How to Use
the 11 Master
Structures

“A narrative is like a room on whose walls a number of false doors have been painted; while within the narrative, we have many apparent choices of exit, but when the author leads us to one particular door, we know it is the right one because it opens.”

–JOHN UPDIKE

Now that you know your Dramatic Throughline, Conflict, and Genre, you need to decide what type of Structure you want to use for your story.

In the following chapters the 11 Master Structures are outlined and explained with corresponding story development and examples as well as compared to Traditional Structure.

First I will outline the Traditional Structure model. Then as you read each of the corresponding chapters on Structure, you will see how they deviate from this traditional model. Once you understand how Traditional Structure works, you can then break that model to create any number of creative storylines that will help you stand out from the rest of the writers out there.

Traditional Structure

Traditional Structure has a clear beginning, middle, and end that happen in a clear three-act sequence. Act I is the Setup, Act II is the Development, and Act III is the Climax and Resolution. There is usually a Turning Point at the end of Act I and Act II to propel the story forward:

ACT I TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS

Setup: The setup gives us the direction of the story. It gives all the information needed to get the story rolling as well as defining the story Genre and pacing. For example, if you are writing a comedy, try to work comedy into the Setup to set the stage for the rest of the story. (Mood and Hook below are part of the Setup in Traditional Structure but may not be in other types of Structure, which is why I have separated them.)

Mood or Tone: According to Dr. Linda Seger of Making a Good Script Great, “In most great films the setup begins with an image. We see a visualization that gives us a strong sense of the place, mood, texture, and sometimes the theme. The first image could be a space battle (Star Wars), street gangs in New York (West Side Story), a woman singing in the mountains (The Sound of Music), or statues of lions that ominously guard a haunted library (Ghost-busters).”

Of course, this is easy enough for screenwriters, but what about novelists? Novelists can find a way to dramatize this in the Setup by paying close attention to setting, place, and character details. Take a look at the opening chapter of any Stephen King novel to see how he does this. If the story is a mystery about a young girl solving a murder case, can she be somewhere that signifies murder or death? Can we first meet her in a cemetery to set the mood?

Hook, Catalyst, or Inciting Incident: This is a dynamic event that draws the reader into the story. The main goal or problem may not be stated just yet, but something happens that peaks interest. It can be an Action (someone is murdered), Dialogue (a character receives a mysterious phone call), or Situation (a character is thrust into a circumstance she may not be able to handle).

Serious Problem and/or Goal: Why do we care? What is at stake? The problem or goal only has to be important to the main character. We may not think learning to drive is a big deal, for example, but if the main character is a paraplegic we will feel it is a big deal for him, especially if he has a strong reason to learn. Maybe he will lose custody of his children? Spend a lot of time on this because it is the element that will drive your whole story.

Don’t be afraid to make things bad for your character, and always come up with several different Serious Problems and/or Goals to choose from. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that could happen to my character?” Maybe he will lose custody of his mother instead? Or he will be put into a home if he can’t take care of himself properly. Or all of the above. Do a lot of research and you’ll be amazed at how many ideas you come up with. After all, isn’t there technology available to help a man like him drive?

Villain: Who or what opposes the main character? Look over the chapter on Conflict for help. Somehow you need to introduce the Villain. You can show him in a brief scene that conveys his villainous behavior, you can have other characters talk about him foreshadowing his arrival, or you can infer that something bad is coming but is, as of yet, unknown.

Main Characters: All of the Main Characters need to be introduced as soon as possible. It would be great to introduce all the supporting characters as well. Remember to keep your cast of characters to bare minimum. It’s very difficult to follow more than four Main Characters at a time. And please don’t have all their names start with the same letter—Danny, Donald, and Damon can get confusing. Combine several characters into one character when appropriate. Instead of having a lawyer and a chiropractor, have a lawyer/chiropractor. Or a lawyer who handles medical law.

Turning Point: A Turning Point is like a cliffhanger—a moment where the story is taken in a new direction and we wonder what will happen next. A Turning Point may accomplish a variety of functions. Linda Seger says:

It turns the actions around in a new direction, raises the central question/problem again, and makes us wonder about the answer. It’s often a moment of decision or commitment on the part of the main character.

ACT II TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS

Problem Intensifies: The actions that drive the story forward are called Action Points, of which there are three types: Barrier, Complication, and Situation.

• Barriers occur when the character tries something and it doesn’t work. The character must change directions or try another approach. Barriers stop the action for a moment as the character decides what to do. For example, the Main Character needs money but her mother won’t lend it to her. What will she do? Maybe she’ll accept the job as a bartender in a strip club even though her feminist sensibilities tell her not to.

