So today I wanted to talk about story structure, and the formula that I use when I write most of my stories. I studied creative writing when I attended the University of South Florida acquiring my Bachelors in Art. When I continued my education for film making at the State College of Florida, I took more creative writing classes, as well as a class in screen writing. This is where I really learned the most about story structure, and watching a film has never been the same for me. So I apologize now if I ruin movies for you.
Most films and stories follow structure known as the Hero's journey. I'm going to run through a brief explanation of it, and hopefully, any writers out there that are stuck in their story writing might find some assistance.
(Also all you querying writers out there. Knowing these key points of where events begin in your story will help you with writing the summary some agents request.)
Hero's Journey Key Points:
The Hero
The Inciting Incident
The Mentor (Or wiseman)
Challenges and Tribulations
All is Lost
Resolve/Change
Return to home
(Photo by Grafixart_photo Samir BELHAMRA from Pexels)
Our Hero:
So at the beginning of every "Hero's Journey" we have our Hero. The protagonist that will lead the reader(or viewer) through the story. The hero doesn't have to be "a hero" but just think of them as your leading role.
One thing that I was taught, is to establish your hero's hopes and dreams as early as possible. What problem do they have that must be resolved by the end of your story?
After you have this, you need to find out what is holding your hero back from achieving these goals. What makes a hero's journey exciting, is establishing the hero's normal life, so when they are thrown into this adventure, it can disrupt it allowing the character to grow how you need them to grow.
Let's use Star Wars as an example, because I'm a big fan, and it set's up the hero's journey perfectly.
We have Luke Skywalker, living his simple life on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle. He yearns for adventure.
The Inciting incident:
(Photo by Alexas Fotos from Pexels)
After establishing the hero's normal life, it's time to begin the events that will change it. This is called the inciting incident. If you are writing a script, it's best to have the inciting incident within the first ten pages of your story.
The inciting incident is an event that will push your hero from leaving their comforting space and begin on their journey.
Let's go back to Star Wars. The inciting incident for Luke was discovering the hidden message from Leia inside of R2D2 for Obi Wan Kenobi. Finding this message lead Luke to think of "old Ben." Which led him to seek him out, beginning the domino fall of events that make up the rest of the film.
The Mentor (or Wise man):
Every hero's journey has one character that becomes the mentor of the hero, leading them on the adventure, introducing them to the new world. In old stories, traditionally it was often an old wise man, but the mentor can be any figure that assists the hero in this capacity.
Going back to our Star Wars example, it is literally an old man for Luke, with Obi Wan Kenobi. He teaches Luke about the force, and helps him find Han Solo to get him off planet to save the princess.
Challenges and Tribulations:
This is the real meat of the story. This is where your hero will begin facing all their troubles. They will meet the antagonist. (If they haven't already). They will confront their weaknesses and their shortcomings. The entire cast of your story will come together.
This can be the hardest part of the story to write. It's the beginning of the transition period of your hero from who they were, to who they will become.
This is the "drama" as my fiance says, lol.
Let's hop back to Star Wars. This is when Luke begins to confront the empire. Running from Storm Troopers shortly after meeting Hans Solo. Training with Obi Wan to learn how to yield the force, and growing on his quest to save the princess.
All is Lost:
(Photo by Ryanniel Masucol from Pexels)
This is the part where the hero has been beaten down by all the challenges in front of him, and feels that they can't win. Literally it feels like "all is lost." Not sure what I mean?
Think about your favorite movie. Think about that part right before the ending, where your character verbally or physically shows that they can't move on. They are either physically beaten down by the villain, or the social change they were fighting for seems like they are about to lose.
This is the climax of the story. This is the big moment to get your readers to scream at your hero to move on.
Back to Star Wars. You might think it's the part of the film when Obi Wan is struck down by Vader. But you would be wrong.
When Luke gets to the rebel base with Han and Leia, the Death Star is approaching. The rebels try to take the opportunity with their new knowledge of the base schematics to finally stop the Empire. However, they are outnumbered, and losing the fight. Luke has to fire into the Death Star's weakness, but Vader is on his tail. About to destroy our hero...
Resolve/Change:
(Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels)
This is the end of the story, when you're character "get's up" and infuses all that they have learned from their journey to win. Either beating the villain with their new knowledge, or winning the court case using something they became aware of earlier in the story. This the point where your readership will cheer.
This is the hero's moment, where they finally accept their new selves, and change.
Heading back to Luke, this was the part when he was approaching the exhaust port that the rebels were trying so hard to fire into. Han Solo and Chewie show up, and get Darth Vader off of his tail. Luke focuses on the shot, and hears the ghost voice of Obi Wan telling him to use the force to make the shot. Luke gives into what he has learned of the force, and fires. Successfully hitting his target, and saving the rebels.
Return to Home:
(Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels)
This is the conclusion of your story. Your hero may not return to "home" literally, but they get a new normal. They are not the same person they started out as. Whether the change is for the better is really up to you as the writer.
Hopefully they get a good ending. I am one for happy endings, lol.
In Star Wars, the film ends with the triumphant ceremony were our hero's (except Chewie...) are awarded medals for their heroism. Luke has grown from a small farm boy and found a new home with the rebellion; fighting to liberate the galaxy from the tyranny of the Empire.
I hope that some of you will find this post helpful if you are still in the beginning stages of your writing, and struggle with hitting story beats.
I myself, am a "plantser." I try to plan out my writing, but I do end up straying from my plans and letting the story take me where it wants (aka the "pantser"). I found knowing the structure of most stories like this helped me to reign my writing in, and still manage to hit my major story points.
If you do find this useful, let me know through my social media accounts, and I'll share more things like this that has helped me to grow as a writer.