In this article, we’ll look at what story structure is, why it’s important for writers to understand structure, what different story structures exist, and how you can use these structures in your own stories.
What is a Story Structure?
A story structure is an organizational guideline for analysing existing stories and creating new stories.
A story structure helps you to understand what constitutes the beginning, middle and end of a narrative. A story structure provides guidance in how the various points of a story should work together to create strong pacing and reader interest.
It’s particularly worth learning about story structure if you’re writing a story, but:
- have no idea where to start.
- have gotten lost in the middle
- have no clue how to create a powerful ending.
- your narrative feels meandering, lacks direction, and you don’t know how to address this when editing.
- have received feedback that it didn’t grip your reader
Story structure looks at narratives by breaking them down. Structural guides usually look at which specific scenes happen at which specific percentage points.
Let’s examine a few different storytelling structures to see how they work.
3 Basic Story Structures
The Three-Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure is perhaps the prototype of all story structures. It was highlighted by Aristotle in his Poetics, where he examined the underlying structure of successful dramatic plays in Ancient Greece.
Aristotle divided a story into the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Aristotle’s analysis was further developed by screenwriter Syd Field in modern times into the three-act structure, which is now generally viewed as:
Act One–Set-up: (1-25 percent of the story). This is where the story world and characters are established.
Act Two–Confrontation: (26-75 percent of the story). This is where the main conflict of the story plays out.
Act Three–Resolution (76-100 percent of the story): This is where the main story conflict is resolved.
The alternative Five-Act Structure follows much the same guidelines, dividing the story slightly differently at Act One (1-20 percent), Act Two (21-40 percent), Act Three (41-60 percent), Act Four (61-80 percent) and Act Five (81-100 percent).
At Fictionary we merge the three and five act structures to provide the following guidance:
Act One:
This starts at the beginning of the story and ends somewhere between the 20 and 30 percent mark.
The most important scene within Act One is the Inciting Incident, which falls anywhere in the first 15 percent of the story. This is the scene in which the protagonist first meets their external story goal. The story goal is what the protagonist chases throughout the story, and it’s what gives your narrative pace and momentum.
Act Two:
This starts between the 20-30 percent mark and ends somewhere between the 70 and 80 percent mark.
The scene which marks the end of Act One and the beginning of Act Two is Plot Point One. This is the scene where the protagonist fully accepts their story goal. At this stage, the protagonist is set on their journey and there will be no looking back.
Another very important scene takes place in Act Two: the Story Middle. This scene falls somewhere between the 45 and 55 percent of the story – ideally as close to the 50 percent mark as possible. At the Story Middle, an important event within the story shifts your protagonist into chasing their story goal with a greater degree of proactivity than they have before.
Act Three:
This starts between the 70 and 80 percent mark and ends at the 100 percent mark.
The Scene which marks the end of Act Two and the beginning of Act Three is Plot Point Two.
This is the scene where the protagonist reaches a low point in their journey, and has to dig deep inside themselves to find the internal resources to continue on to the Story Climax.
The Story Climax happens around the 90 percent mark, answering the question of whether the protagonist successfully achieves their story goal or not. All scenes following the Climax are Resolution scenes.
The Three-Act Structure we recommend at Fictionary is designed to ensure the story pacing remains tight and gripping.
It’s important that all individual scene goals are related to the protagonist’s overall story goal, as this helps prevent the narrative’s energy from flagging. We also recommend that you ensure that the protagonist does not have too long a run of successful or unsuccessful scene goals taking them closer to or further away from their ultimate story goal, as a variety of successes and failures helps hold reader interest.
If you struggle to visualise how your overall narrative meets these percentage marks, the great news is that Fictionary Storyteller creates a visual map of your story for you!
The Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey is a popular story structure based upon Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Campbell analysed mythic stories and the storytelling structure which underlies them.
Screenwriter Christopher Vogler then developed a storytelling structure based upon Campbell’s work in his book The Writer’s Journey.
Act One: Departure
- Ordinary world: Before we see the protagonist begin his journey towards heroism, we need to see how he lives at the start of the story. This insight gives us an idea how the protagonist might need to change and grow to become a hero.
- The Call to Adventure: The hero’s ordinary world is disrupted by a call to action. This is similar to the Inciting Incident found within the three-act structure.
