Literacy Studies: A Crash Course in Story Structure

Colleen Griffith
Mar 12, 2024
8 min read

Different stories must be told different ways and there are many SO MANY different ones to choose from. Today I’m going to tell you all about the different ones you can use and where they are most commonly used

SPOILER ALERTS FOR:
Hamilton
Romeo and Juliet
Assassin’s Creed II
Groundhog Day
The Incredibles
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
The Hunger Games
Star Wars Episode 4
All story structures have the following elements in common
The set up
The inciting incident
Character growth
The plot twist or Midpoint reversal
A reversal of fortune
In Groundhog Day, Phil (Bill Murray) believes his scheme has worked when Rita (Andy MacDowell) kisses him. But she immediately sees through the con, and slaps him.
A reversal of approach
In The Incredibles, Mr Incredible works [inadvertently] for Syndrome until the MPR. Here, he learns the truth about all the Supers, and now he will fight Syndrome. The ally becomes an enemy (or Shadow, in Hero’s Journey terms).
This is the “oh snap moment” or the “uh oh” moment
It can also be the main character achieving their original goal and then realizing another one.
Think of Assassin’s Creed II-
Ezio, living in Italy during the Renaissance, is approximately 17 when he discovers that his family was betrayed by a close friend of his father's in the midst of a political coup d'état.
Ezio's father's final instructions lead him to a hidden room in the family home with a chest containing the clothing and weapons of an Assassin. Ezio is ultimately unable to save his two brothers and father from the betrayer and all three are falsely convicted of treason and hanged.
SPOILER ALERT! Ezio actually gets to avenge his family and kill the person who caused the death of his family members, but the story doesn’t stop there!
Rising action or build up
Climax or confrontation
Falling action
Resolution
Each story structure that I’m about to go over includes those elements. What makes them unique is how much time they spend on each part
If you are a planner, this will help you figure out how you want to structure the plot of your book
If you are a pantser, keep these in mind for your story beats as you write
If you are editing, this will help you figure out what you need to add or cut from your manuscript.
Think of your story like a piece of pie. At the end of the day, you’re going to have a story. The structure is just the different ways you can slice it.
The different acts are just the different sections of the story or plot. You can usually mark the difference between them through their tone

Hero’s journey
Click here for the outline worksheet
The two act structure
Ironically, this structure is rarely talked about, even though it’s extremely common in sitcoms, broadway shows, etc.
It’s also known as the nine point (or sometimes nine act) structure, but it follows the same basic outline
Act One
The hero experiences the (first) Inciting Incident.
The response to the Inciting Incident is flawed, as they continue their dysfunction.
They enjoy a major win, and for a moment it seems the goal is (almost) achieved.
Act Two
The hero experiences a second Inciting Incident, as part of the MidPoint Reversal. (a lot of times in broadway shows, this is where they cut to intermission)
The response to this MPR Inciting Incident is the right response, as now the Hero makes an effort to improve, to heal.
Climax
They enjoy a final win, and we trust that in the future they will continue to act in the right way.
Fiddler on the Roof, with the Cossacks' invasion of the wedding as the turning point (right before intermission)
Hamilton.
Act 1 chronicles Alexander Hamilton's rise in political power, ending just after he's appointed Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.
Act 2 shows the gradual downfall of his career and personal life, ending with his death in the duel with Aaron Burr.
Wicked. West Side Story
The 7-Point Story Structure:
Advocates of this approach advise starting with your resolution and working backwards.This ensures a dramatic character arc for your hero.
The hook or starting point
Plot turn 1 or inciting incident
Pinch point 1
Midpoint: your character responds to conflict with action.
Plot turn 2: Moves the story from the midpoint to the resolution. Your protagonist has everything he needs to achieve the goal.
Resolution: The climax. Everything in your story leads to this moment, a direct contrast to how your character began his journey.
J.K. Rowling uses this in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone.
Hook: In Philosopher’s Stone, this is when we meet Harry living under the stairs.
Plot turn 1: Harry finds out he is a wizard.
[stuff happens]
Pinch point 1: When the trolls attack, Harry and his friends realize they are the only ones who can save the day.
[more stuff happens]
Midpoint: Harry and his friends learn of the Philosopher’s Stone and determine to find it before Voldemort does.
Pinch point 2: Harry has to face the villain alone after losing Ron and Hermione during their quest to find the stone.
Plot turn 2: When the mirror reveals Harry Potter’s intentions are pure, he is given the Philosopher’s Stone.
Resolution: Harry defeats Voldemort.
The Three-Act Structure

