You know you need to structure your story. You’re not one of those writers who thinks you can just wing it and hope for the best. You understand that readers expect certain things from a story, that there are patterns that work and patterns that don’t.
But here’s the problem:
Knowing you need structure and knowing how to structure your story are two completely different things. And that frustrating, overwhelming gap between knowing what you should do and knowing how to actually do it, is what’s probably keeping you stuck, overwhelmed, revising in circles or starting but never finishing.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in conflicting advice about story structure, if you’ve tried different approaches and felt more confused than when you started, this episode is for you.
I’ll walk you through how to think about structure in a way that feels clear, flexible and actually helps you bring your story to the finish line.
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Episode at a glance:
[04:00] 3 Reasons Most Structures Fail Writers
The structure is too genre specific and formulaic.
The problem with beat sheet formulas like Save the Cat! is that they’re best used as diagnostic tools, not creative ones. They’re helpful after you’ve written your story, but they don’t guide you while you’re shaping the story itself.
It’s Too Rigid
I find that beat sheets are not helpful to most writers. They slice and dice the story before you’ve written it, rather than expand and deepen your story. So rigid formulas break when real stories don’t conform.
It’s Too Vague
our story needs a beginning, middle and end, and all of these structures are three act structures. But what makes a beginning feel complete? How do you introduce your protagonist and supporting characters? How do you keep a middle from sagging and falling apart? What makes an ending satisfying? Knowing you need three acts doesn’t tell you how to build them.
[08:00] What about books that don’t follow traditional structures?
Even unconventional, experimental, or meditative stories have a structural framework. The trick is learning to see and identify it.
The three act structure in simple terms is the setup, the struggle and the transformation. It’s not a rigid formula. It’s a way of understanding movement and character change.
Every story, even the quietest or most experimental, has some kind of movement from beginning to end. Even with what seem to be unstructured books have turning points, a moment of destabilization, a midpoint of deeper questioning, a final transformation.
Great structure doesn’t call attention to itself. The reader is not concerned with structure. They subconsciously expect patterns and structure tracks, the patterns of character change,
[10:20]My story covers a long period of time. How do I tell it without dragging it out?
The key is to identify the period of change that truly defines your story, that becomes your through line. Everything before it becomes significant, history or backstory, and everything after it becomes resolution.
Structure helps you compress time. You can leap months or years between scenes, as long as the emotional or narrative thread stays clear. What matters isn’t how much time passes – it’s what changes in your character’s pursuit, belief or relationship to the central question of the story.
[11:37] What if I don’t have enough story material?
More material isn’t the solution. More structure is. Without a framework, your ideas just fizzle out. You don’t need more words on the page. You need a path that shows you how to take your idea so you can expand and shape it.
[12:53] 3 Things Good Story Structure Does For You
Gives You the Confidence To Finish
When you understand where your story is going, you can write boldly. You can take creative risks, because you know you have a solid foundation to land on. You’re not constantly second guessing yourself or wondering if you’re wasting time going down the wrong path.
Creates Reader Satisfaction
This isn’t about following formulas. It’s about understanding how human psychology works. We’re wired to respond to certain story patterns. When you understand these patterns, you can use them to create the emotional experience you want your readers to have.
Helps You Make Decisions
Every day you sit down to write, you face 1000 choices. What should happen next? How should your character react? Where should this scene take place? When you understand structure, you have a compass that points you toward the choices that serve your story.
Links Mentioned In This Episode:
🎓 Encore FREE Masterclass: From Chaos to Clarity: A 3-Step Framework to Finally Finish Your Story → mylivemasterclass.com
Enroll in 3-Act Story before it closes!
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Audition by Katie Kitamura
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