The second plot thickener: The crisis

I know it feels like we're burning through Act 2, and you might be thinking, …wait, this is a long act, how can I really make it exciting with just four major twists, even if there's …a bunch of scenes in between? …Won't there be a lot of downtime between those twists? …It's a fair concern, and it's why a lot of screenwriters fill those gaps with lengthy bouts of dialogue. …But the truth is, once you have set up everything in Act 1, the substance of Act 2 is elementary. …Your protagonist is trying to accomplish their story desire but there's a big pile of obstacles in the way. …That means every page of your second act is about your protagonist trying to conquer an …obstacle, coming across a new obstacle, or very briefly celebrating their victory over the previous obstacle. …If you want a good example of how full a second act can be, look at Back to the Future. …The movie's first act is kind of unusual, since it's mostly just exposition, but we …need that time to get to know Marty McFly and all the people in his life. …