Story Structure

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The most important editing checklist for writers is the one that allows them to balance their lives against their work and keep their clarity in the final product

An Editing Checklist for Writers

Refine your manuscript with this essential editing checklist. Learn how to edit a book by paring down prose and polishing...
A photography montage to demonstrate the parallel to creating a montage in the visual medium of a screenplay.

How to Write a Montage in a Screenplay

Learn how to write a montage in a screenplay to condense time and show character growth. Master the format and...
A woman in a red dress looking pensively to the corner of the frame to dramatize the difficulty of how to plan a novel

How to Plan a Novel

Learn how to plan a novel by balancing creative intuition with a structured 90-day schedule, from initial inquiry to finishing...
Three windows on a yellow wall opened to different lengths, a visual metaphor to represent the progression in a rule of three

The Rule of Three

Master the rule of three to create satisfying patterns, memorable character trios, and a rhythmic story structure that resonates with...
A ship's mooring in a snowy part of the world to give a frosty visualization of Unmoored

Unmoored: My Search for Meaning

Explore the transformative power of writing as a tool for healing trauma, finding self-acceptance, and discovering meaning beyond the search...
Someone reading a book in the darkness at a café on a very sunny day, emotional themes of relaxedness

How to Publish a Book

Master the path to publication. Learn how to polish your manuscript, query literary agents, handle rejection, and weigh the pros...
Feature image for types of conflict in literature––a couple having a snowball fight to illustrate how simple conflict can be.
Blog
Alan Watt

Types of Conflict in Literature

The types of conflict in literature serve to force protagonists to confront their deepest fear and reveal a story’s soul through the resolution of dilemma.

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Recent posts

Feature image for types of conflict in literature––a couple having a snowball fight to illustrate how simple conflict can be.

Types of Conflict in Literature

The types of conflict in literature serve to force protagonists to confront their deepest fear and reveal a story's soul...
Freytag's Pyramid Feature Image

The 5 Core Stages of Freytag’s Pyramid

In this article, I explore story structure with Freytag’s Pyramid, who structures a story into five main components that allow...
story arc

Mastering Story Arcs for Stronger Storytelling

Ever since humans have been able to communicate, we share stories, weaving the tapestry of our shared existence. These stories...

Three-act structure

Mastering the Three-Act Structure for Stronger Stories

In his book, Poetics, Aristotle laid the foundation for story structure by stating that all stories must have a beginning,...

backstory

Backstory: What to Reveal and When

Backstory includes all the events from your characters’ pasts, details about their origins, plus any essential background information necessary to...

story circle

What is the “Story Circle”? A Practical Breakdown

In simple terms, storytelling consists of three things: the beginning, middle, and end. However, this basic structure can often hide...

parallelism

Parallelism: Crafting Meaning in Repetition

There’s no rhythm without some repeated notes. Certain literary and rhetorical devices are so ingrained in how we speak and...

misdirection

The Art of Narrative Misdirection

Misdirection — the art of strategically concealing and revealing information — is one of the most potent literary tools that...

hook

What is a Hook in Storytelling?

Try to recall your favorite story. How did it begin? What were the first words? If the first lines of...

plot

The Art of Plot: Structure That Serves Your Characters

What is a story without a plot? Not much! A plot is the sequence of events that helps give a...

Hero's Journey

The Hero’s Journey: A Structure Template

It’s a tale as old as time. The protagonist is torn from their ordinary life and sets off to face...

Resolution - Freytag's Pyramid

How to Write an Effective Resolution

All stories must eventually come to a conclusion, or “resolution.” As an author, your job is to ensure that the...

Exposition

Exposition: “Where should my story begin?”

For some writers, just getting the story started is the toughest part. There’s so much you want to say, but...

Theme

Unlock Your Story’s Theme: Crafting Stories That Matter

Theme is a way of making a series of events which are personal to the protagonist universally relatable to a...

rising action

What is Rising Action? How to Elevate Your Plot

Rising action refers to the series of events that lead from a story’s inciting incident to the climax. In this...

Inciting Incident

What is an Inciting Incident? The Story Moment That Changes Everything

With storytelling, if your reader isn’t engaged within the first few chapters, you run the risk of losing their attention....

Falling Action

Falling Action: The Bridge Between Climax and Resolution

What happens after a story’s climactic moment? What comes after the protagonist wins the girl, or defeats the bully, or...

Climax

How to Write a Compelling Climax

The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for. They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling...