: Re: Story Structure I gained a lot of momentum from the answers to my first question. I've read a couple of writing books and read a lot of articles online. Although I'm still quite 'green',

@Shanna875

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I remember feeling the same frustration and wondering why, if a plot point was such an essential element of fiction, wasn't there a definition that clearly explained the concept? I found cute little charts that showed the tension building until the last act but no explanation of how to put one of the structure models into practice. And even worse, every so often someone would add a new term and never bother to explain it either, just adding to my confusion. Did I need a logline, throughline, one-sentence pitch, theme, dramatic structure, central conflict, etc., and where did I put them?

I agree with a few others here that the key is simply to get to work and let the story sort out most of these issues, but I get that desire to understand the model too.

What helped me was a story structure that James Brooks explains on his website storyfix.com - something he calls the "Beat Sheet." What he suggests is using a four-part structure and begin by arbitrarily adding fifteen scenes in each part. He suggests rough guidelines, and clear definitions, of where the inciting incident, first and second plot points, first and second pinch points, Mid-Point shift, etc., should go and isn't overly anal about the whole thing.

I like the flexibility of the template, and if a section needs detailed, intricate plotting, then I can certainly expand the outline format as much as I want. If less works then a simple phrase or sentence describing the action works just fine.

Bryce Beattie at storyhack.com has a nice post on structure - 'Five Ways to Plan a Story' with helpful links and explanations of some structure styles, including the Beat Sheet I just mentioned.

If you look around those two sites, you will find links to templates, outlines, explanations, definitions, etc. (I can't post more than two links at my current "rep" so you'll have to do some digging.)

These should put you well on your way.

Good Luck!

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