The 7 Story Structures All Writers Should Know

No matter what type of writer you are or what genre you explore, every story starts with a vision of where you want it to go. Having a clear sense of direction is essential to crafting a compelling narrative.

While we often focus on creating a strong beginning, middle, and end, there’s a deeper layer to storytelling that shouldn’t be overlooked: story structure. It’s the backbone of your tale, guiding the flow and ensuring your ideas resonate with readers.

The great news? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are several tried-and-true story structures available to help you shape your narrative effectively.

In this guide, we’ll delve into 7 basic story structures that many successful authors swear by. Whether you’re crafting a fantasy epic or a heartfelt memoir, it’s all about discovering the structure that aligns perfectly with your story and creative vision.

What is Story Structure?

Story structure is the bones that you will build your story around. It’s the foundation that helps you craft and organizes the conflict, climax, and resolution of your story. How you unfold your story builds tension and creates drama that will hook your readers from beginning to end. 

Why Story Structure is Important?

Story structure is vital because it serves as the foundation of any compelling narrative. It provides a clear framework to organize your ideas, ensuring that your story flows logically and keeps readers engaged. Without a solid structure, even the most creative concepts can feel disjointed or confusing.

Here’s why story structure matters:

1. Guides Reader Engagement: A well-structured story keeps readers hooked by building tension, introducing conflict, and resolving it in a satisfying way.
2. Clarifies the Narrative: It helps writers outline their beginning, middle, and end, making the story easier to follow and more impactful.
3. Supports Character Development: Structure allows for consistent pacing of character arcs, ensuring they grow and evolve meaningfully throughout the narrative.
4. Creates Emotional Impact: By strategically placing key events, such as climaxes and resolutions, story structure heightens emotional engagement and leaves a lasting impression.
5. Enhances Creativity: Paradoxically, having a framework can free writers to be more creative, knowing their story has a strong foundation to support their ideas.

In essence, story structure is the roadmap that transforms a raw idea into a memorable and polished narrative. Whether you’re crafting a novel, screenplay, or short story, the right structure ensures your story resonates with your audience.

Elements of a Story Structure

While there are 7 different types of story structures, they all have the same basic elements. Here’s what you will find in every story structure:

Opening 

The opener of your story is where you reveal who the story is about. It’s also where you set the stage for your story’s primary challenge and the dilemma your character faces. With your opener, you must justify the contents of the entire story. This is where you grab your reader and get them invested in the journey of your main character.

A Pivotal Moment 

There must be a catalyst that forces your character to act, a single incident that changes the course of the entire story. Here you must layout dire consequences for failing. Throughout your story, your character must then fight to prevent the dire consequence. 

Challenges that Elevate Tension 

Then, there will be a sequence of crises that build mounting tension. As your character tries his best to solve the problem at hand, things get progressively worse. All of these challenges are crucial for your character arc because along with the way he is learning new skills. 

Climax

The climax is not the end of your story, but it feels like everything is hopeless. 

The End 

Finally, provide your readers with a satisfying ending. The End concludes your story, and it is here that your character ultimately fails or succeeds based on everything he has learned throughout. Make sure to tie up any loose ends to give your reader a satisfying ending that still wants him hoping for a sequel. 

7 Important Story Structures Are Here:

Classic Story Structure from Dean Koontz

This story structure is simple and only has 4 primary steps. 

• Thrust your main character into “terrible trouble” as soon as you can. Terrible trouble depends on your genre, but it is the worst possible situation you can think of for your main character to be in. The situation must have high stakes, and only present it once you’ve gotten readers to care about your protagonist.
• Every move your character makes to escape the trouble only worsens the situation. Don’t make things too easy for your main character. Add logical complications that proceed logically, with the situation growing worse and worse. 
• Make the situation appear hopeless. It should seem like your character cannot escape. 
• Your hero will then succeed or fail in the end. 

In Media Res

This means “in the midst of things”. For this story structure, you begin in the middle of an event. The second your reader begins reader, he feels like he’s already in the middle of something. 

The setting and backstory are layered throughout the story, as it progresses, rather than at the beginning. You cut the introduction and jump straight into the action. 

This story structure helps you grasp your reader early. 

