What is Story Structure? Definition, Types, and Elements
What is the magic formula that makes up stories? Let’s break down all you need to know about structure and types of stories.
Whether you are an avid reader or aspiring writer, knowing a little more about the stories you love can help you develop a deeper appreciation.
Our world is filled with patterns, from the changing seasons to the rise and fall of the moon and sun. Stories are no different, following a beat and shape that keeps you hooked and going back for more. But how do you break down a story to view its internal structure? Let’s do a deep dive into all you need to know about story structure and more.
Table of Contents
What is Story Structure?
Story structure refers to the framework that underpins the sequence and flow of a story.
With familiar patterns, it helps organise the plot, develop characters, and maintain a satisfying pace. At its core, structure is about what happens, when, and why it matters. Whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or short story, structure provides a roadmap.
From the inciting incident, creating tension, classic story archetypes, to the hero’s journey, there are many ways you can tackle your plot structure and craft an engaging story.
What are the Basic Elements of a Story?
The basic elements of a story can boil down to these essential parts:
- Character(s)
- Setting
- Plot
- Rising action
- Conflict
- Falling action
- Theme
- Resolution
These elements can be twisted and changed to fit your story as needed. With these simple points, you can create a romance story, a nail-biting thriller, or an epic fantasy story and keep your readers engaged. Whether you are writing a first or third person point of view, or want to play around with different tropes, these are the main ingredients to any story.
Classic Story Structure Types
When you look at classic stories or even blockbuster movies, you can recognise familiar patterns that ebb and flow.
The Three Act Structure
The three act structure, is aptly named and broken down into the following parts:
- Act 1: The first act is the setup and introduction to main characters. This is also where the central conflict will be mentioned. This act begins with the ‘normal’ or ‘ordinary world’ that is upended in the following act.
- Act 2: The second act is the confrontation and often is the longest act. This is where stakes rise, challenges come forward and the hero is tested.
- Act 3: This is the resolution and climax of the story. There will be a conclusion of the main conflict and then wrap up loose ends and recognition of how the characters have changed (mostly for the better, but sometimes for the worse).
Most modern books and movies still follow the three act structure, having a clear beginning, a central conflict, resolution, and clear protagonist’s character arcs.
Hero’s Journey
Broken down into 12 steps, the
- Ordinary World: We meet the hero and their ‘normal life’.
- Call to Adventure: A challenge or issue arises.
- Refusal of the Call: The hero resists the adventure (While not always necessary).
- Meeting the Mentor: A wise teacher or tool appears.
- Crossing the Threshold: The hero leaves their comfort zone.
- Tests and Trials: They face challenges along the way.
- Approach to the Inmost Cave: The Big Bad challenge approaches.
- The Ordeal: The hero faces the biggest test yet.
- Reward: They ‘seize the sword’ and see the light at the end of the tunnel.
- The Road Back: It’s not over yet, as they are faced with more challenges.
- Resurrection: They reach the final goal or test.
- Return with Elixir: The hero returns home, now with new skills, power, or wisdom.
The hero’s journey can be seen in a lot of classic and modern stories, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or even The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This story circle that brings the hero back to where they started to see how much they have grown is a common plot point device for a good reason.
Five-Act Structure
Similar to the Three Act basic structure, the Five Act structure has a similar rise and fall like most stories. With key elements including challenging the status quo, a primary conflict, and the final challenge
- Exposition: Introduces characters, setting, and background.
- Rising Action: Conflicts and complications begin to unfold.
- Climax: The story reaches its highest point of tension.
- Falling Action: Consequences of the climax unfold.
- Resolution: The conflict is resolved and the story concludes.
When plotted out on paper, this narrative structure will look like a pyramid with the tip being the climax of the entire story.
The Eight-Point Structure
The eight-point story structure follows the protagonist’s journey starting with an opening image that draws readers in until they get to the final image.
- Stasis: What the hero’s life looks like before anything changes.
- Trigger: The inciting event that upsets the balance of their normal life.
- The Quest: The hero has a goal they need to achieve from the trigger.
- Surprise: The events that happen on the way to the goal.
- Critical Choice: They choose what fork they will take on the path to their goal (or away from it).
- Climax: The pinch point or pivotal moment of the story where they face the ultimate challenge.
- Reversal: The change in the hero’s life after their decisions.
- Resolution: A new balance and normal is created. The hero has grown and changed.
A great example of an eight point story structure is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. We can see the character development and basic story structure from the ‘ordinary world’ to the turning point and resolution.
Does a Story Really Need Structure?
Studying story structure can help you develop strong elements in your story, from well-paced scenes to gripping plot points or beloved characters. Your story structure serves as a great place to start mapping out the major plot points of your compelling story. Apart from the methods listed above, there are also many other story structures for your stories, such as the seven-point story structure or the popular book Save the Cat by Blake Snyder that outlines the Save the Cat Beat Sheet. The options are endless when it comes to your own story structure options.
That said, there are many different story structures to consider when writing a story, but there is one rule above them all. There are always exceptions. There might come a time when you find a cardinal writing rule you need to break, and sometimes art doesn’t fit into a box. Remember structure is a guide and break them with purpose.
Want to learn more? You can read more about Top Fantasy Book Writers right here.
Happy writing.