This formula was used by ancient Greeks, and it’s one of Hollywood’s favorite ways to tell a story.
IF you have heard, the “Save the Cat!” story beats, follows this basic structure
Save the Cat Wroksheet
Also known as 15 point structure- aka Blake Snyder Beat Sheet
Shaelin wrote a very good video about this process and she goes into more detail. There’s a link to that video down below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRZxqAVXUHs
This is specifically for screenwriting, but as I always, a story is a story.
This is the “save the cat”
It’s about as simple as you can get.
Act I: The Set-Up
Introduce your main characters and establish the setting.
Inciting incident
Act II: The Confrontation
Create a problem that appears small on the surface but becomes more complex. The more your protagonist tries to get what he wants, the more impossible it seems to solve the problem.
Act III: The Resolution
A good ending has:
High stakes: your reader must feel that one more mistake will result in disaster for the protagonist.
Challenges and growth: By the end, the protagonist needs to have grown as a person by overcoming myriad obstacles.
A solution: All the trials and lessons your character has endured help him solve the problem.
Star Wars follows this structure
Act I- Luke decides to follow Ben, fight for the rebellion, and rescue the princess
Act II (about 40 minutes in)- Luke finds the princess, loses Ben, and escapes from the Death Star
Act III: Luke blows up the Death Star and saves the rebellion
Suzanne Collins’s bestselling young adult trilogy, The Hunger Games, uses the three-act structure.
Act I: The set up
We meet Katniss, look around her district and learn about the oppressive government that created the capitol.
We learn about Katniss’s family, that her father died in the mines, and that her sister Prim is her favorite person in the world.
We learn that Katniss is very protective of her younger sister and that she would do anything for her, including put her name in the reeping cup several times
The inciting incident: Prim’s name is called for the reaping and Katniss volunteers to go in her place.
Act II
The Hunger Games happen
The Climax of the story: They get down to the last three contestants
Act III
Peeta and Katniss are the only ones left and they just had the rules changes on them and they will not let each other dye
Five Act Structure
This is most common in Shakespearean tragedies.
It’s also very common in mysteries, specifically Agatha Christie.
If you need a visual of this, I suggest watching Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp because it really breaks down the basics of mystery writing.
Act 1: The Exposition
Here, the audience learns the setting (Time/Place), characters are developed, and a conflict is introduced.
The inciting incident
In a murder mystery, it’s the first body
Act 2: Rising Action
The action of this act leads the audience to the climax. It is common for complications to arise, or for the protagonist to encounter obstacles.
Around this time, you have the red herring in a mystery novel
Act 3: The Climax
This is the turning point of the play. The climax is characterized by the highest amount of suspense.
This is usually where you find the third body
Act 4: Falling Action
The opposite of Rising Action, in the Falling Action the story is coming to an end, and any unknown details or plot twists are revealed and wrapped up.
This is where the detective and murderer are facing off
Act 5: Denouement or Resolution
This is the final outcome of the drama. Here the author's tone about his or her subject matter is revealed, and sometimes a moral or lesson is learned.
In a murder mystery, this is usually where you find out what was going on with the perp and the backstory.
Let’s look at an example: Romeo and Juliet
Act 1: The Exposition
Setting: Verona Italy, 16th or 17th century
Characters: Capulets and Montagues, specifically, Romeo and Juliet
Conflict: The Montagues and Capulets are feuding
Inciting incident: Romeo and his friends crash the Capulet’s party and he sees Juliet
Act 2: Rising Action
Romeo and Juliet fall in love but cannot be together because their families do not like each other. They decide to get married in secret.
Act 3: The Climax
After crashing the Capulet party, Tybalt goes after the Montague crew and kills Mercutio.
To avenge his friend, Romeo duels with and kills Tybalt - Juliet's cousin.
Romeo is banished, but before he goes he gives Juliet a proper wedding night!
Act 4: Falling Action
Juliet’s parents arrange a marriage for her to Paris.
She and the Friar have an elaborate plan to get her out of a second marriage by faking her death. Part of this plan is that Romeo will receive a letter saying she’s not dead.
Romeo - never having received the letter - thinks Juliet has died (see our article on dramatic irony).
Romeo buys poison and goes to her tomb to commit suicide.
Act 5: Denouement or Resolution
Romeo confronts Paris at Juliet’s tomb, and slays him before taking his own life.
Juliet awakens from her sleeping potion to see Romeo has committed suicide.
She takes his dagger and kills herself.
The Friar and Nurse explain to the Capulet and Montague families that the two lovers were married in secret.
Both families are saddened by the situation, and vow to end their long-standing feud.