STARTER TIPS FOR WRITING GREAT FICTION PART 3 (STORY STRUCTURE)

The creation of good fiction is dependent on process: for the writer, writing fiction is a creative escapade involving ideation, character development, crafting dialogue, and world building.. For the reader, good fiction is a captivating journey that engages their senses, thoughts, emotions through their imagination as they read the story. To write good fiction, you must craft a story that becomes a journey for the reader, and to do this, your story will need structure. Without structure, your story will eventually become a chaotic sequence of events, and your reader will be unable to make it past the first half! 

Think of it this way: Would your favorite book still be your favorite if you struggled to follow or understand the progression of events in the story? Probably not. That is exactly what happens when you write a story without structure. 

SO WHY DO YOU NEED A STORY STRUCTURE? 

Firstly, a story structure is the underlying framework of your narrative. It is the way a story is organized; comprising the sequence of events, characters, and plot elements in the story. You need good story structure for clarity, and clarity begets a story worth reading. For an immersive reader experience, there must be coherence and a logical flow of events in your writing, because nobody wants to read a story they cannot understand. Story structure not only helps the reader but also aids your writing. It keeps you from getting stuck in a part of your book with uncertainty on how to go forward. Having structure is a fantastic way to ensure that your story stays cohesive, while fulfilling its dramatic purposes. 

IS STORY STRUCTURE THE SAME AS PLOT? 

Frankly, there is a thin difference between the story structure and plot, and this is why some writers tend to mix up the two: Plot refers to the sequence of events (including the twists, turns, conflicts and resolution) that make up your story. 

Think of it this way: structure is the skeletal framework that holds your story together, while plot comprises the cells, organs, and systems that makeup the full body of your story. Your structure is the frame of your story, while the plot is the content. 

In his book “Plot and Structure’’, James Scott defines the two concepts as follows: “Plot is about elements, those things that go into the mix of making a good story even better. Structure is about timing — where in the mix those elements go.” 

Story structure answers basic questions such as: 

• What event starts the story? 

• What situation disrupts the status quo? 

• What are the central conflicts in the story? 

• What is the most intense or pivotal moment in the story? 

• Where do I leave red herrings? Twists? 

• Where do I hint at elements I can build on later? 

• How are the loose ends addressed? 

• How are the conflicts resolved? 

On the other hand, the plot of a story is more concerned with questions such as: 

• How do characters react to conflict in the story? 

• How do the characters’ actions drive the story forward? 

• What motivates the character to take certain actions? 

Structure defines and segments the distinct parts of your story; plot contains the intricacies of these parts. 

HOW DO YOU USE STRUCTURE? 

You can learn to use structure the practical way and the best way: by learning from splendid examples FIRST, and then practice structuring on your own. 

Do you have a favorite novel? Try reading it again. If you don’t have one, you can also confirm with any work of fiction at your disposal. You’ll find that most fiction follows an inherent structure even when the writer is a pantser. All stories have at least a version of the following parts: 

• An Introduction – The Beginning 

• A conflict – The Middle 

• A resolution – The Conflict 

THE THREE-ACTS STRUCTURE  

The three-act structure assumes that a story can be divided into three parts: the Play (beginning), the Climax (middle), and the Counter-play (end). The three-act structure divides the narrative into three distinct acts: 

Act I – The Beginning 

Act II – The Middle 

Act III – The End 

Let’s unpack this. 

ACT ONE: The Beginning   

-    The Exposition 

-    The Inciting Incident 

-    Plot Point One 

The Exposition: 

The exposition introduces your story and forms the first impression of your novel. It unveils the storyline by introducing your main character, whose life actions will drive the story if the story is character-driven,  as well as other characters close to the heart of the story and their relationships with each other. However, it is not a hard rule that your introduction must include every important character or the antagonist. Although, if your story includes multiple continuous POVs, it is best to introduce important characters in the exposition (beginning) of the story.

Your antagonist may not need to be in the exposition, however, you may leave a trail of hints in your story to forebode their presence later on. The beginning of your story is not about explaining what your readers need to know about your story, but about jumping right into the story and placing them right in the middle of your story: .  

