Structure - The Foundation of Story

It’s been another busy month of writing and researching with more video scripts about elements of narrative and a new project creating nursery rhymes about wildlife for a play zine. I’ve also been mapping out plots for the other two novels in The Bookfinder trilogy – The Scrutiny of Thaddeus Grymm and The Library of Imagination, which has been very exciting for me! It got me thinking about structure and how it can be really useful to have a framework that ensures your story goes where you need it to go. No-one wants to read a story that drags in the middle and loses momentum and it’s a dread for writers that if the unfolding of events isn’t paced well enough, readers will either skip ahead or put it aside to ‘finish later.’

Structure truly is the foundation of story because it can help with plotting and pacing to ensure that there’s a gradual build-up of encounters and events laced with escalating conflict, tension and emotional impact. There’s no point having an explosive ending packed with everything happening at once if it takes a long meandering path to get there. You’ll lose your readers’ interest before you reach all that juicy stuff. You need an escalating trail of enticement with characters readers can root for so they keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

When structuring, I tend to think first of the plot and what actually happens in the story – the worldbuilding, events, character arcs, possible scenes, atmosphere, themes. Then I think about the actual structure and how the scenes need to be ordered to ensure the most impact on the reader.

Some writers are planners or plotters – they create a detailed plan of how their story will unfold and don’t deviate from it. Others are ‘pantsers’ – they literally fly by the seat of their pants when writing to see where their story goes as they write it. Every writer has their own method and there is no right or wrong way. It’s for each writer to decide what works best for them, but I tend to think of myself as a bit of both – a ‘plantser.’ I create a basic path for my story to follow that also leaves me room to manoeuvre if ideas are sparked by the actual writing. It allows me to explore something that suddenly occurs to me or to make additions that fit with the story in more believable ways.

Once I’ve generated an abundance of notes, research, character studies, journey arcs, scenes and interactions, as well as a basic plot, I start to think about the structure of my story. I head for my noticeboard with a stack of post-it notes and write down a couple of sentences on each one for every scene or aspect. Then I lay them on the board haphazardly and step back to consider where each scene or story plot point needs to go. I experiment and move them around until the different beats of my story are laid out in an order that I think could work well.

From this I create a chapter list and write a few sentences about what needs to happen in each one. Then I finally start writing the first rough draft of the narrative. With a guide for each chapter that’s not too rigid, it allows me to freely explore what happens, while also following the trajectory of the story I’ve laid out. If I feel something isn’t working as well as I’d hoped or exposition feels clumsy, I can look again at the noticeboard and see what could be rearranged. It also helps confirm if I need to create something else without contradicting what I want to keep so that my story flows again.

My ’storyboard’ is a really useful tool for me when exploring structure because it’s a visual reference of where I am with the plot. It means I don’t feel lost in all the ideas and themes sometimes fighting for space because it helps me consider more easily where to go next. It also gives me a sense of scale and proportion, which is really handy for identifying if I’m focusing on one aspect of the story too much or if there’s an element I need to introduce or expand.

If you’re debating how you want to map out your story here’s a few basic structure ideas you might want to consider using which might help. Of course, if you’re a pantser, this might not interest you but stay with me in case there’s any insight that might help you with your story…

The 3 Act Structure – Short Stories

If you’re writing short stories, the 3 act structure in its most simplest format is beginning, middle and end or the hook, the story and the climax.

Act 1 – The Hook (beginning)The hook is the first sentence that draws a reader in and makes them want to keep reading. A line that hints at what could follow.

Act 2 – The Story (middle) Once you’re past the hook and into the story, you need to let the reader know where they are and who they’re listening to, so they can start to build a picture in their mind while they’re reading. You need to also arouse a readers’ curiosity by raising questions that demand to be answered.

Act 3 – The Climax (end) The climax is the final reveal – a twist, a revelation, the result of all that’s gone before. This is what you’ve been working towards throughout your entire story, and you need to give your reader some kind of resolution, even if the repercussions of what has happened in the story have to be imagined.

The 3 Act Structure – Novels

For novels, you’re working with a much broader canvas, so the 3 act structure is more detailed with room for a lot more layers.

Act 1: The Set Up - We’re introduced to the main character in their ordinary world, going about their usual life, which is disrupted with some kind of catalyst - either something that’s there from the very beginning or an inciting incident that creates conflict they must respond to.

Act 2: The Confrontation - This is the bulk of the story as the main character faces obstacles, challenges and complications they have to adapt to. The stakes keep rising and there are setbacks as they head towards a confrontation or danger of the highest tension that leaves the main character at their lowest point.

Act 3: The Resolution - The organic conclusion of everything that’s come before where challenges are faced, the antagonist or villain or situation is defeated, and the main character emerges changed or reborn as a result.

The 5 Act Structure – Novels

As an alternative, some writers use a 5 Act structure:

Act 1: The Set Up - We’re introduced to the world of the protagonist and the lesson they must learn. There’s an inciting incident, which includes the antagonist. The goal and obstacles are established and a plan is decided upon.

Act 2: Rising Action - The plan in action tests the protagonist to their limits as more obstacles are piled on – as many as you need!

Act 3: Climax - At this mid-way turning point, the plan doesn’t work, and a new one is needed to succeed. Another obstacle arises.

Act 4: Falling Action - The final obstacle manifests to leave the protagonist broken and at their lowest point.

Act 5: Resolution - The truth emerges and acted upon which can either be a triumph or catastrophe. The lesson is learned, and the protagonist is changed as a result.

If you want a deeper dive into structure and storytelling, I thoroughly recommend taking a look at the excellent Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them, by John Yorke. The book explores the hidden structure behind all storytelling with some interesting thoughts on how compelling narratives use the same psychological blueprint that mirrors how we make sense of our world. If you’re interested in the book it would also be great to support independent booksellers by buying or ordering it from your local bookshop as every little helps.

I hope this has given you some ideas for tackling structure and look out for my next post on Creating Your Hero. Until then, happy writing!