Look, I know plot structure isn’t sexy the way character development or drama and obstacles and conflict are, but it’s super important. It makes a difference in your book wooing readers and in it wooing agents.
You can learn a lot about culture by how it looks at what makes a good story and a good story structure.
In Western culture right now, we tend to think of stories as three acts (a beginning, middle, and end with the bulk being in the middle), and with a protagonist or hero or main character (whatever you want to call it) who drives the story forward.
So, it’s sometimes good to remember that there are other ways of making story and other cultures where the bulk might not be in the middle or the main character might not be so proactive. Story reflects who we are as a people.
Nobody keys into this as much as Robert McKee, who is quite the guru of screenwriting and story.
There are three of his maxims, explained by No Film School that really show that.
“YOUR PROTAGONIST NEEDS TO BE THE ONE WHO MAKES THE DECISION THAT BRINGS ABOUT THE CLIMACTIC ACTION.
“Is your protagonist driving the story forward? Are their actions and choices putting the story into focus and kicking it into gear? Make sure they are active, and not just along for the ride. Give them something to do.
“DESIRE IN YOUR CHARACTER IS KEY.
“What does your character want? We talk about goals on here a lot. They need to have a goal, but also the reasoning behind it. That’s where desires come in. I want to solve the case to make the city safer. I want to bring all my friends back from Thanos’ snap. Give them something tangible and obvious.
“CHARACTER PAYOFFS SHOULD ALWAYS BE EMOTIONAL UNLESS YOU HAVE A SPECIAL REASON.
“Think about not only what happens inside your story but how these moments affect people internally. Does someone let a character down, or crush their heart with a rejection? Is there a way to hook that into the goal and show how things evolve within them? What do these emotional hurdles do to them or cause them to do? Let emotion guide the way.”
For literature in our time, right now, and our culture, those are three big keys to making stories that will be purchased and will resonate with readers.
So, about that three-act structure. It’s basically the typical template for novels. There are tons of books about this.
I am not going to write a book here because this is just a blog post and I’m not getting paid enough to write a book on a post.
But . . .
Specific acts have typical things they do. They also take up typical amounts of the total book. This is the super simplest rundown.
ACT ONE—First 25% — The set up. We meet characters, setting, learn what kind of story it is. Our hero (protagonist) has a goal. It is not easy for them to get that goal.
ACT TWO—25-75% — Stakes get higher. Problems get worse or shift as the cause and effect goes on and the hero keeps trying to get that damn goal.
ACT THREE — 75% to the end — The conflict is resolved after the absolute poopiest moment for our poor hero. There is usually closure in the U.S. because we tend to like our endings tied up with a little bow.
These acts create a fancy phrase called the narrative arc. They also create an emotional arc usually for the hero.
As Susan Stewart writes on The Writing Cooperative,
“Many novels are written like a three-act play. Each act must end with something exciting, either action of some kind, or a big revelation, or a huge setback. The point is to get the reader there and then make them so surprised that they just have to read the next chapter. Some writers refer to this structure as “three disasters and an ending.”
“The novel should climb in intensity as each act is written. The middle of the second act (the middle of the novel) should hold something so devastating that it seems to be impossible to overcome.
“The beginning of the third act should be another disaster and by the end of the third act, there needs to be some kind of resolution. Whether it’s a “happily ever after,” an acceptance of the situation, or in the case of a series of novels, something that makes the reader want to read the next book, the reader wants to feel like the story has come to a satisfactory end.”
So, she mentions a couple of things in there:
Three-act structure. This is the beginning, middle, and end. Or the set-up, main body of the story where main character goes after their wants, finale where they get their wants or not.
Three disasters and an ending—you can think of these as three moments of big change and an ending if your book is a bit quieter than people trying to prevent a pixie apocalypse.
She says the middle of the novel is the absolute point of devastation. Others say this is the beginning of third act/end of the second.
But the most important advice in those three paragraphs is that the intensity usually keeps picking up increment by increment until the end. There can be a bit of recovery in between those intense moments. That’s a nice ebb and flow that a lot of writing coaches and editors adore.
That is linked to scenes and chapters. Each scene and chapter needs to have a point for your readers to want to keep reading. Stewart advocates for them each having their own three-act structure as well, writing,
“How you structure your chapters is just as important as how you structure your whole novel. Each chapter should be its own little three-act play. The chapter should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The ending is the most important part of the chapter. If you can end it at a turning point, or some kind of suspense or disaster, they won’t want to put the book down.”
But to keep the reader with their adorable nose in the book or the eReader, you want to have each of those scenes and chapters building with intensity and with stakes, where the reader is going to want to know what’s going to happen and how.
Pretty cool, right?
Circling back to McKee and what makes the book actually compelling.
So, keeping your readers attention is obviously about:
Stakes and dread—what they are afraid might happen to the character
Sexy beginnings—starting things off interestingly
Character wants—the characters have to want things so the readers can want them too
Connection—the reader needs to care about the character and those wants
Behind the Draft post about structure
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