Well, I’m hot off a streak of inspiration from an awesome conference I attended this weekend! One of the breakout sessions I attended was led by Lisa Mangum, of Shadow Mountain Publishing. She talked about so many wonderful things during her session, and this post was inspired by her thoughts about plot structure. Each structure merits its own post, but I want to keep today’s post pretty short (since the last was so long!). I’ll include some resources here that you can turn to for more information.

Did you know there are several different plot structures that you can use to direct your story? Here’s a quick list. Click on the diagrams to get more info about the structure.

1. Hero’s Journey

2. Three-Act Structure

3. Seven-Point Arc

4. Snowflake Method

5. Scene-and-Sequel

6. Save the Cat

As you start or are working on your novel, research the different structures and determine which one will best move your narrative along. Then, as you write, make sure you hit each point in the structure. If you feel like your story is missing something, or you don’t know where to take your story next, refer back to your plot structure for guidance.

As an editor, I turn back to the plot structure often to make sure the story hits every beat so that the story feels full and satisfying to the readers.

As a writer, don’t be afraid to follow a formula. The best stories in the world follow these formulas! Your story can be unique even if the method of creation is tried and true.