So, you're considering writing a novel. Great idea! November is National Novel Writing Month and there's no better time to get started.
But wait! Before your fingers start typing away, there are a few story structure basics that can help you get started.
Beat Sheets and Story Structures
Every novel follows a basic story structure. Many writers have their own outline that they work with. Here's a summarized version of the popular three-act novel beat sheets from “Save the Cat! Writes A Novel” by Jessica Brody.
ACT 1: Who the hero was
OPENING - Show a snapshot of your hero in their normal world (1%)
THEME STATED- Introduce the problem that will be solved in the book (5%):
SET UP - Introduce the supporting characters and the stakes (1-10%)
INCITING INCIDENT - Show a life-changing event and why your hero can’t go back to their status quo (10%)
REACTION - What will your hero decide to do? How will they prepare? Your hero must make a decision and be proactive. (20%)
ACT 2: What the hero learns
ACCEPT CALL TO ACTION - Your hero must leave his comfort zone (20%)
INTRODUCE THE HELPERS - Who will assist the hero on his journey? (22%)
FUN AND GAMES BEAT – Show your hero succeeding or floundering in his new role. This point in the story isn't usually fun for the hero, but it is for the reader. (20-50%)
MIDPOINT - Insert a false victory or false defeat at the center of the hero’s transformative journey. Raise the stakes, turn up the heat in a love story, insert a game-changing plot twist, etc... (50%)
BAD GUYS CLOSE IN - Or your hero's internal battle gets in the way (50-75%)
ALL IS LOST – Your hero hits rock bottom. Something ends or someone dies. It should be the hero’s fault because they still haven’t learned the novel's lesson (75%)
DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL - The hero return to a place of past comforts only to realize it's not enough anymore. He must processes the darkness before the dawn. (75-80%)
ACT 3: What the hero becomes
AHA! MOMENT - Your hero realizes how to fix the problem and will finally do things the right way. (80%)
FINALE - The hero destroys the bad guys. (80-99%)
FINAL IMAGE - Show the hero in his new life. (99-100%)
Other Story Structure Resources
- The Anatomy of Story, by John Truby (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)
- “Worksheets for Writers”, by Jami Gold (blog) https://jamigold.com/for-writers/worksheets-for-writers/
- “Novel Plotting Worksheets”, by Annie Neugebaur (blog). https://annieneugebauer.com/the-organized-writer-2/novel-plotting-worksheets/
- “NaNoWriMo: Beat Sheets and Story Engineering Worksheets”, by Writers in the Grove (blog). https://writersinthegrove.com/2015/10/18/nanowrimo-beat-sheets-and-story-engineering-worksheets/