• Complication is an action point that doesn’t pay off immediately. It creates anticipation in the reader and builds suspense. For example, the hero is going about his business of catching a killer when all of a sudden the woman of his dreams walks into the room. His reaction to her tells us something will happen between them, but not just yet, and it may complicate things.

• Situation is when one of the Master Dramatic Situations (found in Part 3) happens to a character to move the story forward and add tension. It is usually brought on by another character that is integral to the Main Character’s Serious Problem and/or Goal. The story may take a bit of a detour as the entire beginning, middle, and end of a Situation plays out all at once, or the Situation can be played out in pieces throughout the second act. For example, the Main Character finds out his sister was arrested for narcotics (Discovery of Dishonor of Loved One) and now his entire political campaign is in jeopardy.

Temporary Triumph: The Main Character thinks she has achieved her goal (solved the crime, defeated the villain, or won the contest). But this Triumph is short-lived. A reversal is just around the corner. As we wait for it, the subplot may come in for a moment.

Reversal: Now the Serious Problem and/or Goal worsens. The Triumph is no longer a true Triumph, and the Main Character’s trials are not over by a long shot. In Miss Congeniality the FBI agents think they have captured the mad bomber so they leave, even though Sandra Bullock‘s character has her doubts. She finds out they caught the wrong guy and decides to stay behind alone.

The Reversal can happen several different ways. Some possibilities are:

• New information comes into play.

• A Dramatic Situation happens.

• Another character turns on the Main Character.

• Helpers and friends give up on the Main Character, leaving him alone.

• The meeting place or task the Main Character is going to achieve is changed at the last minute.

• What the Main Character thought was truth is now seen as lies.

• The Villain becomes the good guy and the good guy becomes the bad guy; perhaps your Main Character is after the wrong guy.

Dark Moment: The Main Character fails or at least seems to. Think of action films where the hero has a confrontation with the Villain and barely gets out alive. The problem gets worse for the Main Character and his goal is pushed further out of reach. We wonder if he will ever succeed because it seems as if all is lost.

Turning Point: This accomplishes the same things as the first Turning Point at the end of Act I. The one difference is that the Main Character is usually forced into making a decision that propels this Turning Point. This way he actively creates the events of the story. For example, in The Wizard of Oz Dorothy decides to pull back the curtain and in doing so exposes the Wizard as a fraud. Your Turning Point will be dependent on the type of Dramatic Throughline you are using in your story:

• If you are using the Character Succeeds Throughline, here is where the Main Character decides to keep going.

• If you are using the Character Is Defeated Throughline, here is where the Main Character’s fate gets sealed. He makes the wrong decision.

• If you are using the Character Abandons Goal Throughline, here is where the Main Character gives up on the Goal—for better or for worse. Or she has been lied to and there is no Goal to chase after anymore, or so she thinks. Will she pick up a new Goal? In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s Goal was to meet the Wizard so she could go home. When she meets the Wizard she learns he is a fraud and her Goal seems destroyed, but her true Goal is not to just meet the Wizard; her true Goal is to go home. She can still find a way to do that if she picks herself up and decides to move forward.

ACT III TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS

Final Obstacle: The Main Character is forced, through the momentum of the Turning Point, to face one last huge obstacle. This obstacle may test his faith, his resolve, his character, and his endurance. He is pushed to the limit not just physically (as is usually the case with comedy) but hopefully mentally and emotionally as well. Again, the final obstacle depends on the Throughline.

• If the Main Character is going to be successful, this is where he sets up the Villain to be destroyed. He may lie and lure the Villain out with deception. He may pretend to give up. He will do whatever it takes to ensure his future success.

• If the Main Character is going to be defeated, this is where he is set up for the Villain to come in and do away with him.

• If the Main Character is going to abandon his Goal, this is where he makes it known to everyone. Or this is where he tries to achieve a new Goal.

Climax: The Main Character comes face-to-face with the Villain. The Problem is either resolved and the Goal is accomplished, or vice versa. This element is usually quick and fast paced.

Resolution: All loose ends are tied up. All subplots are resolved and the Main Character reflects on the events of the story. Has he changed at all? How has the story affected him? What are his attitudes about the events he just went through? The theme can come out again here to show the moral to the story if applicable. Readers like to learn something even when they are being entertained.

The following eleven chapters each outline one of the Master Structures in depth, giving you alternatives to the Traditional Structure outlined in this chapter. Some of these eleven Structures challenge the Traditional Structure more than others, but all are presented in the context of how they deviate from the traditional model. Since most writers know Traditional Structure inside and out, it’s best to use it as a reference point when working with other Structures.