I struggled with Act 2 for years. It was the barren desert where my screenplays went to die. What changed for me was realizing the role of Act 2 in the story. Embracing this was a huge breakthrough in my screenwriting. Here is how I attack Act 2 now: 👇 From a pure story perspective: The job of Act 2 is for the protagonists to earn the spiritual, emotional, and physical tools to answer the dramatic question to the audience's satisfaction. This is why Act 2 matters. In Act 1, the character is not capable of answering the dramatic question to our satisfaction. In Act 3, they are. So Act 2 is about getting them there. This is where they transform. Act 3 is then about proving it. When you approach Act 2 with this in mind rather than, "What plot stuff can happen next?" you make your job 100x easier. Once again, story is character, and character is story. They are inseparable. So don't just think about how to get to Act 3 as a plot question. This is the mistake most new writers make. Start thinking about how to get to Act 3 as a character question. So how do you push, prod, kick, and punch your characters into that transformation? People don’t change willingly. They change because they break. They have failed. Events physically and mentally change the direction their spirit was going. When characters change, their choices change, too. If this isn't the whole point of your Act 2, then the transformation is just a tacked-on "arc" that means nothing to anyone. We will have no emotional response to it because it will not be ingrained in the story. It's just there. Act 2 needs to be necessary. Don't treat it like a drag. Approach it with the enthusiasm it deserves. Action, thrills, drama, horror. Doesn't matter. Make strong, bold narrative choices that alter the protagonist, or when a protagonist remains steadfast, alter those around them. When you do, you'll discover what I did: Act 2 is where the fun happens. It's where some of the best character work emerges, whether it's a character study or a genre film. Act 2 is literally and figuratively the heart of the story.

I joined the WGA in 1996. My career's been dead at least twice since. I had no one to blame but myself for that. No work, no prospects, no more favors to cash in. In '06, I gave up even trying. I moved back to Texas and worked at The Apple Store while I finally earned a degree at my beloved University of Houston. I had no idea what my second career would be, but I missed writing, so, with no real expectations, I wrote. It's a fantastic thing about this business: No matter how far away you are, no matter how long it's been... you're never more than one great spec away from starting (or restarting) your career. Write your spec.