Narrative Structure: The Pro’s Guide

Narrative structures are very misunderstood elements of a story.

Writing without a clear idea of how your story is going to turn

out is akin to building a house without blueprints.

What would happen?

Chaos.

But it’s not your fault. There is a lot of misleading information out
there on the internet, as well as published how-to works.

And when you have images like this:

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It’s very easy to see why so many writers eschew structure and
either give up, or ignore it altogether.

Both outcomes are a big mistake.

Plot Vs. Structure

Structuring your story doesn’t need to be a chore or a headache.

It can actually be a fun and exciting stage of the writing process.

I attribute at least half my success as a self-publisher to my ability

to structure a good story.

The terms plot and structure are often spoken interchangeably,

but they are anything but.

A plot is a series of events happening one after the other. Cause

and event.

A narrative structure outlines the character’s story, their journey

from beginning to end. Plot is part of that, but the rest is taken up
with character progression, ensuring the highs get hit, the lows
consistently thematic.

Structure is said to be the most important ingredient when

writing screenplays, and I would have to agree.

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You have 90-120 pages to tell a story. You need to be fast and
efficient. Each scene must have a purpose. Everything must be
there for a reason because everything costs a great deal of money
once it has been filmed and put on screen.

Okay, so we know structure is key to penning an immersive

story. But how do we take advantage of that fact?

Structuring Your Story

Let me subject you to that gruesome story structure image again:

This is called Freytag’s Pyramid.

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It’s as simple as it gets, a great tower of rising conflict and
tension, culminating in the middle of the narrative, before a long,
drawn-out resolution.

Sounds exciting… Not!

It’s a terrible way to structure any story, and I doubt if any

modern story has ever been structured this way.

And yet, this is how kids all over the world are being taught how
to structure their stories.

Did you know it was originally created to describe Greek and

Shakespearean plays?

I’m not sure it even really accurately describes Shakespearean

plays, though I’m no expert.

In any case, not too relevant to modern-day stories.

It only gets more confusing.

A diagram such as this does nothing to show how a story is really

told or how it is structured by professionals.

Many stories were written before story structure was even

considered something worth studying, but I can guarantee that,
whether they were written with modern structure techniques in
mind or not, all the best stories fit them.

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Casablanca? Yes. Gone With The Wind? Fits like a glove. Sparticus?
To the page. Interstellar? A perfect example.

Building an exciting narrative structure begins first as science,

then builds into art. Ultimately it will be your story that dictates
how the structure wants to develop.

If a scene wants to become a sequence? Then let it.

If a scene doesn’t fit, then remove it.

You can’t plant a tree and tell it when to grow a stalk, when to
bear fruit, when to drop the fruit.

But you can decide where to plant the seeds, giving it the best
chance to take root and grow in the first place.

That is all structure is; planting the seeds so the story can form.
But ultimately the story will become whatever it wants.

Why You Should Use A Good Narrative Structure

A good story well told flows, rising and falling like the tide.

Some writers don’t like to use structures because they feel they
are being pigeonholed, that all originality will be lost in the
process.

I can assure you, it won’t.

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The reason some stories seem like copycats is largely because they
are - they have consciously copied too many aspects of a recent
success that they’re virtually interchangeable.

Does this mean no one will like them?

To the contrary, many people will love them because they remind
the viewer of the original movie they loved so much.

But in terms of originality, all stories, in their various forms,

follow the same basic structure, whether they are movies, TV
shows, novels, short stories, everything.

Does that make Star Wars less good?

Of course not.

Is Gone With The Wind unoriginal because it also fits this same
structure?

Of course not.

Back then, no one had heard of story structure textbooks.

But yet the story follows, very clearly and concisely, the same
story structure that we see now.

WARNING: By learning the following, you will begin to absorb

stories in a different way than you have before. This is not a joke.
If you’re a massive fan of stories and simply love absorbing
stories, not creating them, you might not want to read the
following. It will alter how you perceive stories.

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You will still enjoy them as a form of entertainment of course, and
you can always turn off that analytical part of your brain.

But when you switch it on, you will admire how the writer
masterfully controls the emotions of his audience.

Narrative structures of stories are made to be invisible.

They will never be seen by the audience.

In order to fully understand modern structure and how it relates

to modern storytelling, let’s take a quick look at some terms we
need to familiarize ourselves with.

Important Story Structure Terms To Know

Before we begin, here are some terms that you’re going to be

hearing a lot of in this section.

Some of them you will know from other resources, others might
be new to you.

They can be confusing if you’re not used to using them, so try to

get them clear in your mind before we continue.

Exposition
Describes the character, setting, and background details readers
need in order to understand the context of your novel. Not all
exposition is revealed at the beginning of a story, but there is
usually a high concentration of it at the beginning to set the scene.

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Inciting Incident (a.k.a. call to action, first turning point)
The event or decision that causes the protagonist to leave his
ordinary world.