- Refusal of the Call: Whatever the hero is asked to achieve by the call to adventure, it must be difficult and overwhelming enough that he/she doubts his/her ability to achieve it, and therefore feels reluctance to begin this quest.
- Meeting with the Mentor: The hero meets with someone who will set out the stakes of refusing to meet the call to adventure, and provides some guidance as to how and why the protagonist should accept the call.
- Crossing the First Threshold: The hero steps into a new world by accepting the call to action. This is similar to the Plot Point One found within the Three-Act Structure.
Act Two: Initiation
- Tests, Allies and Enemies: As the hero enters their new world, they meet new characters, new challenges. What they learn here will be important for their ability to succeed in their quest.
- Approach to the Inmost Cave: As the hero seemingly gets closer to their goal, they face a series of obstacles, complications and threshold guardians making the way more difficult. The stakes will rise on this part of the journey, and the hero will need to reorganize, get into their opponent’s mind, and find ways to push on through towards the inmost cave of their journey.
- The Ordeal: As the hero reaches the inmost cave, they will undergo an important trial, from which they will emerge with new perspectives and energy. This is equivalent to the Story Middle within the three-act structure, at which point the hero’s success in pushing through this major ordeal will set them off in their now-proactive pursuit of the story goal. This is usually equivalent to the Story Middle in the Three-Act structure.
- Reward: Now the hero has survived their ordeal, they are ready to actively pursue their journey towards the story climax, using their new skills and perspectives to overcome the new obstacles in their way. Heroes may, at this point, suffer from an over-inflated sense of ego, failing to see that they’ve yet more lessons to learn as they revel in their false sense of achievement.
Act Three: Return
- The Road Back: The hero must rededicate themselves to the adventure after being reminded of their ultimate goal. This scene may be another crisis setting the hero onto further trials in their journey. This is when new emotional stakes or inner goals may come into play. The road back is the equivalent to Plot Point Two in the three-act structure.
- The Resurrection: This is the Climax scene of the hero’s journey; a moment of death and rebirth. The hero must change once more before they can re-enter the ordinary world again. There may be a cleansing, a showdown, a choice, a sacrifice or a catharsis. This moment represents the conclusion of the hero’s character arc, and is equivalent to the Climax in the three-act structure.
- Return with the Elixir: This is the resolution of the story – the protagonist is now able to return to the ordinary world having grown into a hero.
Save the Cat Story Structure
For a detailed breakdown of Save the Cat structure, as developed first by Blake Snyder for screenplays and then by Jessica Brody for novels, see my earlier blog on Save the Cat.
Save the Cat Structure works well with the three-act structure, providing a slightly more detailed guideline.
Act One:
- Opening Image (0-1 percent): Provides the ‘before’ picture, showing us what about the protagonist or his/her world needs to change.
- Theme Stated (5 percent): A direct hint towards the lesson the protagonist will have to learn to achieve their goal.
- Set-Up (1-10 percent): A sequence of scenes equivalent to the set-up of the Three-Act Structure and the Ordinary World of the Hero’s Journey.
- Catalyst (10 percent): Single scene equivalent to the Inciting Incident of the Three-Act Structure and the Call to Adventure of the Hero’s Journey.
- Debate (10-20 percent): Series of scenes equivalent to the combined Refusal of the Call and Meeting with the Mentor in the Hero’s Journey.
Act Two:
- Break Into Two (20 percent): A single scene equivalent to the Plot Point One of the Three-Act Structure and Crossing the First Threshold in the Hero’s Journey.
- B-Story (22 percent): Introduces an important sub-plot.
- Fun and Games (20-50 percent): A series of scenes equivalent to the combined Tests, Allies and Enemies and Approach to the Inmost Cave of the Hero’s Journey.
- Midpoint (50 percent): A single scene equivalent to the Story Middle of the Three-Act Structure and the Ordeal of the Hero’s Journey. In Save the Cat structure, this scene should be either a false victory or a false failure.
- Bad Guys Close In (50-75 percent): A sequence of scenes equivalent to the Reward in The Hero’s Journey. Save the Cat gives slightly different guidance depending on whether the Midpoint has been a false victory or false failure.
- All is Lost (75 percent): A single scene equivalent to Plot Point Two in the Three-Act Structure.
- Dark Night of the Soul (75-80 percent): A sequence of scenes equivalent to the Road Back in the Hero’s Journey.
Act Three:
- Break Into Three (80 percent): A single scene which is the culmination of what the protagonist learns in their Dark Night of the Soul.
