Learning the Three Act Style of Writing

During tutorial on April 4, 2013 my class discussed the ways to write a story in a three act style. Writing in a three act style is very different from writing a story in an inverted pyramid style. To write in a three act style first a journalist must find a way to hook the reader in either by using mystery, the unexpected, contrast, etc. Then a journalist must use logic and structure to construct the middle of the story. At the end a journalist has to find a way to link the ending of the story back to the beginning. 

 Our professor, Marie, gave us an assignment to interview a classmate and write a 500 word feature. This assignment is going to be challenging. First I have to interview a fellow classmate and obtain enough information about them to be able to write 500 words. Then I need to find the angle of my story, since I don’t have enough information, due to time constraints, about my interviewee I need to send her some questions in an email. After I need to write the feature story in a three act style. 

In my previous journalism class, I did not write many feature stories. I have mainly written news stories in the inverted pyramid style. This assignment will test my journalistic abilities to write in a different style. 

I enjoy the inverted pyramid style because there is more structure than in the three act style. The three act style is a circle and this concept is difficult for me to grasp. 

Before I begin my assignment I need to research different feature stories that use the three act style. I will look at features other journalists have written to understand how to write in this style. In the inverted pyramid style there is hardly ever an ending, it will be difficult for me to connect the ending back to the beginning. 

I am very interested in learning about this new style of writing. To become a better journalist it is important to understand different writing techniques. Hopefully, I will be able to master the three act style. 

I am excited to hear the stories fellow students will write. Hopefully, I will be able to learn from the constructive criticism of their assignments. After I am able to master the three act style I will post a feature story on my blog.