
I hope this guide has helped you learn how to write Act 3 of a novel using the Save the Cat beat sheet. Let me know in the comments if you’ve used Save the Cat to plot your stories and if you’ve found it helpful.
