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bigbear


Fan of Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, Adventure, and OP Ponies!

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Apr
24th
2021

I am a sucker for story structure · 10:11pm Apr 24th, 2021

I am a sucker for story structure. Unfortunately, I sometimes use studying story structure as a way of putting off actually writing. :twilightblush:

This is a beat sheet I pulled from a video by Jenna Moreci.

HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR BOOK - MY PLOTTING METHOD

  1. A look into the future, foreshadowing what the story will be like
  2. Normal life, establishing the status quo
  3. Desire, what does the protagonist want
  4. Dilemma, what keep the protagonist from what they want
  5. Taking action, the protagonist takes the first action against the dilemma
  6. In over their head, the protagonist’s first action fails
  7. Blunder, the protagonist’s attempts to rectify the first failure leads to additional failures
  8. Learning, the protagonist learns from their failures
  9. The first win, the protagonist makes changes and makes progress against the dilemma
  10. Perspective shift, the first win makes the reader and characters view the protagonist differently
  11. Threat worsens, in reaction to the first win, the dilemma is highetened
  12. Struggle, the protagonist must deal with the worsening dilemma
  13. Major loss, the worsening dilemma leads the protagonist to a major failure
  14. The breaking point, lowest point for protagonist, because of the failure they question everything
  15. Wallow, the protagonist seems defeated by their failures
  16. Redemption, something causes the protagonist to take one last chance to overcome the dilemma
  17. The almost, the protagonist almost loses everything
  18. The climax, the protagonist meets their dilemma head on and either wins or loses here
  19. The fallout, the characters gather to ask and answer questions
  20. Resolution, resolve this dilemma, set up any dilemmas for sequels

How do you think about structuring your stories?
What story structures have you found useful?

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