Last week we talked about the two act chiastic structure. I got some questions about three act versus two act structure. Specifically, around my examples Pride and Prejudice and The Wizard of Oz. Both stories also fit three act structure so it can be confusing.
Before we compare the two structures, let's talk about The Lion King, which is a clean example of two act chiastic structure. Before I knew about chiastic structure, The Lion King always confused me because it doesn't have a second act. In the first half, Simba is a cub, and in the second half, he's an adult and goes back to face Scar. The midpoint, which is his growing up takes place over one song montage, Hakuna Matata. This clear two act structure is one reason the movie was so easy to adapt into a hit Broadway musical. In fact, musicals and plays have two acts, making chiastic structure a theatrical staple.
Midpoints: The Most Important Act Break
The midpoint that shifts both the characters and the action is the only act break in chiastic structure. But the midpoint also serves the same purpose in the three act structure. It divides act 2 into two parts, marking a huge change in the story. For this reason, I believe the midpoint is the most important act break. If you have a weak midpoint, you're going to have a weak story.
With the midpoint, the three act structure becomes a four act structure.
In Pride and Prejudice, the first act is Darcy realizing his attraction to Elizabeth, while Elizabeth falls for Wickman’s lies about Darcy. The midpoint, Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth, shifts the story to Elizabeth falling for Darcy as he works on overcoming his own prejudices and earning her love.
In The Wizard of Oz, the first half is Dorothy leaving her ordinary life, arriving in Oz where she travels to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard to send her home. The midpoint is her reaching the Wizard and him saying he'll only help her if she brings back the Wicked Witch’s broom. This is a strong midpoint because Dorothy thinks she has finished her quest and she's given another one. In the second half, she defeats the Wicked Witch and returns home.
Different Ways to Think About the Midpoint
Another way to think about the midpoint is what I call the Doctor Who story approach. In every episode, our heroes spend the first half figuring out what's going on. At the midpoint, they know who the bad guy is and what he's trying to do. The second half is the good guys figuring out how to defeat the bad guy and then winning.
In Save the Cat, Blake Snyder says you can give your protagonist a false peak, an up midpoint, or a false collapse, a down midpoint.
In Screenplay, Syd Field says the midpoint is an important scene in the middle of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story.
For more on midpoints, check out Five Ways to Write a Midpoint.
In Case You Missed It
Chiastic Story Structure for Screenwriters and Novelists
How to Use Templates to Level Up Your Writing
Templates Part 3: The Genius of Classic Movies
Check It Out
Want more content like this? Click here to subscribe to my newsletter.
Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? Watch me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!
Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!
