I have found as a writer and an avid reader there are several ways to tell a
story, but when using classic principles to illustrate the trials and
tribulations of our characters we learn to see our narrative in three acts.
In the first act our protagonist is minding his own ordinary business and
something happens to him that changes his life or his outlook on life forever.
Perhaps his wife leaves him, or he wins the lottery, or someone he loves is
murdered or dies. Nevertheless, the event changes him and he will never be the
same person he was before the event occurred.
When we meet our character again in Act II he is trying to figure out where
he stands in his "new world," what he can do about his new reality,
and how he is going to cope with his new understanding of the world around him.
He investigates. In the case of a murder mystery he might begin to look for
clues, following the signs to the truth behind the mystery. Ultimately in
search of justice; closure so he can move on, peace. A new degree of
"ordinary".
One of my favorite writing teacher authors, James Scott Bell calls Act II the "muddle in the
middle". He likens the three act structure to a suspension bridge or two
doorways of no return with a long stretch of road between them that we must navigate
successfully to become the hero.
Once you past the first concrete pile-on or step through the first doorway
you enter act two. Then comes the hero's quest, the middle of the story, the
muddling around, where our character figures out who he is in the midst of his chaos, he puts the puzzle pieces together and he is propelled past the second
pile-on of the suspension bridge, or through the proverbial second doorway of no
return towards resolution.
This last doorway is a culmination of events that leads him into act three.
This doorway raises the stakes a little higher but it eventually leads him,
maybe at the cost of life or limb to the truth, reconciliation, understanding.
In the murder mystery plot this is when he finds the last salacious clue, he find
out who did it, confronts him or her and in act three they are brought to
justice.
As a writer, I am always considering this formula, and how my characters
have been placed and react to the stakes I have raised for them to rail
against. I know it's cliche to refer to life as a three act play but in my
own project I am in the midst of rewriting and editing Act II and it donned on
me that in the journey of writing my novel, emotionally I am also in Act II. I
realized we are all "muddling in the middle" of some problem or life
experience we have faced that has pulled us down to the mat or slowed our personal growth to a crawl.
My church calls this time of year "ordinary time". I'm catholic so whenever it is mentioned or I read it
somewhere at church it strikes me as odd and I feel a guttural response to stand
up and shout what the heck is so ordinary about it? It doesn't feel ordinary to
me at all! I am working on a novel that has consumed my every thought for the past
four years. Ordinary seems strange to say when I have friends struggling to
find work, or overcome illness. Women are having babies, husbands are getting
promoted, there's flooding and hurricanes tormenting the middle of the country,
I could go on and on. Good or bad, tragic or joyous these moments of our lives are
far from ordinary, they are indeed extraordinary if we really stop to notice.
Aren't we just trying to uncover the clues, find peace within the chaos,
strength to rise above? Our lives are several intertwined stories, with
numerous sub-plots, infinite problems needing solutions, some big, some very small, all happening at once. If you are a writer or an artist of any kind or perhaps simply a student of life, the "muddle in the middle" is life itself! Finding ways to cope and overcome adversity, helping others in their journey; we are all in search of success over our particular experience in Act I. Not only is it what we write but it is why we write.
So keep writing!
-JC Beichner
