- Level:
- Beginner
- Lessons:
- 14 Lessons
Act 1: Welcome
Lay the foundation for your story with Act 1, where we meet the protagonist
- Reading Time
- approx. 3 min
Let’s dive into Act 1, the opening of your story within the Novel Clock structure—it lays the foundation for everything that is to come.
What is Act 1?
In Act 1, you introduce readers to your protagonist’s world and establish who they are, complete with their strengths and weaknesses. This opening act is where you form the emotional connection between reader and protagonist, balancing likable moments against character flaws. By showing the protagonist interacting with allies and facing minor antagonists, you create a well-rounded introduction to their world.
A high school student excels at helping others with their problems and is everyone’s go-to confidant. Yet they keep their own struggles bottled up, unable to ask for help when they need it most.
Why is Act 1 Important?
Act 1 is where readers decide whether they want to invest their time in your protagonist’s journey. By showing both strengths and weaknesses early on, particularly weaknesses that stem from not embracing the theme, you create a character with room to grow. This contrast between the protagonist’s weakness and eventually the antagonist’s corresponding strength creates natural tension that will drive the story forward.
A social media influencer appears to have the perfect life, with a growing following and brand deals. Behind the scenes, they’re increasingly losing touch with authentic relationships and real-world connections.
How to Write Act 1
Act 1 unfolds in three phases.
- Beginning: Start by showing your protagonist in their element, succeeding despite their flaws. For example, if your protagonist is a brilliant but antisocial doctor, show them healing a patient while awkwardly deflecting their colleague’s lunch invitation. This approach demonstrates both competence and the underlying issues that will need to be addressed throughout the story.
- Middle: As Act 1 progresses, begin revealing the consequences of your protagonist’s weaknesses, particularly in relation to your theme. If your theme explores the importance of trust, show how your protagonist’s inability to rely on others creates increasingly difficult situations. These consequences should start small but hint at bigger problems to come.
- End: By the conclusion of Act 1, readers should have a clear picture of your protagonist as a mixed bag - someone with likable qualities but also clear room for growth. Your reader has met someone new, and while first impressions matter, you also want them to sense that there’s more depth in the protagonist to discover. Ultimately, you want your readers to say: “Here’s someone worth spending time with, even though they’re not perfect.”
Throughout Act 1, it’s important to weave these character revelations into active scenes rather than relying only on exposition. Show your protagonist interacting with allies who highlight both their endearing qualities and their flaws. Include encounters with minor antagonists that demonstrate how your protagonist typically handles conflicts.
When developing Act 1, ask yourself:
- What makes my protagonist likable despite their flaws?
- How do their current weaknesses connect to the story’s theme?
- What allies can best highlight both their strengths and weaknesses?
- What small conflicts can demonstrate their typical problem-solving approach?
Balancing Act 1
The key to a successful Act 1 is balance. Too many flaws, and readers won’t connect with your protagonist. Too few, and there’s no room for growth. Too much action, and readers won’t have time to form an emotional attachment. Too little, and they might lose interest.
One effective technique is to show your protagonist succeeding through their strengths while simultaneously revealing how these very successes might be masking deeper problems. A workaholic character might be celebrating a promotion while missing their child’s school play. A charismatic social butterfly might be surrounded by friends but unable to form deeper connections.
Remember that your antagonist’s strength should ultimately mirror your protagonist’s weakness, but multiplied several times over. If your protagonist struggles with trust, your antagonist might be a master manipulator. This creates a clear path for character growth while establishing the magnitude of the challenge they’ll face.
Wrapping Up Act 1
By the end of Act 1, readers should understand:
- Who your protagonist is and what drives them
- Their primary strengths and weaknesses
- Some inkling as to how their weaknesses relate to your theme
- The world they inhabit and the people in it
- Why they’re worth following through the rest of the story
Remember that while Act 1 is about welcoming readers into your protagonist’s world, it’s also about setting up future roadblocks in the story. Every character trait you establish, every relationship you introduce, and every success or failure you show should serve a purpose in your larger narrative.
It’s easy in Act 1 to try to do too much too quickly. Trust that readers will stay engaged if you give them someone interesting to follow. Focus on creating that likable emotional connection first, and let the bigger conflicts develop naturally from there. By carefully balancing their strengths and weaknesses, showing them in meaningful interactions with others, and hinting at the challenges to come, you create the groundwork for the rest of the story.
A skilled martial artist teaches children’s classes and is great with their students, but avoids competing or challenging themselves at their own skill level due to a deep-seated fear of failure.
This lesson was taught by:
Corey Ostman
After spending three decades writing science fiction for machines, he now writes science fiction for humans. His brain is almost entirely in the future, so if you encounter him, you’re likely experiencing a form of temporal rift.