The second act is usually where all stories lose their focus and momentum. I have a simple strategy to cure this problem — shorten up the act a bit. Just put the meat of the story in the second act and nothing more. You will find that having a well-developed first act will help you focus on the important elements of your story in the second act.
Second Act:
Page 14-15 — Back to the barbershop and back to the main through-line/plot. Bob is feeling the effects from the battle of the night before and he’s having second thoughts about a psychic profession.
Introduce Spencer Erwin Dorwell, representative of the Psychic Union. It appears that Gramps may have made a “ phone call” to the Psychic Union in order to set up a preliminary interview. It’s an uncomfortable encounter.
Another secret is revealed about the Hux Medallion.
Page 16 — Back to the Professor at the University. He’s in bad shape; The Hux Medallion is really having an effect on him. Carl jokingly puts the medallion around the Professor’s neck. The Professor starts to transform!
Page 17-18 — Bob meets Gramps at “Ye Olden Book Store” owned and operated by his cousin Stevie. Here we get back story about The Hux and Bob“s family. We see a 10th Century Knight, a 16th Century pirate, and Gramps (in his youth) battling The Hux. It’s firmly established that it“s up to Bob to vanquish The Hux, just as members of his family did in the past. It’s part of his heritage. Bob is feeling the pressure.
Page 19 — The Professor has transformed back to himself. He knows he“s responsible for the death of Carl and others at the University. He goes to the crime scene to confess, but no one believes him. He has to assault an officer to get them to take him to jail.
Page 20 — Bob and Gramps learn of the murders and they alert Spencer to meet them at the police station where the Professor is being held. Gramps hopes this will convince the Psychic Union that Bob is the “real deal.”
Page 21 — Spencer meets Bob and Gramps at the police station. Spencer has the usual condescending attitude toward Bob and Gramps. He doesn’t believe them. The Professor starts to transform in his jail cell.
By keeping the second act a bit shorter than the first act, things are moving along at a nice steady pace and the transition to the third act unfolds very smoothly.
Third Act/Finale/Climax
Page 22-29 — Big action! The Hux breaks out of the jail and violently kills Spencer. Gramps is “killed” as well. Bob must face The Hux alone. Bob defeats The Hux with the aid of his magical scissors. The Professor is freed from the cursed medallion. Gramps “comes back” to help Bob tidy up.
To me, the third act pretty much writes itself. All the necessary story elements from the first act and the second act have been initiated; all that needs to happen now is to wrap it all up.
Just answer all the questions you implemented in the first two acts. Will Bob be accepted to into the Psychic Union? No. Will Bob defeat The Hux and secure the medallion? Yes, but Bob probably will not secure The Hux medallion any better than his ancestors did. Did Bob evolve as a character? Yes, and not being accepted into the Psychic Union will help him develop more in the future. He must find his own path as an independent.
Resolution:
Page 30 — Back at the Barbershop, which is now called BOB’S HAIR STYLING AND PSYCHIC CENTER. The Psychic Union rejects Bob because “the death of his field observer disqualifies the applicant.” No matter; Bob is in the psychic business for himself. Bob did not wait for the acceptance of the Psychic Union in order to progress as a professional psychic. He’s ready to continue his adventures as a Renegade Psychic, Professional Hairstylist with his Gramps. Bob is a “true talent” with an independent spirit.
There you have it. All of the necessary story and structural elements have come together in order create a great road map to a finished project.
Yet, what about writing dialogue within the script? I will touch on that next!
For more information about the BOB: NON-UNION PSYCHIC world, visit the Warehouse 9 Productions site HERE
Author Profile
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Lance Lucero
Warehouse 9 Productions, Ltd. (W9)
AWARD WINNING filmmaker and comic book creator
warehouse9pro.com
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