1. What is Story Structure?
The Hero's Journey, the 3 Part Act - it's all the same. Story structure is the difference between a bestseller and a pile of trash. It's the main reason as to why famous writers suggest using an outline. Without a clear story structure, it's really hard for readers to follow along with a story and understand what's happening, and it's also hard for you, the author, to identify what scenes and chapters are actually necessary for the story. Your story structure, and how good it is, affects literally every basic component of your storytelling capabilities.
Without a story structure, your story lacks effective suspense and pacing, which makes it extremely hard for your readers to care about what they're reading. With a structure, your audience can reach clear 'checkpoints', which fills them with a sense of accomplishment and makes them want to read until the end. Knowing how to structure stories effectively should be like writing out your ABC's - quick, easy, and a non-issue.
2. The Choice is Up to You
There're a lot of different story structures you can choose from, and different structure often is a trope of specific genres. For example, when you think of a fantasy epic, you think of the Hero's Journey structure. But they're so many to choose from, and no one structure needs to be used in certain genres. Actually, you can make your own! As long as it has a rising and falling action, you can literally make up what every structure you want and works for your story.Â
Implement your story structure into your outline, and you'll find that half of it you've already included. "Aha! I had no idea this one little event is actually a major catalyst for the whole second half of the novel - hooray!". When you pair a scene with a checkpoint in your story, you can get a much better idea as to what tone that section of the book from having, and what stage of their character arcs everyone should be in. (don't worry, I'll explain what checkpoints are later in the post).
3. Whether or Not you're Writing a Series Matters ... Like a Lot
Your own personal story structure will change if you're planning a series. If you're writing a series, you don't want your falling action to completely fall. You want an event that leaves something up in the air, something that leads into the next book, and you plan this event into your story structure.
The only rule when it comes to creating your own story structure is that the goal you gave your characters at the beginning of the story needs to be achieved. I'm not saying you have ended with all the subplots and loose ends tied together in a little neat bow, but if you're writing a series, you definitely don't want to include things that do exactly that. Look at your story structure and outline before you start writing, and you take those events and information reveal out. The conclusion on your book has to fulfil the promise you made to your reader at the inciting incident. The main goal of your book as to be reached, or otherwise satisfyingly concluded, otherwise your readers will feel ripped off.
4. How to DIY Your Own
Everyone's story have a unique story structure. Even if you use a generic one like the Hero's Journey, you will have to tweak it to suit your unique book. That's why I like to take a generic story structure, and fiddle around with it to make it work for my characters to achieve their goal. For example, you could be using a Hero's Journey story structure, but the actual quest of the book is a secondary goal to the character. Their main goal is to reconcile with their best friend along the way. Their goal is tied to the quest, but it's not the quest in and of itself.
Ideally, your story shouldn't follow a cookie-cutter story structure, because then you're left with a cliché and predictable storyline. When making your own, or tweaking a classic, you want to keep 9 key stages or checkpoints of the story included, so you don't just completely screw it up.
This is basically a super basic, stripped back version of a genetic story structure, but a blank template is always a good place to start when creating your own structure:
Homeland:Â what's normal life for your protagonist before you totally screw with their head for the next 300 pages?
The Inciting Incident:Â Â the event that throws your protagonist into the storyline.
The Reactive Phrase: your characters are just kinda going with it - they've met the supporting cast and are just going were the plot takes them.
The First Catalyst:Â a big plot point is revealed to your characters that thickens the plot, raises the stakes, develops a secondary goal and the 'real antagonist' is unmasked.
The Proactive Phrase: "oh crap I need to actually do something to defeat this antagonist guy let me just take control of my life real quick and get shit done."
TRIALS:Â do what you were born to do and mess with your characters mentally, emotionally and physically :)
The Second Catalyst: a 'big shock wow' reveal that ramps up the stakes 10 fold right before the climax.
Climax (plot twist and breaking point): plot twist occurs, characters reach their breaking point and they defeat (or maybe not) the antagonist.
Conclusion:Â regroup, subplot closure and maybe one last plot twist (for that second book hype up).
5. My Own Story Structure
For my own story, I basically just expanded on these key checkpoints. My story structure helped me a lot in defining my story and deciding what's actually needed to make my story work. You would be surprised in how many scenes, and even characters, you cut when you apply your original idea to a structure - and trust me, it's for the better.
Homeland: What is your character's life before the inciting incident? What are the protagonist’s initial goals?
Catalyst #1 - Inciting Incident: What's their internal motivation to follow through with this call to action, and what is this external force that has put them in this situation?
Reactive Phrase: Your protagonist is more following the plot instead of controlling it. What happens here?
Catalyst #2: A major puzzle piece falls into place after a new bit of information is revealed (commonly this information is finding out who, exactly, the antagonist is, but not always).
Proactive Phrase: Your protagonist reacts to this information by taking control of the story. They’re driving the plotline. This is when their first trials occur, and they make many mistakes.
Trial #1:
Trial #2:
Trial #3:
Trial #4:
Trial #5:
Catalyst #3: Another crucial puzzle piece falls into place. The build-up to the climax has begun. The game plan starts to take action.
Trial #6:
Catalyst #4: Another crucial puzzle piece: build-up/hinting to the second book - what information needs to be established for the second book to work?
Plot twist: The biggest plot twist of the story happens here: What changes the game completely and peaks the stakes right before the climax?
Beginning of Climax: they finally meet the antagonist for one last battle.
Catalyst #4:Â one final piece of information is revealed about the enemy during the fight. Any loose ends to do with that singular enemy come together.
Plot Twist #2:Â This is the peak of the drama the climax causes (a major secret is revealed, or a character dies you didn't expect to).
Breaking Point: Your character should crumble - what breaks them in the middle of their battle?
End of Climax: They finally complete the goal of the book.
Healing / Regroup: They leave the battlefield, protagonist reflecting on their journey and what that final piece of information means for their life from here on out, as the characters travel back to home base to regroup.
Catalyst #5 - Final Information Reveal: (Most) loose ends come together as characters piece together the subplots of the plotline. Fights, betray and secrets come out - airing their dirty laundry in the open air. All the story structures for the other characters are revealed.
Plot Twist: The final event of the book that changes everything and sets up the second instalment.