Can you apply Three Act Structure on Light Novels/Webnovels?

[Darkcrow.]

The title says it all.
If the answer is no, please give me the alternative.

 

[EternalSunset0]

Don't they already do it? For individual arcs, that is.

 

[Kilolo]

Don't they already do it? For individual arcs, that is.

i was about to say it, LN/WN are mostly having an arc system. so except that it was planned to be a short running one for just 1 volume, ofc the rules are applied differently

 

[Reisinling]

Don't they already do it? For individual arcs, that is.

Exactly that.
Though note, that as far as I understand 3 act structure is there more for analysis of plays/movies, then a way of constructing books/other long form mediums. If you insist on using them, You could apply it recursively, so that each of your arcs has it, then arcs themselves together could be put on the graph of a book, and then books could be plotted on the grand story.

Also, read about 5 act structure

Five Act Structure | Freytag's Pyramid Explained with Examples

Five Act Structure: Master playwriting with Storyboard That. Discover the five-act structure, examples, and lesson ideas for your next play!

www.storyboardthat.com

Finally, there is simple alternative.. of just going with the flow. It seemed to work for most japanese web novels

 

[JayDirex]

the answer is an absolute yes. I use a three act structure for all of my novels and my novels slap because I know what I'm doing. Don't forget, you're writing a light novel the definition is light novel. it doesn't have to have 5 acts. it ain't Zack Snyder's Justice League.

 

[Reisinling]

the answer is an absolute yes. I use a three act structure for all of my novels and my novels slap because I know what I'm doing. Don't forget, you're writing a light novel the definition is light novel. it doesn't have to have 5 acts. it ain't Zack Snyder's Justice League.

I suggested 5 acts, not 5 hours of sad superman and sad batman

 

[gaylolis]

depends on the author i guess.

for myself, one thing i hate the most is the structure telling me what should i write.

 

[Ai-chan]

The title says it all.
If the answer is no, please give me the alternative.

You can, but if we're talking about light novels, the Japanese authors would be more familiar with Kishotenketsu, though the light novels you read may not follow it. The good light novels (not the slice of life ones) such as Kimi no Na wa, Decapitation: Kubikiri Cycle, Youjo Senki, Bakemonogatari and Zero no Tsukaima all used Kishotenketsu instead of a Three Act Structure.

Kishotenketsu can be split into 4 parts:
1. Ki, the introduction
2. Sho, the conflict or development
3. Ten, the twist or reversal
4. Ketsu, the result

You can google it. Ai-chan doesn't want to explain it, since everyone seems to have a different explanation about Kishotenketsu and may disagree with each other. But basically, here's how it goes, taking scenes from Tremors.

Ki
We get introduced to Burt's super awesome bunker that can withstand terrestrial graboid.

Sho
A new type of graboid, the assbursters crashed in through the skies and threaten to overpopulate when they came into Burt's supply storage full of high calorie MREs. So Burt blew up his super awesome bunker.

Ten
Burt was told that the assbursters were the last evolutionary path of the graboids and they have no self control. If left alone, they would eat themselves to death.

Ketsu
Burt throws his baseball cap to the ground and yells, "I didn't know! How was I supposed to know?!!!"