The basic outline for In Medias Res is:

• Rising action
• Explanation/backstory 
• Climax
• Falling action
• Resolution 

The Hero’s Journey 

The Hero’s Journey is a popular choice for horror, science fiction, and fantasy novels. For this structure, the character heads into unknown territory and faces obstacles and challenges before ultimately triumphing. Through the journey, the hero is transformed. The basic layout is:

• The Ordinary World 
• Call to adventure, the hero leaves the ordinary world.
• Refuse the call. The hero may try to refuse the call to action due to fear. 
• Meet the mentor. The hero may acquire a personal mentor. 
• The hero faces obstacles and acquires allies. 
• Approach the goal. The hero nears his ultimate goal. 
• Face the fear. The hero faces his biggest test. 
• Reward. The hero can see an end in sight after a tough adventure. 
• The road back. After acquiring the reward, more dangers await, the road back is not as easy as the hero thought. 
• Resurrection. The hero meets his last test, this is the true climax. 
• Triumphant homecoming. The hero returns, transformed. 

7-Point Story Structure 

It can often help to begin with your resolution and work backward to determine the 7 points. 

• Hook. where your protagonist starts. 
• Plot turn 1: Introduce the conflict that propels the story to its middle. 
• Pinch point 1: Apply pressure to the main character who is working toward his goal. Typically this involves facing an antagonist.
• Midpoint. Your protagonist handles the conflict with action. 
• Pinch point 2: Apply more pressure to your character, making it even more difficult for him to reach his goal. 
• Plot turn 2: Push your story from midpoint to resolution. At this point, the protagonist has all of the tools and confidence to achieve his goal. 
• Resolution: Reach the climax of your story, and then tie up the loose ends. 

The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

This structure may work best for those who enjoy outlining their stories. Here is the 10-step Snowflake Method:

• Start with a one-sentence summary of your story. 
• Expand the one sentence into a full paragraph. Include details of major events. 
• Now, write a one-page summary for each character. 
• Expand each sentence from #2 into a full paragraph. 
• Create a one-page account of the story from each main character’s perspective. 
• Expand each paragraph from #4 into a full-page synopsis. 
• Add to your character descriptions to create full character charts. 
• Based on the summary from #6, list the scenes you need to finish your story. 
• Then, write a multi-paragraph description for each scene. 
• Write the first draft. 

The 3 Act Structure 

This method dates all the way back to ancient Greece, and it’s a common format used in Hollywood. It’s simple and to the point. 

Act 1: Set Up

Introduce your main characters and set the scene. Here, you’ll include your “inciting incident”, an obstacle that shakes up your protagonist and lays the foundation for the direction of the story. 

Act II: Confrontation 

Introduce a seemingly small problem that unfolds to be more complicated. As your protagonist strives to solve the problem, it becomes more and more difficult. 

Act III: The Resolution 

Lastly, create a good ending. For the ending to be enjoyable, it must be high stakes. Throughout the story, your protagonist developed the skills and grew enough to overcome the obstacles. Finally, present a solution where your character solves the problem. 

A Disturbance and Two Doorways by James Scott Bell 

• Disturbance. Set up the status quo, and then create a disturbance that threatens ordinary life. 
• Doorway 1. This pushes your main character to the middle of the story. Once he enters doorway one, he can only move forward. 
• Doorway 2. This leads to the last battle. It often leads to disaster. 

The 7 story structures above will help guide you as you write a best-selling story. It’s all about finding the best story structure for your idea and writing style. 

FAQs on Story Structures

What are the elements of story structure?

The elements of story structure include the foundational components that shape a narrative:

1. Opening/Exposition: Introduces characters, setting, and the primary conflict.
2. Inciting Incident: A catalyst event that sets the story in motion.
3. Rising Action: A series of events or challenges that build tension and develop the plot.
4. Climax: The turning point or peak of the story’s conflict.
5. Falling Action: Events following the climax that lead toward resolution.
6. Resolution: The conclusion where conflicts are resolved, and the story reaches its end.

What is the three-act structure?

The three-act structure is a classic framework used in storytelling:

1. Act 1: Setup
   • Introduces the main characters, setting, and conflict. The inciting incident occurs, setting the story in motion.
2. Act 2: Confrontation
   • Develops the central conflict through challenges and rising tension. The protagonist faces obstacles that test their resolve.
3. Act 3: Resolution
   • Brings the story to a close. The protagonist resolves the main conflict, and loose ends are tied up.

What are the common story structures?

Some of the most popular story structures include:

1. Three-Act Structure: Divides the story into setup, confrontation, and resolution.
2. The Hero’s Journey: Follows a protagonist through stages of departure, initiation, and return.
3. In Medias Res: Starts in the middle of the action, with backstory revealed later.
4. 7-Point Story Structure: Focuses on key narrative beats, including hook, pinch points, and resolution.
5. The Snowflake Method: A highly detailed, step-by-step structure ideal for planners.
6. Five-Act Pyramid (Freytag’s Pyramid): Expands the three-act structure into five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.