(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Hellooo everybody! A while back, I answered your 10 most
popular questions about how to structure your novel, and now I'm breaking down my personal
novel structure method. For those out of the loop, a structure is the framework of your novel.
It puts all of your plot points together to make sure that they fit into a proper beginning,
middle, and end. In my first video, I broke down the basics of structuring your novel. I've got it
linked below, be sure to check it out before watching this video. But as writers grow,
they tend to develop their own methods. And thus, since I have been writing for about 30 years,
I have created my own sense of structure. My structural method is mostly subconscious,
but I tried to lay it out in the three act structure format since that's what a lot of writers prefer.
Plus, I tried to label the major plot points, because I'm a generous bitch like that.
My genres of choice are science fiction, fantasy, action adventure, and romance, so that's what this
particular structure lends itself to. This video is dedicated to one of my patrons over on Patreon,
AJ Mason. She wanted to learn more about how to structure a novel, and you know me,
I aim to please. Sometimes! If you're not an asshole. But AJ is not an asshole. She
is an absolute delight! Love you, AJ! Before we get started, be sure to subscribe to my channel
and ring that bell! I post videos on Wednesdays. Sometimes they are dedicated to patrons. Sometimes
I give writing advice. Sometimes I bitch and moan. Sometimes I'm weird. Actually, I'm always weird.
That just kind of comes with the territory. And in case you missed it, my number one best-selling
dark fantasy romance The Savior's Sister is now available in audiobook! Even better, if you are
brand new to Audible, you can listen to TSS for free! I have it linked below. Check it out! You
won't regret it! A quick disclaimer: I'm going to be using The Savior's Series, specifically The
Savior's Champion, as an example throughout this video. I'm going to try to avoid major spoilers,
but it's just something that you should be aware of going into this. Maybe read the book first.
If you haven't, it's been out for years! Come on! And again, this is the structural method
that works for the genres I write. It might work for the genres you write, as well. It might not.
You might like it. You might hate it. I don't give a shit. Basically, what I'm saying is, "Do you!"
Without further ado, let's get to the steps! Are you excited, 'cause I am! We'll start with Act 1:
All the beginning shit. If you wanted proper names, you came to the wrong place,
'cause I'm making shit up as I go along. You're welcome! Act 1 begins with Step One (1): A look
into the future. This is not a literal look into the future. I mean, it can be. That's up to you.
But in general, it is a taste of what readers can expect later in the book. For example, if you're
writing erotica, you might open with something erotic. If you're writing action adventure,
you might open with a gunfight. I usually open my stories with something violent,
because my books are heavily violent and I want readers to know what they're getting themselves
into. Evaluate the overall tone of your story and give your readers a taste of it at the beginning.
Number Two (2): A look at normal life. This is where we get a look at what your main character
considers normal. This usually involves them going to school or work. Basically,
some kind of daily obligation. But it's important to consider that this step should be brief.
Normal life is boring! We all know what work and school looks like. So Pro Tip:
maybe showcase the end of a normal day, or a snippet of it. Maybe they're clocking out at work.
Maybe they're on the final page of their last test before the bell rings. Don't bore readers
with a full day of normalcy. The idea is to give them a taste, not to lull them to sleep. Number
Three (3): Establish desire. What does your main character want or need within their normal life?
In The Savior's Champion, Tobias needs money to care for his struggling family. You can,
and probably should, establish this desire within the look at your character's normal daily life.
This will make their normal life look a lot more interesting, because you're setting stakes. It
doesn't matter if the desire established ends up becoming irrelevant later on in the book. In fact,
this happens quite a lot. But you should present something missing in their life, or
something they're aspiring toward. Number Four (4): Introduce the dilemma. What is the main
character's problem? This is ultimately going to trigger the inciting incident. Most of the time,
the character's dilemma is related to their wants and needs. For example, in The Savior's Champion,
Tobias needs money to support his family. However, his dilemma is the only way to get a ton of money
is to enter the Sovereign's Tournament. And if he enters and is selected, he's probably going to
die. Thus, establishing the desire and introducing the dilemma can sometimes occur at the same time.