Let’s use a simple story to illustrate this: 

George Hanks lives with his family in a small town called ‘Mai’. He works with his father in a furniture shop, from which they earn barely enough to meet their basic needs as a family. With a sick mother whose treatment takes up a great deal of their family’s income, George’s family is far from comfortable. 

This is a simple third-person narrative used to set up the story. Here, we set the stage for the rest of the story by revealing details of what could be the motivation and driving point behind George’s actions in the story.  The exposition immediately sets the theme for the rest of the story: it implies the direction of the protagonist based upon a certain stake or need. 

In the exposition, the tone is set and the genre is established, giving your readers an idea of what to expect. The goal of the exposition is to establish a connection between your readers and the characters. 

The Inciting Incident: 

An inciting incident occurs to disrupt the protagonist’s ordinary world and set the story in motion. Leading from the exposition, it could be in light of new developments or new information. This could be a problem or challenge that the protagonist must address.  

Back to our story now: 

In the heat of an argument with his father, George learns a shocking truth. Before moving to Mai owing to penury, his father once co-owned a large and thriving furniture company with a friend. Unfortunately, this friend duped his father and made away with a controlling share of  the company and all the returns from his father’s hard work and investment. 

In this case, the inciting incident is what George learns about his father, and George has more reason to pursue this information because of his mother’s health. This incident will spur up questions in the mind of your readers:  

-    What is the interest of George? 

-    What will it take for George to achieve this interest? 

-    What is George’s biggest fear? 

These questions will create suspense and make your reader more interested to see the next action of the protagonist unfold. How the protagonist responds at pivotal moments must align with their personality and other factors in their character backgrounds.   

Plot Point One: 

This is the first major turning point of your story where the protagonist moves into the main conflict. He is faced with a decision to either fix the problem or give up on it. The decision or action will drive the narrative forward: 

Tired of his family’s squalid living, and his mother’s failing health, George gathers information on the whereabouts of his father’s ex business partner, determined to recover all that rightfully belonged to him and his family. George sets out on a journey to the big city of ‘Ou’ to find this swindler and retrieve his family’s possession. 

While the problem introduces a goal, the choice of the protagonist will launch the story into Act Two.  

ACT TWO: The middle  

-    Rising Action 

-    Subplots 

-    Character Development 

-    Midpoint 

-    Escalation 

Rising Action: 

This is the middle of your novel and it forms the bulk of your story. The protagonist faces a series of challenges and each challenge is more difficult than the last, pushing him beyond his limits.  

George gets robbed  on his first night in Ou. He is left with just a change of clothes and nothing  to help him achieve his goal. He straggles for days throughout the city, sleeping in the homeless shelters by night, and actively pursuing leads by day. Luckily, his gathered information leads him to a bar where he meets the elegant Miss Silvia, a realtor who he later discovers is also the daughter of his antagonist. Their friendship blossoms and she begins to help him with his basic needs.  

As the story progresses, sparks fly between George and Silvia. They both begin to work as a team; George highly motivated to win back his inheritance, and Silvia highly motivated by love. Silvia introduces him as an industrious young man to her father and goes on to bankroll George’s endeavors whilst clinging to the mirage of marriage. 

Here, the writer reveals the antagonist and his encounter with the protagonist. And another strong point to note here is the bond between the main character and the supporting character. There must be a believable tie between your main character and supporting character, stemming from a beneficial relationship for both parties.  

Subplots: 

The subplots unveil the secondary storyline which provides emotional depth to the protagonist’s journey and often are instruments to further the growth and understanding of the concerned characters. It comes with tension and conflict, complicating the protagonist’s goal. These subplots can involve supporting characters and help to explore different themes relevant to each character’s goal. Even in the latter passage from the story, there is room to add a developmental subplot between George and Silvia, either to improve their bonds or reveal the conflict within each character’s goal. An example could be a subplot which establishes George as a conman simply using Silvia for her money; in this we see how George has evolved because of his goal, adding negative attributes to accomplish his goal. Here is another example:  

George meets Laura who is clearly from his hometown and tribe. After a brief conversation and introduction, George falls in love at first sight.  

