Episode 4: The Ascent - Inside Act Two
Failed to add items
Add to cart failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Episode 4: The Ascent - Inside Act Two
-
Narrated by:
-
Written by:
About this listen
She has what she wanted. She is visible. She matters. Ministers watch her. The Empress relies on her.
And she has no idea what it is costing her.
Act Two is where most novels collapse. The protagonist succeeds, and the writer thinks: what do I write about when things are going well?
The answer: you write about the cost. The machinery. The thing tightening around your protagonist while they are too dazzled by success to notice.
In this episode, I take you inside the six chapters where Anna rises to power in The Reader of the Empress, showing you how dramatic irony becomes the engine of your middle act.
We cover:→ Why Act Two is not a plateau but an engine→ The gap between what your protagonist believes and what your reader perceives→ How to build complicity without your protagonist noticing→ Pacing the ascent so the reader feels the dread→ The Act Two turn: the first crack in not knowing
Act Two is not about success. It is about the price of success, a price that will not come due until Act Three.
—
Resources mentioned:
- Custom GPT: Rondanini Architect's Method
- Companion Workbook
—
Have questions? Reach out at rondanini.com