Week 3: Let's Build Act I!
October 15–21, 2026 | Days 15–21
Hey, everyone! Welcome to Week 3 of Let's Write a Book in Two Months!
We've spent the first two weeks getting to know our stories. We figured out who our characters are, what they want, what's standing in their way, and the worlds they live in.
Now it's time to start putting those pieces together!
This week, we're focusing on Act I, the beginning of our stories. This is where we introduce our main character, establish their everyday life, bring in the problem that changes everything, and give them a reason to move forward.
And remember, we're working on a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect. We just need to get those words on the page.
Our writing goal is still 600 words a day. That's another 4,200 words by the end of the week!
If you're just joining us, don't worry. You can start with Week 1, catch up at your own pace, or jump in wherever you feel comfortable.
Let's get writing!
Day 15 — Your Opening Scene
Today, we're working on the opening scene of our novel.
Think about the first impression you want readers to have. Who are we meeting? Where are we? And what makes this moment interesting enough for someone to keep reading?
You don't have to start with an explosion, a murder, or something dramatic. Sometimes an ordinary moment becomes interesting because we can tell something isn't quite right.
Today's tasks:
Decide where your story begins.
Identify which character we're following.
Think about what your character is doing when we first meet them.
Establish the mood or atmosphere of your story.
Write an opening scene that gives readers a reason to continue.
Example:
Let's use our fictional character Maya Ellis, a librarian whose sister disappeared years ago.
Maybe our story opens with Maya closing the library for the night. Everything seems normal until she finds a book on the return cart that hasn't been checked out in decades.
Inside is a note written in her missing sister's handwriting.
Now we have our character, setting, and the beginning of a mystery.
Writing goal: 600 words.
Focus on getting your opening scene onto the page. You can always revise the first paragraph later.
Day 16 — Before Everything Changes
Before we turn our character's life upside down, we need to understand what that life looks like.
What is normal for your protagonist? What are their routines, relationships, responsibilities, and frustrations?
This doesn't mean we need chapters of backstory. We're looking for details that help readers understand what our character stands to lose when everything changes.
Today's tasks:
Show an important part of your protagonist's everyday life.
Introduce a relationship or responsibility that matters to them.
Reveal something they're unhappy about or avoiding.
Give readers a glimpse of their personality through their actions.
Think about which parts of this life might change as the story progresses.
Example:
Maya works at the town library, helps care for her mother, and avoids talking about her sister's disappearance.
Maybe we see her arguing with her mother about reopening the investigation or running into an old friend who still believes her sister is alive.
These moments help us understand Maya before the mystery pulls her deeper into danger.
Writing goal: 600 words.
You can write a new scene or continue building on yesterday's opening.
Day 17 — The Inciting Incident
Something has to happen that disrupts your character's normal life.
That's our inciting incident.
It's the event that introduces the central problem and pushes the story in a new direction.
It might be a discovery, a threat, an unexpected opportunity, a disappearance, or something your character has been trying to avoid.
The important thing is that it matters to your protagonist.
Today's tasks:
Identify the event that sets your main story in motion.
Decide why it matters personally to your protagonist.
Show how your character reacts.
Consider what questions or problems this event creates.
Write the scene where your character realizes something has changed.
Example:
Maya discovers that the mysterious book contains a map leading to a place connected to her sister's disappearance.
Then someone breaks into the library looking for that same book.
Suddenly, Maya realizes the mystery she's been avoiding may not be over.
Writing goal: 600 words.
Remember, your protagonist doesn't have to understand everything yet. Neither do your readers!
Day 18 — The First Big Choice
Your protagonist has encountered a problem. Now what are they going to do about it?
Today, we're looking at their first important decision.
Your character might choose to investigate, confront someone, accept an opportunity, run away, or pretend nothing happened.
Even choosing to do nothing can have consequences.
What matters is that the decision tells us something about who your character is.
Today's tasks:
Identify the options available to your protagonist.
Think about what they want and what they're afraid of.
Decide what choice they make.
Show why they make that decision.
Consider what happens because of it.
Example:
Maya could turn the mysterious book over to the police.
Instead, she decides to follow the map herself because she doesn't trust the town authorities after what happened to her sister.