Character Development:  

Character Development is when a character grows, changes and evolves over the course of the story. The protagonist embraces the problem and accepts the opportunity to resolve it. This shift is accompanied with struggles and failures. In the process, he learns new skills, confronts his flaws, and often experiences internal conflict.  

George continues his secret meetings with Laura. Unfortunately, Silvia finds out and threatens to cut ties with him. George sacrifices his newly found love for his big plan, which now involves swindling Silvia and her father of their property through a marriage contract. 

George’s character evolves from a seemingly strong-willed man to a deceitful figure, revealing his vulnerabilities and the lengths he will go to achieve his goal. 

Midpoint:   

This is where a significant event occurs that changes the direction of your story. It is a moment of revelation. It can be a moment of victory or defeat for the protagonist, but it always raises the stake.  

George manipulates Silvia with promises of a forever together, blinded by his own passion to win justice for his family. He finds out that Silvia’s father has been through four marriages. George promises to go on to wed Silvia if she helps him recover His father’s property from her father. He seduces her with morality and her hopes for a future with him forever. 

Escalation:  

The stakes keep rising as the big plan of the protagonist fails and he is worse off now than he has ever been, leading to the climax of your story. This event often forces the protagonist to make a critical decision or take a decisive action.  

George launches a legal attack on Silvia’s father but does not win the case as it is revealed that Silvia’s father swindled George’s Father into signing a contract of agreement many years ago to be listed as an employee and not a partner in the company. This was because at the time, George’s father was an illegal migrant and could not own a business. George’s Father was listed as an employee and never a partner owning any share at the company. 

ACT THREE: The End 

-    Pre-Climax 

-    Climax 

-    Denouement 

Pre-Climax: 

This is your final build-up before the climax. It begins with an ultimate test of the protagonist’s resolve, courage and heart. The protagonist prepares for the final confrontation in facing his greatest fears. The plan of the protagonist must not be successful at this point. You can give the reader false hope by leading with small victories that eventually end with the protagonist’s failure. decide to keep the actual secret and divert the attention of your reader to a glimpse of the antagonist’s true strength. 

Left with no recourse, George realizes he has lost, and there is no way to regain what his father is owed. Gathering what is left of his resolve, he turns to Silvia, who he realizes can be swindled as well. 

Climax: 

This is the most intense part of your story where the main conflict reaches its peak. The protagonist faces the primary obstacle directly:.  

Faced with defeat, George begins to unravel, and turns on Silvia. Having groomed her to utter dependence on himself, he pulls the same trick on her, manipulating her into relinquishing some of her assets to him on the promise of marriage. He liquidates these properties and prepares to steal from her and, disappear back to Mai. Silvia discovers George’s plot to take from her and abandon her. She confronts him and a fight ensues, with an accident that kills her. 

Denouement: 

The resolution phase is where your story’s conflicts are resolved, and the characters’ future is hinted at or explicitly shown. It provides closure to your story. Your story’s resolution could look a little like this: 

Upon Silvia’s death, George attempts to flee Ou, with his ill-gotten wealth. However, Silvia’s father and his men soon catch up with him. Silvia’s father discloses that his daughter had only good intentions for George; she convinced him to make George a part of their family’s business. She had also planned to share a part of her inheritance with George as a wedding gift to him. She was also willing to extend financial assistance to his family. All of which George traded on the altar of vengeance and greed.  

George gets a prison sentence for his crimes. A few weeks later, Silvia’s father sends money to George’s family, enough to foot the bills of his mother’s treatment and to help their small furniture business. This is in honor of Silvia’s wish before her death. 

And there you have it. This concludes an overview of what the three-act structure looks like. You may not always use the three act three-act structure for your book, for there are many other exciting narrative structures to employ. However, always remember, there is no story without structure. You will need a structure if you want to leave your readers with a riveting experience and keep them connected to your story. 

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If you have been following this series, you might want to read the first article here, and the second article here.

My name is Rachael Asikpo, a ghostwriter with over half-a-decade of experience. I can take the creative weight of completing your stories or, I can be the experienced guide you need to complete your stories. I offer ghostwriting and developmental editing services. How about you allow a fresh pair of eyes give you a fresh breath of air?

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