However, that's not always the case, which is why I list them as separate points. Which brings us to
Number Five (5): The MC takes action. Some people consider the inciting incident the DILEMMA that
ultimately instigates the plot, which was my last point. I consider the inciting incident
the first ACTION that begins the plot. That's this point, baby! The MC makes a decision to take
action toward their dilemma or they're thrust into action toward their dilemma. Either way,
they're taking their first step into rectifying the situation, which sets the plot into motion.
This is the end of Act 1, which is the shortest act in the novel. I personally
believe it shouldn't last more than three chapters because you want to get to the meat of your story
really quickly. However, this is a subjective opinion. It's my personal structural method,
so it works the way I want it to work. But the point of this Act is to establish the plot. We're
creating goals. We're setting stakes. We're moving the plot forward, and we're letting readers know
what they can anticipate in the future. Moving on, we've got Act 2: The meat and potatoes. This is
where shit gets real. The first step of Act 2 is Step Six (6): In over their head. This is the
point when the MC realizes that shit is WAY harder than they expected. They're trying to tackle their
dilemma head-on and they realize, "Wow, this fucking sucks!" In The Savior's Champion, this
is when Tobias enters the Tournament and people just start getting killed willy-nilly despite the
rules and regulations of the competition. This leads directly into Number Seven (7): Blunders.
This is where our main character fucks up, probably a lot. This is when they try to manage
their dilemma and fail, either because they're not strong enough, they're not smart enough, they
don't know what they're doing, or they don't have the proper allies to assist them. This, of course,
can be combined with Step Six (6), but it doesn't have to be, which is why I'm listing them separately.
Number Eight (8): Learning. Or, as I like to call it, forced adaptation! This is when the main
character gets sick of fucking up so much, so they force themselves to analyze and adapt to their
situation. This may include training montages. It may include making allies. It may include spying
and observation. I don't know, it's your story! Do what you want! But essentially, at this point
in the story, the character realizes, "I suck at this and I need to figure out how to un-suck."
Number Nine (9): The first win. The learning pays off and the character has their first win.
This could be a career win, a personal win, a romantic win, a fighting win, any other kind of
win. It could be killing a bad guy. It could be a fabulous makeover. In The Savior's Champion,
Tobias's first win is defeating the Giant. You can tell because it comes after a series of blunders,
a training montage, and befriending allies. This win comes at the perfect time, because otherwise,
the plot would be a major downer. Your character just had blunder after blunder and your book can't
just be a series of progressively worse failures. You're giving the character a win to prove to the
reader that there is hope. This step ultimately leads to the last step in Act 2, Number Ten (10):
The perspective shift. People start viewing the character differently. Readers start viewing the
character differently. Hell, the character probably views themselves differently. This
is the start of the main character questioning themselves, who they are, and where they stand.
It's also the start of the villain getting their panties in a knot, which we'll cover in the next
Act. Some of the questions you want to determine in this Act are first and foremost, where are the
lines drawn? Who is the character close with? Who are they against, and who are the grey characters?
And of course, this is an Act where the character starts questioning themselves and their morals.
Who are they and what do they believe? But don't give them those answers just yet. That brings us
to the final Act, number 3: Shit gets wild! It's like girls gone wild, except with shit! We start
Act 3 off with Step Number Eleven (11): The threat gets worse. Your main character just had
a win, which means the villain's gonna be pretty damn pissed. Whenever the main character succeeds,
you can't just leave the story there, you need to up the stakes. Now whatever villain, bad guy,
or dilemma your character is facing off against has gotten worse, maybe as a direct result of
their success. Remember, this doesn't have to be a literal villain if you're not writing that kind of
book. If you're writing a romance, it could be that the love interest's ex shows up and wants
their partner back. Basically, the goal is to make sure that the win doesn't last too long. Up
the stakes! Number Twelve (12): The struggle bus. Shit got a whole lot worse and you're showing your
readers just how much worse it's gotten. This is where the MC is struggling to deal with the
worsening threat. There may be some wins along the way, but they're getting harder to achieve
and the character is REALLY dealing with the weight of this threat. Which brings us
to Number Thirteen (13): A major loss. This could be a literal loss, like losing a bet,
a challenge, or a match. It could be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a friend. It could be an
injury. It could be losing your partner. Whatever! Ultimately, something terrible happens to your
main character. Something supremely important to them. This loss is extremely important, because
it's going to lead directly into Number Fourteen (14): The breaking point. Sometimes the major loss
and the breaking point occur at the same time, sometimes they don't. It depends. The breaking
point is the lowest point for your main character. They suffered a major loss, and now they're not
feeling so confident. They're questioning their beliefs, themselves, their allies,
all of the above. This usually causes them to make shitty decisions. Ultimately, the breaking
point is a new low for the main character and you need this because it will make the high
of the climax that much more exciting. Number Fifteen (15): The wallow. The main character
shat their diaper and they're sittin' in it. That's not to say they're a whiny, stinking mess,
but they're festering in that breaking point. They may be feeling grief, remorse, or anger.
