The BuildWithWords Academy

Many beginning writers confuse things happening with plot. But a plot isn’t just a series of events, it’s a carefully structured journey that keeps readers turning pages.

The good news? You don’t need to overcomplicate it. Let’s break it down simply.

The Three-Act Structure (Your Story Blueprint)

Think of your favorite Nollywood/Hollywood movie. It probably follows this pattern without you realizing:

Act 1 (Beginning – 25% of your story): Setup Act 2 (Middle – 50% of your story): Confrontation Act 3 (End – 25% of your story): Resolution

Let’s explore each act with a simple example:

Act 1: The Setup (Beginning)

This is where you introduce:

• Your main character
• Their ordinary world
• What they want or need
• The inciting incident (the event that disrupts everything)

Example: Tunde is a struggling mechanic in Ikeja who dreams of opening his own workshop (character + ordinary world + goal). One day, a wealthy customer leaves a bag containing 5 million naira in his shop (inciting incident).

Your goal in Act 1: Make readers care about your character before you disrupt their life. Show us who they are before things go wrong (or wonderfully right).

Remember Moyo’s Diary? (Shameless plug)

Common mistakes:

• Starting too early (we don’t need their entire childhood)
• Starting too late (jumping straight to action without context)
• Forgetting the inciting incident (nothing disrupts the status quo)

Act 2: The Confrontation (Middle)

This is the bulk of your story. Your character tries to achieve their goal but faces:

• Obstacles that get progressively harder
• Choices that reveal character
• Rising stakes
• A midpoint twist that changes everything
• A low point where all seems lost

Example continued: Tunde wants to keep the money (goal) but:

• The customer returns looking for it (obstacle 1)
• Tunde lies, saying he hasn’t seen it (choice that reveals character)
• The customer is connected to dangerous people (rising stakes)
• Tunde discovers the money is stolen (midpoint twist)
• His shop is raided and he’s arrested (low point)

Your goal in Act 2: Complicate things. Every time your character solves one problem, create two more. Push them to their breaking point.

The midpoint is crucial: Something happens at the 50% mark that shifts the story. A revelation. A twist. A point of no return.

Common mistakes:

• The “sagging middle” (nothing significant happens)
• Making things too easy for your character
• Forgetting to raise the stakes
• No midpoint shift

Act 3: The Resolution (End)

Your character has learned what they need to know. Now they:

• Face the final challenge (climax)
• Make the ultimate choice
• Experience the consequences
• End in a changed state (resolution)

Example continued: Released from custody, Tunde must decide: tell the truth or stay silent (final choice). He returns the money to the real victim, not the criminal (climax). He loses everything materially but gains his integrity. A community fundraiser helps him start fresh (resolution).

Your goal in Act 3: Deliver on the promise of your story. Answer the question you raised in Act 1. Show how your character has changed (or tragically, hasn’t).

Common mistakes:

• Rushing the ending
• Introducing new information
• Deus ex machina (convenient coincidence that saves the day)
• Forgetting to show character change

A Simple Formula to Remember

1. Get your character up a tree (Beginning)
2. Throw rocks at them (Middle)
3. Get them down (End)

Nigerian Story Example Breakdown

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

• Act 1: We meet Ugwu, Olanna, and Richard in the prosperity of 1960s Nigeria
• Inciting Incident: The Nigerian Civil War begins
• Act 2: Characters face increasing dangers, betrayals, losses; the war intensifies
• Midpoint: Major attack on Nsukka; everything changes
• Low Point: Starvation, violence, separation
• Act 3: Characters make final choices about loyalty and survival; war ends; they’re forever changed

Practice Exercise

Take your story idea and answer:

1. Who is my character and what do they want?
2. What event disrupts their world? (Inciting incident)
3. What three obstacles will they face trying to get what they want?
4. What revelation or twist happens at the midpoint?
5. What’s their lowest point?
6. What final choice must they make?
7. How are they different at the end?

Answer these seven questions, and you have your plot structure.

Remember: Structure is not just a cage. It’s a skeleton that holds your story together. Once you understand it, you can bend or break the rules. But first, learn them.