The Set Up of Act One

How to Set Up The First Act to Grab a Reader’s Attention

Want to hang out with me and learn how to create gripping genre fiction from using episodic television tips, tricks, and techniques? To get on the same page, I’ll need to teach you the twelve pacing points that you're going to see in the sixty minute dramatic format for episodic television shows.

For the three acts, you’ll have the Set Up, The Confrontation, and the Resolution. Let’s get things set up for the first act which includes four pacing points; the Set Up, the Want/Need Goal, the Plan and the Obstacle.

In the Set Up, you'll introduce your protagonist and make them relatable to your audience - a crucial element known as creating empathy. Though it’s more popularly called "saving the cat." An empathetic cat lover shows that they’re relatable with either because of their extraordinary qualities, or because of how they navigate an extraordinary world.

But what drives your character? All characters have goals, even when their goal is to NOT do something. That's still a goal. Goals come in two forms; they’re either a need or a want. The Want is a false goal that the character starts out believing will complete them. The Need is what actually will actually propel the character to achieve their goal and become wholly evolved into who they are destined to become.

Once your characters acknowledge their goal, the next step is for them to form a plan. This plan could be verbalized through dialogue by outlining what they intend to do next. Or they can jump right into action. Either way, the audience must see or hear them take a step forward so that something can get in their way.

Of course, nothing worth having comes easy. Your character will face obstacles along the way. In this system they face at least two. Obstacles can be an external force, something or someone that physical gets in their way and prevents them from achieving their goal. Or the obstacle can be internal, like fear or doubt or guilt. The purpose of the obstacle is to test the hero’s resolve to get their goal.

These four pacing points often happen before the first commercial break in a sixty minute television drama. Turn on your favorite show and see if you can spot them. Then, pull out your current Work in Progress (WIP) or you next story idea and see if you can identify these four starting pacing points.

I’ll be back next week and confront you with Act Two!