They may have accepted that they've lost and they're a failure. This step is important one,
because no one bounces right back after a breaking point. And two, because sometimes you gotta wallow
in your own shit before you're able to climb out of it. Which brings us to Number Sixteen (16):
The redemption. Your character, for whatever reason, crawls out of their pit of despair and
decides to redeem themselves. The key here is to give them a reason for this redemption. Usually,
it relates to having one last chance to achieve their goal, or maybe realizing that shit has
gotten WAY worse and someone has to take action, so it might as well be them. Whatever the reason,
your main character decides to shake off their funk, seize their glory, and right their wrongs.
Number Seventeen (17): The 'Almost.' This moment usually happens right before or during the climax.
This is when the main character almost loses, and I mean REALLY loses. Like, as loser-y as it gets.
If the stakes are low, then that means they miss the train that could have gotten them to their
love interest. If the stakes are high, then it means they probably almost die. This moment is
important, because no one values a success story that came easily. We wanna see struggle, because
struggle is something that everyone can relate to. The Almost provides that. It's that moment before
or during the climax where the main character is most vulnerable. Number Eighteen (18): The climax.
This is the high point of the novel, when all the obstacles come to a head. The main character is
facing their dilemma head on, and this moment will determine whether or not they win or lose.
Nine times out of ten, they're gonna win, or at least partially win. As I mentioned already,
the Almost may occur within this moment, but it doesn't have to. The idea is to lay on the
tension and drama. You are finally resolving the dilemma one way or another, and you're not making
it easy on that character–or your readers, for that matter! Number Nineteen (19): The fallout.
Typically, the climax of a story can be very revealing. It can unveil secrets. It can reveal
hidden agendas, or lies. The fallout is when the characters regroup to ask questions and provide
explanations. Sometimes this is exposition the readers need, which is completely fine,
so long as it's realistic and relatable to that point in the plot. But ultimately,
the goal is to ask and answer questions. If this is one book within a series, it's important to ask
more questions than you answer, because you need some unanswered questions in order to urge people
to continue the series. Which brings us to Number Twenty (20): The resolution. This is when at least
one main problem of the story is solved. If it's a standalone, then most of the problems
or dilemmas within your story should be resolved in this moment. If it's a series, resolve the
most important issue and leave something big and intriguing on the table. The resolution can be
something as simple as a kiss between lovers, or as complicated as a peace treaty between planets.
Thus, Act 3 of your novel is complete, and you want to be focusing on these concepts within this
Act: your main character should be questioning themselves, their beliefs, and their integrity.
Maybe they're not sure of the path they've chosen, maybe they're not sure of who they want to be,
but ultimately they find some semblance of self-acceptance by the resolution. They finally
feel at peace with their choices, at least to some degree, which will provide a sense of closure for
both them and the reader. So that's all I got for you today! Again, this is my personal structural
method. It came from a bunch of structures that I have studied and learned over the years. It's
what works for me. If you like it, cool. If you don't, I don't give a shit! Thank you again to
AJ Mason for requesting this topic! If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or
if you want access to TONS of other awards, check me out on Patreon! You get early access to videos,
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it's awesome! I got it linked below! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on
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