Story Structure

Story Structure

Alan Watt

Table of Contents

explore upcoming
writing workshops

finish the day with a completed outline


Story structure is often taught by story analysts as plot, but it is really the DNA of our protagonist’s internal journey to transformation.

Without a sense of a beginning, middle and ending, you are likely going to get lost, and by having a sense of how to proportion your story you will be more aware of where your story is not working.

Structure is related to theme and not plot. By working with structure we begin to understand what we are trying to express. Don’t assume or take for granted that you know what you are trying to express. I always say that our idea of our story is never the whole story. It is not that our idea is incorrect. It is that it is incomplete.

By deepening our relationship to story structure, we develop the tools to write a more compelling narrative.

I always love to hear from writers. Please share with me your thoughts on this.

 

Learn more about marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of structure in The 90-Day Novel, The 90-Day Memoir, or The 90-Day Screenplay workshops.

Join my one-day story workshop to master your outline.



Alan Watt

Writing Coach

Alan Watt is a bestselling novelist and filmmaker, and recipient of numerous awards including France’s Prix Printemps. He is the founder of alanwatt.com (formerly L.A. Writers’ Lab). His books on writing include the National Bestseller The 90-Day Novel, plus The 90-Day Memoir, The 90-Day Screenplay, and The 90-Day Rewrite. His students range from first-time writers to bestselling authors and A-list screenwriters. His 90-day workshops have guided thousands of writers to transform raw ideas into compelling stories by marrying the wildness of their imaginations to the rigor of story structure.
Alan Watt with L.A. hills behind

unlock the story within

Join my newsletter for writing ideas and news on upcoming workshops.

Related posts

Conquering a giant rock is a parallel for the character who, rooted in dilemma, is guiding your audience through external conflict to make meaning of the madness in the world.

External conflict

Without tension or conflict, a story will not only be boring, but absent of meaning.  At the heart of every...

Two alpine ibexes fight to represent the character vs. character fight in funny and light manner

Character vs. Character Conflict

Detective vs. criminal mastermind, knight vs. dragon, cowboy vs. rogue bandit — all these classic stories fit neatly into a...

A character in a broken mirror to visualize the stark nature of depicting internal conflict for a character in narrative

Internal Conflict

Explore how internal conflict drives character transformation and fuels your plot with our guide on dramatizing the psyche's dissonance....