- Finale (80-99 percent): A series of scenes including the Climax, equivalent to the Climax of the Three-Act structure and the Resurrection of the Hero’s Journey. The finale also includes the Resolution scenes, equivalent to the Return with The Elixir in The Hero’s Journey.
How to Select a Story Structure
If you’re confused about which storytelling structure to choose – don’t worry!
As you can see from the three different story structures above, none actually contradict each other in any concerning way.
Rather, they simply provide varying levels of detail and guidance as to what should happen at each stage of your story.
The Three-Act Structure provides the loosest, most adaptable guidance on story structure.
If you’re looking for a storytelling structure which gives you maximum flexibility, and the opportunity to play around with scene placement, I’d recommend this structure for your story.
The Hero’s Journey is a guideline devised from mythic adventure stories. Although it can be applied to stories of any genre, it’s perhaps most useful if you’re writing a story that:
- Is within a commercial genre, especially Action Adventure.
- Has a positive character arc taking your protagonist from ordinary person to hero.
- Contains mythic elements, or is centred around a quest.
Save the Cat structure can be applied to any story. I’d recommend considering this structure if you worry that your story is flagging in parts, as the level of detail provided may help you assess where your story’s structural weaknesses lie.
Tips for Using a Storytelling Structure
- Analyse your favourite and comparative titles against these storytelling structures. Examining how existing stories meet these guidelines can be inspirational.
- We always say at Fictionary: storytelling structures are a form, not a formula. Don’t look at structure as a restriction on your creativity; see it instead as a guide to direct and challenge your storytelling.
- Any time you feel your story is flagging, examine the different story structures and see if they can spark ideas as to the direction your story could take.
Structure of a Story Example
Now I’ll break down Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling romantic comedy The Burnout, using the Three-Act Structure we apply at Fictionary.
Act One: Set-up
Protagonist Sasha has a mental breakdown at work. After running away from her Human Resources Manager and hitting her head against a (literal) brick wall, she ends up in hospital with concussion. This leads her to take time off work and seek recovery at Rilston Bay, a seaside resort in Devon.
Inciting Incident (12.5 percent): Sasha can’t help but notice when a good-looking but rude stranger gets on the train to Devon. She exchanges angry words with him after he upsets a small child.
Sasha’s stated goal is recovery. However, as this story is a romance, the reader understands that her ultimate story goal will be that of finding love.
Plot Point One (26 percent): Sasha learns the handsome-but-rude stranger, Finn, is staying at her hotel. In fact, they’re the only two guests using the complimentary beach cabins. For Sasha to complete her wellness program, she’s no choice but to spend time near Finn.
Act Two: Confrontation
Sasha and Finn inevitably rile each other up. He’s unimpressed by her wellness plan, and his less-than-healthy attitude towards life is distracting her from her good intentions of yoga, manifesting, and drinking kale smoothies.
Story Middle (47 percent): Sasha and Finn bond after he joins her in a comedy yoga session. She opens up to Finn about her personal struggles, and finds that trusting someone else with her truth brings her the sense of calm she’s been craving.
Sasha gains a perspective shift with the realisation her recovery isn’t dependent on completing an online wellness program. Rather, she must develop her ability to trust herself, and trust in another.
Sasha and Finn’s relationship goes from strength to strength as they reminisce about a summer they both spent at Rilston Bay as children.
Plot Point Two (81 percent): Sasha takes a phone call from a colleague of Finn’s, who tells her Finn has only recently broken up from another woman, Olivia – the love of his life. Since Finn hasn’t mentioned Olivia to Sasha, she believes he must still be heartbroken, and not in a position to commit to a new person. Sasha determines to focus her energies on building herself a beautiful new life, rather than building a doomed relationship.
Act Three: Resolution
Six months later, Sasha now runs the marketing department at her old job, having seriously impressed the CEO with her description of the company’s failures in an email after she quit. Sasha has met her stated goal of recovery. However, she can’t stop thinking about Finn.
Climax (98 percent): Finn attends a reunion party organised by Sasha, for people who learned to surf in Rilston Bay.
Finn tells Sasha that he has no feelings for Olivia, and wants to be with Sasha. Sasha is overjoyed, and the two lovers embark on a new relationship together.
As you study different story structures, you find they share important similarities. Understand how and why these similarities exist, and you’ll understand the basic structure of great storytelling.