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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/30794
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In traditional story structure theory, the ACT 1 is made to set up the world and host the inciting incident, the ACT 2 is made for the main quest and sequence of obstacles, and ACT 3 is made for the resolution.

Is it possible to completely skip ACT 1 and begin a story right in the second act, where heroes are already in the middle of the quest? I'm not just talking about medias res. I'm talking about making implicit all the background and establishing scenes, and to summarize them in memories or tales. I would like to write a novel which shows the heroes' quests rather than "wasting time" with all the "normal world" to be created and then destroyed.

For instance, _The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_ would begin with the hobbits marching to Bree, and the reason why they are doing so would come out in their conversations, in their memories, and so on.

The movie _Dunkirk_ for instance gives all the context for granted, and proceed to a full-feature of action and resolution.

Original score: 8