The Prologue

What is a Story?

Why does Story Structure Matter?

Why 3-Act Structure”

What are Plot Beats?

What’s the Importance of Pacing?

Story Structure + Pacing 101

Origins of Three Acts Structure

Aristotle Developed It (approximately 350 BC)

Horace and Shakespeare Ditched It

In the 20th Century, It Makes a Comeback (Syd Field – Movies)

Now It’s the Foundation of Modern Storytelling

Three Parts of a Story

Beginning

Middle

End

What Makes a Story?

Interesting People

Doing Interesting Things

In Interesting Places

(If All Three are not Interesting, the Story Loses Power to Intrigue Reader)

Interesting People

Wants (Internal)

Needs (Internal)

Goals (External)

Obstacles (External)

Interesting Things

Out of the Ordinary

A Result of Conflict (Internal or External)

Something is at Stake

Interesting Places

Add a Layer of Disruption

Create Obstacles and Conflict

Immerse the Reader in Your World

Why does Story Structure Matter?

It Gives Shape, Meaning and Order to the People, Things and Places in Your Story

Otherwise, You Just have an Unordered List

Benefits of Story Structure

Story Structure Provides Clarity

Story Structure Prevents Boredom

Story Structure Helps You Reach “The End”

What is a Story Structure?

A Story Structure Illustrates When and How the Story Events are Presented

It’s a Proven Formula for Meeting Reader Expectations

Requires Character Goals, Motivations and Conflict

What is a Goal?

Internal Goal: The Character’s Emotional Want or Need

External Goal: The Character’s Desire for a Physical/Material Achievement

What is Motivation?

Internal Motivation: What Drives a Character Toward their Internal Goal(s)

External Motivation: What Drives a Character Toward their External Goal(s)

What is a Conflict?

Internal Conflict: When the Characters Wants are Different from their Needs

External Conflict: When Someone – or Something –

Prevents the Character from Achieving their Goal(s)

Story Structure = Conflict Management

When the Conflict Happens

Where the Conflict Happens

How Your Character Reacts to the Conflict

How and When Each Conflict is Resolved

Who Wins or Loses the Conflict

Pacing + Plot : the Need for Speed

What is Pacing?

How Fast or Slow the Story Moves as Experienced by the Reader

The Length of Scenes and Chapters (Set by You, the Writer)

How Quickly You Reveal Information about the Story

How Do I Determine Pacing?

Genre (e.g. Romance, SciFi, Mystery….)

Reader Expectations (e.g. Subgenre, Tropes)

Story Length (e.g. Novel, Novella, Short Story)

Story Format (e.g. Serialization, Kindle Vella, etc.)

How does Genre Impact Pacing?

Romance (e.g. Meet Cute)

Mystery + Thriller (e.g. Red Herrings)

Epic Fantasy + Science Fiction (e.g. World-Building)

Horror (e.g. Meeting the Monster)

How Do Reader Expectations Impact Pacing?

Chapter, Scene, Sentence and Word Length

Speed of Events

Type of Ending

How Does Story Length Impact Pacing?

Novel vs Novella vs Short Story (Only Have so Much Length)

Series versus Standalone

Story Placement

Chapters versus Scenes versus Beats

A Beat Represents a Change in the Story

(Different Character Talking/Taking Action/Moving to Different Place)

Scenes are Small Stories that, When Linked Together, form a Larger Story

A Chapter is a Scene or Collection of Scenes Related to One Another

Two Types of Beats

A Scene Beat is a Small Change in Mood, Relationship or Pacing within a Scene

A Plot Beat is a Large Change, e.g. a Plot Point, and can Often Consist of More than One Scene

Varying the Pace

Don’t Get Stuck in a Single Speed (e.g. Writer on Cruise Control)

Take Your Reader on a Roller-Coaster Ride (e.g. Slow, Fast and Twisty)

Don’t Stay on One Emotion for too Long (e.g. Excited, Happy, Angry, Sad)

A Word on Attention Span and Pacing

Attention Spans are Shorter than Ever

A Good Story must Constantly Work to Grab and Keep a Reader’s Attention

This Often Means More Dramatic, Frequent Beats and Shorter Scenes and Chapters

Story Structure – Key Takeaways

Story Structure Represents When and How the Events of the Story are Presented

(and Helps You Keep Writing)

A Story is Made of Interesting People doing Interesting Things in Interesting Places

Interesting Required Goals, Motivations and Conflict

Pacing – Key Takeaways

Pacing is a Representation of How Fast or Slow the Story Moves for the Reader

Pacing is Determined by the Genre, Reader Expectations, Story Length, and Story Format

Your Writing, from Word Choice to Chapter, Scene and Sentence Length, Contribute to Setting Pace