Rising Action
A series of events leading up to the crises or climax of the story.

Crises
Deep valleys in tension or conflict that occur throughout the
rising action of the novel. “Something terrible has happened!”

Climax
The most intense crisis in the story. Usually, though not
necessarily, the final crisis.

Falling Action
Opposite to Rising Action. A series of events after the crises or
climax of the narrative where questions are answered. A lull in
the action.

Resolution
The final moments of a story where any remaining threads of
tension are resolved and a new reality is established.

If Freytag’s Pyramid fails so fantastically to help us uncover a

structure to write our own stories, then which ones actually do
help?

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 Narrative Structures That Actually Work

Recommended Narrative Structure #1 - The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey is perfect for “journey”-type stories,

irrespective of genre.

Here are the key elements:

Stage 1: The Ordinary World: Status Quo

The hero exists in a normal world, yet he doesn’t fit in. He is

somehow different, possessing characteristics that make him feel
out of place, out of the ordinary.

Stage 2: A Call To Adventure

The hero receives a mysterious invitation, message or challenge,

which calls him to something greater. He often shows reluctance,
but he eventually accepts.

Stage 3: Meeting The Mentor

The hero’s mentor appears, or becomes known. The mentor

provides him with the tools he needs to move forward in the face
of fear and the unknown.

Stage 4: Departure

The hero acts upon his call to adventure and crosses the threshold
from his normal, safe home, into the “special new world.”

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Stage 5: Trials, Allies, Enemies

Finally out of his comfort zone, the hero is confronted with an

ever more difficult series of challenges that test him in a variety of
ways.

Obstacles are thrown across his path, and his skills are tested to
their limits. He gains deeper insight into himself.

He also discovers who can be trusted and who can’t. He may earn
allies and meet enemies who will, each in their own way, help
prepare him for the greater ordeals yet to come.

Stage 6: Approach

The “innermost cave” may represent many things in the Hero’s

story, such as the location in which lies a terrible danger, or an
inner conflict that, up until now, the hero has not had to face.

As he approaches the cave, he must make preparations before

taking that final leap into the great unknown.

Stage 7: Crisis

The Supreme Ordeal may be a dangerous physical test or a deep

inner crisis that he must face in order to survive, or for the world
in which he lives to continue its existence.

This is the hero’s darkest hour. He must face his greatest fear, and
draw upon all of his skills and experiences to overcome his most
difficult challenge.

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Only through some form of “death” can he be reborn,
experiencing a metaphorical resurrection that grants him greater
power or insight necessary to fulfill his destiny.

This is the high-point of the Hero’s story – where everything he

holds dear is put on the line.

If he fails, he will either die, or life as he knows it will never be

the same again.

Stage 8: Treasure

After defeating the enemy, surviving death and finally

overcoming his greatest personal challenge, the hero is ultimately
transformed into a new state, emerging from battle as a stronger
person, often with a prize.

Whatever the treasure may be (which may also facilitate his

return to the Ordinary World) he must quickly put celebrations
aside and prepare for the last leg of his journey.

Stage 9: The Path Home

The Hero’s journey is not over yet. He may still need one last
push back into the Ordinary World.

The moment before he finally commits to the last stage of his

journey may be a moment in which he must choose between his
own personal objective, and that of a Higher Cause.

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Stage 10: Resurrection

This is the climax, in which the hero must have his final and most
dangerous encounter with death.

The final battle represents something far greater than the hero’s
own existence - its outcome has far-reaching consequences in the
ordinary world, and the lives of those he’s left behind. If he fails,
others will suffer.

But ultimately, he will succeed, destroy his enemy, and emerge

from battle cleansed and reborn.

Stage 11: Resolution

The tangled plot lines are straightened out and everything falls
into place. The hero moves forward in integrity and honor, with
the wind at his back.

Stage 12: Return to Status Quo

This is the final stage of the Hero’s journey in which he returns

home to his Ordinary World a changed person.

He will have grown, learned many things, faced many terrible

dangers - even death - but he now looks forward to the start of a
new life.

His return may bring fresh hope to those he left behind, a direct
solution to their problems, or perhaps a new perspective for
everyone to consider.

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The final reward he obtains may be literal or metaphoric. It could
be a cause for celebration, self-realization, or an end to strife, but
whatever it is it represents three things: change, success, and
proof of his journey.

The return home also signals the need for resolution for the
story’s other key players.

The hero’s doubters will be ostracized, his enemies punished and

his allies rewarded.

Ultimately he will return to where he started but things will

clearly never be the same again. He is now a hero.

Why Does This Narrative Structure Work?

The famous example often associated with the Hero’s Journey is

Star Wars. The reason it fits so well is because George Lucas
consciously chose this structure to tell his tale.