That choice tells us something about Maya, but it also creates new problems.
Writing goal: 600 words.
Let your character make a decision that moves the story forward, even if it turns out to be a terrible idea!
Day 19 — The Act I Turning Point
We're approaching the end of Act I!
This is where something happens that pushes your protagonist out of their familiar world and into the main conflict of the story.
Maybe they discover something they can't ignore. Maybe a door closes behind them. Or maybe the consequences of an earlier choice make turning back much harder.
The turning point should give the story a clear direction.
Today's tasks:
Decide what changes at the end of Act I.
Identify what your protagonist learns, loses, or commits to.
Think about why returning to normal is no longer a simple option.
Connect this moment to your story's main conflict.
Write or outline the scene that launches the next part of your story.
Example:
Maya follows the map and discovers a hidden entrance beneath an abandoned building.
Inside, she finds evidence that her sister was investigating something dangerous before she vanished.
But Maya isn't alone. Someone has been watching her.
Now finding out what happened to her sister could put Maya in danger, too.
Writing goal: 600 words.
Don't worry if your turning point changes as you write. Right now, we're giving the story a direction.
Day 20 — Check Your Story's Direction
Today, we're checking how the pieces of Act I fit together.
We've introduced our protagonist, shown their world, disrupted their normal life, and started moving them toward the main conflict.
But does it all connect?
This is a good opportunity to look for missing motivations, confusing transitions, or scenes that don't quite lead anywhere.
We're not doing a full edit. We're just making sure we understand where the story is going.
Today's tasks:
Read through or review the scenes you've written this week.
Identify your opening, inciting incident, first big choice, and Act I turning point.
Check that your protagonist's actions make sense based on what they know.
Note any missing scenes or details you may need to add.
Write down what needs to happen next.
Example:
Maybe Maya's decision to investigate feels too sudden.
We could add a conversation with her mother or another discovery that explains why she feels she has to act now.
That small addition might make her choice more believable.
Writing goal: 600 words.
Use today's words to strengthen a scene, fill a gap, or continue drafting. No need to stop your momentum for a major rewrite.
Day 21 — Act I Progress Check!
We've made it through Week 3!
Today is about reviewing our progress, celebrating what we've accomplished, and getting ready for the next part of the story.
Your Act I might be fully drafted, partially drafted, or still a combination of scenes and notes.
That's okay!
The goal of this challenge is to keep making progress, not to compare our manuscripts with someone else's.
Today's tasks:
Review everything you've written this week.
Check whether your opening introduces the character and story effectively.
Make sure you know what your inciting incident is.
Identify the decision and turning point that move your protagonist forward.
Write down three things you want to accomplish in the next week.
Questions to ask yourself:
Do I understand what my protagonist wants?
Have I shown enough of their life before the main conflict?
Does the inciting incident create a problem that matters?
Are my character's decisions helping move the story forward?
Do I know where the story needs to go next?
Writing goal: 600 words.
Finish a scene, fill in a missing moment, or start writing what happens after your Act I turning point.
And give yourself some credit for showing up!
Week 3 Recap — What Have We Accomplished?
This week, our focus was on building Act I and giving our stories a strong beginning.
Here's our checklist:
Day 15: Worked on our opening scene.
Day 16: Established life before everything changes.
Day 17: Developed our inciting incident.
Day 18: Explored our protagonist's first big choice.
Day 19: Planned or drafted the Act I turning point.
Day 20: Checked our story's direction.
Day 21: Reviewed our Act I progress.
Weekly writing goal: 4,200 words.
If you've been writing 600 words a day since Day 8, that's a potential 8,400 words toward your manuscript!
And if you haven't reached that number, don't give up. Every scene, paragraph, and sentence is progress.
What's Next?
Next week, we'll continue developing our stories and explore what happens after our characters step into the main conflict.
Remember, this is your story and your writing journey. Use these exercises to guide you, but don't be afraid to adjust things to fit the book you're creating.
If you're following along, I'd love to hear how it's going!
What part of Act I has been the easiest for you to write, and what part has been the hardest?
Share your progress in the comments. And if you're new here, subscribe for free to follow the rest of Let's Write a Book in Two Months!
Until the next chapter,
Happy Writing,
S. J. Robinson
