{"id":1837,"date":"2016-03-03T12:14:26","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T06:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writing-geeks.com\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2023-06-05T21:28:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T15:58:40","slug":"how-to-structure-your-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/how-to-structure-your-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Structure Your Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Structure Your Story<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

How to Structure your Story<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s just one thing that matters to your success as a writer it\u2019s story structure. Story structure is what allows authors to create stories that\u00a0work<\/em> every single time. Story structure is what allows you to quickly diagnose and remedy plot problems.
\nIn the “How to Structure your Story”<\/em> you’ll learn :<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Why structure is make-or-break territory for every novel<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  • How to implement a strong three-act structure<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  • How to bring your story to life<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  • How to ensure your story is built to have the greatest possible impact on readers.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Want to claim the title of\u00a0Author<\/em>? An understanding of story structure is where writers become authors!<\/p>\n

    Part 1: Why Should Authors Care?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the single most overlooked, misunderstood\u2014and yet most important\u2014part of storytelling? If you cheated and looked at the title, you already know the answer is structure<\/i>.<\/p>\n

    Part 2: The Hook<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Unless you hook readers into your story from the very first chapter, they won\u2019t swim in deep enough to experience the rest of your rousing adventure, no matter excellent it is. The hook comes in many forms, but stripped down to its lowest common denominator, the hook is nothing more or less than a question.<\/p>\n

    Part 3: The First Act<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The\u00a0first 20-25% of the book comprises your setup. At first glance, this can seem\u00a0like a tremendous chunk of story to devote to introductions, but if you expec<\/span>t\u00a0readers to stick with you throughout the story, you first have to give them a\u00a0reason to care.<\/p>\n

    Part 4: The First Plot Point<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The first major plot point changes everything. But this isn\u2019t just an event that happens <\/i>to the protagonist. This is an event that either incorporates or is directly followed by the character\u2019s reacting <\/i>in a strong and irrevocable way<\/p>\n

    Part 5: Inciting Event and Key Event<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The first quarter of your story hinges upon two important\u00a0and irreversible moments: the inciting event and the key event. Now that we have a sense of the hook, the\u00a0first act, and the first major plot point, we can see more clearly how and\u00a0where the inciting and key events affect these moments.<\/p>\n

    Part 6: The First Half of the Second Act<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    This first half of the\u00a0second act is where your characters find the time and space to react<\/i> to the first major plot point. That reaction, which will lead\u00a0to another reaction and another and another, launches your second act.<\/p>\n

    Part 7: The Midpoint<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Legendary director Sam Peckinpah talked about how he\u00a0always looked for a \u201ccenterpiece\u201d on which to \u201chang\u201d his story. That centerpiece\u00a0is your second major plot point, the midpoint, which divides your second act.<\/p>\n

    Part 8: The Second Half of the Second Act<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The second half of the second act is where\u00a0your plot really starts popping. Your main character caps the dramatic event at the\u00a0midpoint with his decision to stop reacting and start acting.<\/p>\n

    Part 9: The Third Act<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Like all the other acts, the third act opens with a bang,\u00a0but unlike the other acts, it never lets up. From the 75% mark on, the\u00a0characters and the readers alike are in for a wild ride.<\/p>\n

    Part 10: The Climax<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The climax of a story should have readers on the\u00a0edges of their seats. If we\u2019ve done our jobs right, they should have a general\u00a0idea of what\u2019s coming (thanks to our artful foreshadowing), but they should\u00a0also be suffering under the exquisite torture of more than a shade or two of\u00a0doubt.<\/p>\n

    Part 11: The Resolution<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Your story and its conflict officially ended with your climax.\u00a0Conceivably, you could end your story right then and there. But most books need\u00a0an extra scene or two to tie off any leftover loose ends and, just as\u00a0importantly, to guide your readers to the emotion with which you want to\u00a0leave them.<\/p>\n

    Part 12: Your Questions Answered<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Because of its fixed nature, story structure, once learned,\u00a0is easy to grasp. However, it\u2019s also a subject that inspires endless questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How to Structure Your Story How to Structure your Story If there\u2019s just one thing that matters to your success as a writer it\u2019s story structure. Story structure is what allows authors to create stories that\u00a0work every single time. Story structure is what allows you to quickly diagnose and remedy plot problems. In the “How […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,273,38],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"category-learning-zone","9":"category-writing-tips"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/nong-9pw4TKvT3po-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Writing Geeks","author_link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/author\/writinggeeks\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/nong-9pw4TKvT3po-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6uhmH-tD","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3696,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions\/3696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}