The Third Act

The third act is a bitch. That’s where you have to confront what it is you believe and what it is you’re trying to say. It’s also where you begin to suspect that your structural plan might be at fault: perhaps the journey you set out on has no end.

The trick, I believe, is faith. If you know you did a proper set up — if you know you didn’t take any short cuts along the way — the ending is waiting for you if you have the equipoise to find it. Try not to get too flustered, and don’t expect it to be easy to find. The fact that the third is the shortest of the three acts does not mean it will take less time to write. In my experience, it can take longer to write the third act than it does the rest of the story.

I hope this advice serves someone other than myself.