Guest Post by Lewis Jorstad of The Novel Smithy
Many writers, whether complete beginners or seasoned authors, struggle with the question:
“Should I use story structure to guide my writing?”
Personally, I always answer with a resounding, “Yes!” However, there are valid concerns about writing with story structure. On the one hand, structure can help you write faster and overcome writer’s block more easily, but it can also be less open-ended. With story structure, you have a clear set of plot points and story beats to work towards—and for some writers, that is unacceptably restrictive.
Still, the benefits of writing with story structure aren’t something to ignore, so the question becomes—how can you use story structure, without giving in to a formula?
Fear of a Formula
There’s a pervasive belief in the writing world that story structure restricts your creativity and dictates your story for you.
Fortunately, this perception is changing, thanks to more and more writers realizing the benefits of structure. Still, the fear of a formula lingers, and it’s completely valid. Why would you use story structure at all, especially if it might force you to create a dull and unoriginal novel?
Well, as with so many things, the reality isn’t so cut and dry.
For starters, story structures can’t force you to do anything—they’re simply a guide that you can follow or ignore if you want to. Likewise, blaming every cookie-cutter novel on story structure is a bit one-sided. Usually, the flaws in a novel are more a result of the author behind it, rather than any story structure they might have referenced along the way.
The truth is, if you have a strong idea and the passion to see it through, story structure can be a helpful guide to make your journey easier—you just need to know how to make the most of it.
The Four Benefits of Story Structure
1. It Gives You a Map
I’ve talked a lot about how useful story structure can be, but how can it help you write your novel?
Well, for starters, following a structure means you’ll always know where your story needs to go next. That doesn’t mean story structure will dictate your novel for you, of course—instead, it just gives you a rough idea of what needs to happen and when. How it ends up happening and in what creative ways are entirely up to you.
2. It Inspires You to Write
Oftentimes, we put off writing because we don’t know what happens next in our stories. Unfortunately, that “not knowing” can quickly snowball until we feel trapped by writer’s block—or even give up on our novels entirely.
Story structure, while not a cure for writer’s block, ensures you always have a loose framework to guide you forward. There’s always something to write towards, and always a vague idea of where your story is going, meaning more room for inspiration—rather than stress—to take over.
3. It Keeps You Honest
It’s easy to declare your novel done before it’s truly ready. You may be avoiding sections you aren’t sure how to flesh out or scenes that are particularly weak, simply because they’re hard to deal with.
Fortunately, following a story structure keeps you honest, forcing you to face the sections of your story that might need a bit more TLC—and creating a better novel in the process.
4. It’s Not a Dogma
No matter what people say, story structure is just a framework—not the law.
You can flex and mold it to suit your ideas as much as you want, creating exciting twists on old traditions or entirely new stories that are all your own. While you need a solid understanding of the “rules,” once you know them you’re free to break them in fascinating ways!
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” ― Pablo Picasso
How to Write an Original (But Still Structured) Story
1. Choose Your Core Idea
To get started, you first need an idea. Summarize the core components of your story in one or two brief paragraphs, covering:
Who your protagonist is
The conflict they’ll face
The point or moral of your story
What inspired you to write
Why you’re compelled to write this story specifically
This establishes the foundation of your novel, giving you something to build from as you delve deeper into your plot and explore the many directions it could take.
2. Sketch Out the Basics
With your foundation set, it’s time to flesh things out. Take some time to answer these questions, writing about a paragraph for each:
How does your story start?
How does it end?
Why does your protagonist get involved?
How do they finally resolve (or fail to resolve) the conflict
What major turning points do they face?
What lessons do they learn, and how?
This is your chance to record any of the specific story beats you already came up with for your story. If there’s anything you don’t know how to answer, take some time to brainstorm it.
3. Expand, Expand, Expand
Finally, you can move on to story structure. You've already created your basic plot, so pick your structure of choice and see how they compare.
Two of the most popular story structures are The Three Act Structure and the Hero’s Journey. Choose whichever fits your story best and then look at the plot points they contain. Does your plot hit all of those same beats? What’s missing, and why? Likewise, are there any sections of your story that you could expand on using these structures?
While you don’t need to rewrite your plot based on your chosen structure, it can help you identify areas of your story that may be weak or underdeveloped. So, use your chosen structure to expand on your plot until it feels fleshed out and ready to write!
4. Return to the Start
Once your story feels “done,” you have one last task—go back and reread the core idea you wrote down earlier. How has it changed, and how has it stayed the same?
Change isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it can be helpful to see how your ideas have evolved, both through your own brainstorming and through the influence of story structure. You may decide you need to reorient your story closer to that original idea, or you may find the changes you made were the right choice—whatever the case may be, this is your chance to reconnect with your original inspiration.
Charting Your Own Path
With your novel’s outline complete, you’re ready to start writing!
Best of all, story structure will be there to guide you every step of the way. If you get stuck halfway through your novel, unsure where to go next, turn to structure—and when you aren’t sure how your current draft matches up to the idea you started with, simply flip back to your outline.
By combining these two helpful tools, you can make the most of story structure, without ever feeling like your novel has turned into a formula!
About the Author:
Lewis Jorstad is a bestselling author and certifiable history nerd who helps others tell compelling, memorable stories over at The Novel Smithy. When he isn’t working on the next book in his Ten Day Novelist series, you can find him playing old Gameboy games and trying to explain the nuances of Feudal Japan. You can also check out his free ebook, The Character Creation Workbook, and grab a copy for yourself.