Many story structure experts assert this structure can be used

with all genres, but I assert this is not the case, not without some
serious intercessions - including flipping the key elements around
to fit your theory.

It’s best to use this theory with journey-style stories, where the
characters go on a literal journey.

Does this structure work for Lord of the Rings? Sure.

How about Indiana Jones? Probably.

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How about The Silver Lining Playbook? Not so much.

Breaking Bad? No. Moneyball? You’re not listening!

If the character goes on a journey during the narrative, this

structure will work.

It can be forced to work on all stories, but that’s hardly the test of
a good theory.

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 Suggested Narrative Structure #2 - The Three Act Structure

The Three Act Structure is a screenwriting method of writing first

propounded by Syd Field in his book Screenwriting: The
Foundations of Screenwriting, though the concept of a story having
three parts can be traced all the way back to Aristotle.

He said:

Every story has a beginning, middle and end.

But giving him credit for that is akin to giving DaVinci the credit
for inventing the helicopter. Having the idea is not the same as
taking action.

Regardless, the Three Act Structure has been a staple of the

writing trade in Hollywood for decades.

Here’s how it works:

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Act One: Setup
Exposition: See the main character in his natural world. Set up the
rules of this world.

Inciting Incident: Something new and unexpected happens that

forces the character into a situation he can’t come back from.

Act Two: Rising Action

The character tries to solve his predicament in the easiest way
possible. It usually fails.

He tries again, and again fails.

The story escalates, growing in tension with a series of peaks and

valleys until the final crisis at the end of Act Two. All hope seems
lost.

Act Three: Resolution

Final Confrontation: The main character confronts the villain for
the last time.

Why Does This Narrative Structure Work?

It’s been working for decades and still does. There is a lot of
freedom within Act Two to spread your creative wings.

For me, there isn’t enough detail here to help give you a strong
structure. There are just three climaxes - at the end of each act.

It’s an improvement over Freytag’s Pyramid by giving a little

more insight into what makes a good story, but not much.

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 Suggested Narrative Structure #3 - The Fichtean Curve

This structure, or variations of it, has been used time and again by
novelists, screenwriters, games writers, you name it.

Here we can clearly see the gradual Rising Action, then slight
Falling Action, before picking up again into another swell of
Rising Action.

Each time the action rises to its peak like that, it’s a Crisis.

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Something important is happening there. And then the gradual
slackening off again before we ascend another rise.

Each time the Crises happen, the tension mounts, higher and
higher until we get to the apex.

The characters can’t take it anymore, and finally they achieve

their goal, or fail it, and the story comes to an end.

You want to end the story as quickly as possible once the main
action has been resolved. A reader won’t hang around for long.

This structure is applicable to all genres.

The structure is easier to see with the action and thriller genres, as
the peaks and valleys will be when there are car chases and gun
battles.

But they will happen in every other genre too.

In a romantic comedy, these might be an argument that threatens

to tear the relationship apart.

Or in a comedy, it could be the funniest set pieces.

Have you heard the expression, where people grow closer to each
other when they experience moments of great tension and they
have to work together to get through it?

That’s what these moments are.

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They will be moments when you see what the characters are
really made of, when they make their most important decisions.

Why Does This Narrative Structure Work?

Because it grabs the reader right away and doesn’t let go.

It creates a page turner, forcing the reader to keep reading.

Readers don’t get a chance to feel bored before they’re propelled

onto the next exciting segment of the story.

Readers are literally chomping at the bit to find out what happens
next.

Putting Structure Into Practice

It’s all very well knowing how stories are structured, but how do
you actually use it?

This is the most useful information, and yet so many people leave
it out.

I have covered this in detail in the next unit, where I go through

how I used my own advanced version of the Fichtean Curve to
write the outline for my novel Z-Minus II.

The truth is (and you’ll rarely, if ever, hear another writing coach
admit this to you), it’s easy to make something fit if you try hard
enough.

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Want the Hero’s Journey to fit any story you can think of? Go
ahead. You’ll have to alter the theory to fit the story, but go
ahead.

Will doing this help you to write your own story? No.

The key here is to not try too hard. The structure should almost
“fall” into place, and not be made to fit.

I Have A Confession To Make

When I first started creating writing courses using my own

experience, I fully expected to work on a structure course first, as
I consider it an often-overlooked part of the story writing process.

But when I did research, I found people were more interested in

simply getting their work finished, never mind implementing
complex structuring techniques.

And yet, that is exactly what writers do need. A system for

organizing their stories in their minds so they can concentrate on
that part of the process they love most:

Writing!

If you’d like to know more about my own structuring technique,

an advanced version of the Fichtean Curve in easy-to-understand
sections, applicable to every variety of entertainment you can
think of (including novels, movies, TV shows, video games - you
name it!), then make sure to join my VIP Writing Group.

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 TASK

Complete the following:

Choose a structure you feel comfortable with.

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