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.



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

A page of a book with a hole in it, a visual metaphor for plot holes to suggest an audience looks through one's work to the author when a plot hole is left in

Plot Holes

Master story structure and learn how to fix logical gaps with our guide to plot holes—the "Swiss cheese" of writing...
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...