Unit 2 of 6
How the story moves
Build a spine that keeps escalating instead of stalling at the midpoint.
0/4 lessons complete 129 min
What you walk out with
Your second act has pressure in it. Every sequence costs the protagonist something they cannot get back.
THE LESSONS
Lesson 1 · 9 min · 2 exercises
Diagnosing the second-act sag
The middle drifts, or readers put the script down around page 55.
Lesson 2 · 40 min · 2 exercises
The sequence approach: eight small endings
The script has an act structure on paper but no shape while reading.
Lesson 3 · 60 min · 2 exercises
Reading a produced script for structure
Turning points land late, or the script's shape does not match its genre.
Lesson 4 · 20 min · 2 exercises
Stakes that escalate
Setbacks are interchangeable, or the ending feels no bigger than the middle.
The assignment
Break your script into eight sequences on one page. Next to each, write what is at risk — and cut or rewrite any sequence where the answer repeats the one above it.