This late summer, I finally began changing my predicament. Leaving my favorite fiction books for a while, I began reading about how to craft stories. What I've learned opened my eyes and changed my understanding of how storytelling work on an inner, structural level. Where magic once eclipsed the gaps, I now see the bones of feasible structure to guide me. I'm myself a beginner when it comes to theory and structural aspects of book writing. Therefore, you will find all the books I've drawn from at the bottom of this post.
Let's begin with what is already foreshadowed at the top: plot structure.
There are several types of plot structure depending on what type of book you're writing. This post primarily deals with a progression of events that would make sense within "the hero's journey." This is one of the most popular plot structures, and one that time and time again has show its effect by capturing the minds of readers.
So what really is plot, and by extension: plot structure?
Plot is the external (outer) happenings in your book. These are contrasted to the inner happenings, which are how your narrating character(s) react to what is going on externally. Internal happenings creates meaning, external happenings are the events that takes place in a specific order. Plot structure tells you where a certain event must happen for the story to feel well-pased for the reader. If a plot point appear too late, the book will feel dragged out. If it appear too early, it may feel rushed.
In my current project, I'm using the 15 point plot structure. Here, each part of the book have different story beats or plot points that must be hit to create a overarching cohesive and compelling narrative tale. The 15 point plot structure is, among others, known from the book, "Save the Cat!" by Jessica Brody. I've yet to read the book, but I've borrowed the structure for my outline.
Some of the main takeaways from plot structure are that every ~25% should lead to a shift in the story. These shifts are marked by the structure points: The First Plot Point (PPI), The Midpoint, and The Third Plot Point (PP3). As can be seen on the photo above. The First Plot Point is where ACT1 ends, and the character delves into their Adventure World. The Second Plot point, better known as the Midpoint, is another such point. What is significant about the Midpoint is that this is where the character goes from its "reactive" phase to its "active" phase. In other words, they have spent the first half of the book reacting to the conflict, now they begin to take their first actions towards solving it. The Third Plot Point is also known as "The Darkest Point" of your book. This is where the character makes the decition to fight the last battle despite being at their lowest point and eventually resolve the overarching plot during the Climax and Resolution.
You may also take notice that ACTII makes up 50% of the book. This is where the biggest chunk of your story lives.
Each act have their own goals and requirements.
Acts are a helpful way to divide your story into pieces. To gulp down all in one sip can easily shoke any inspiration you posess. Instead you can focus on smaller bits at a time, which may help you build an outline that makes sense.
- Act I (0-25%)- This is where you introduce your character, their setting, their misbelief about the world (the one misbelief they will spend the entire book changing), and foreshadow PPI and the Climax.
- Act II (26-75%)- This is where your character finds themselves navigating an unknown world and finding new ways to reach their want; this is where sub-plot begins; this is where your character obtain all the tools they need for ACT3; this is where your character is changed enough to go from reaction to action.
- Act III (76-100%) - This opens with your darkest point; this is where your character faces the conflict in a final battle; this is where your story resolves.
* How long these acts are reflect the word count of your book. If you're writing a 75k draft, Act I and Act III will make up 18,750 words each. Your midpart will be double that at 37,500 words. Take into account the lenght of your scenes and you can begin planning the story at a deep level, making out the ~number of scenes your story will consist of.
Sources
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
Structuring Your Novel by K. M. Weiland
Save the Cat! by Jessica Brody
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