Unlike a novel which can be hundreds or thousands of pages long (see Homer or Tolstoy), a feature film script runs from 80 to 120 pages long. The biggest difference between novels and scripts is time. A novelist has the luxury to drone on endlessly. A scriptwriter can't afford to do that because each page of a script represents 1 full minute of screen-time. If the same rules applied to novels, a 600-page book would be a 10-hour long movie! Good luck trying to get a producer, director or audience interested in making or watching a 10-hour long movie!
So with each script page representing one minute, a screenwriter must 'get to the point' of the scene quickly with both distinct characters and visual elements. A Master of 3 Acts can accomplish this but there has to be far more willingness to 'kill one's baby' to tell a full story with a developed plot and characters in a visual manner. Novelist's too have to be willing to 'kill their child' to a certain degree when it comes to editing, but it's nothing compared to the 'bloodbath' a good scriptwriter should be prepared to perform.
The thing that anyone interested in writing scripts must be prepared for is; you'll only get to write the script for 'you' just once. If the scriptwriter is fortunate enough to have the work picked up to be made into a film, they should be well aware that what was originally written will not be what ends up on the screen. When scripts are in the pre-production and production phases, they are constantly re-written due to the realities of crafting the film and the creative challenges involved. Should the scriptwriter be involved with those two phases there may be anywhere from several to dozens of re-writes as input from the director and actors are poured into the work. At this point, a Master of 3 Acts recognizes the script is part of a collaborative work that hopefully still bear their name.
With all that in mind, to become a Master of 3 Acts a scriptwriter must first master the telling of a story with a beginning, middle and end within the limited space of the film or television script format. During the process of crafting the work, the scriptwriter must be prepared to make potentially painful revisions to the work in order to tell a believable story within a short span of time. Lastly, to become a fully-realized Master of 3 Acts the scriptwriter must be prepared to relinquish their 'child' to the collaborative environment of filmmaking which was always the intended format for the work.
Just like those martial arts movies, becoming a Master of 3 Acts is not an easy road. But beyond the rewards of money and possible fame, the true reward is seeing the work come to life upon the large or small screen. When that happens, take your bow as a true master and then go back and start the process all over again!
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