(Butter's Voice) I just want to give kisses! I just want to give kisses!
(The sound of a pen scratching.) LOGO.
(Normal Voice) Hellooo, everybody! Today I'm tackling one of the most important parts of the writing process,
and that's structure! Not only is structure an INSANELY important part of the writing process,
it's also a part that a lot of writers mess up. If you can't structure a plot,
you don't have a plot. And if you don't have a plot, you don't have a book. I'm here to help
you avoid that problem entirely! This topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon,
AJ Mason. Like so many other writers, AJ wanted to make sure she understood how to structure a novel,
if there is a specific set in stone method for structuring a novel, and so on. Because of this,
I will be answering the 10 most popular questions I receive about structuring your novel right here,
right now! Before we get started, I want to give a shout out to Milanote, who has sponsored
today's video! If you're trying to structure your novel quickly, clearly, and correctly,
I HIGHLY recommend Milanote. They make the process a million times easier! Milanote is an easy-to-use
tool that allows you to organize projects and ideas into visual boards. It's completely
different from traditional software. Most software exists as a linear document, which doesn't exactly
make sense, because since when has creativity ever been linear? Brains don't work like that!
Milanote, on the other hand, is like working on a studio wall or a poster board. It allows
you to take your jumble of ideas and move them around however you please, which is PERFECT for
brainstorming! Milanote serves as a creative hub for whatever you're working on, like building your
author platform, planning your characters, and of course, structuring your novel! You can easily
map out whichever story structure you choose and organize your plot points to see where they fit
within that structure. Plus, you can share your plot with your critique partners if you want
comments or feedback. Like I said, I am a huge fan of Milanote! I have a bunch of boards that I use
daily, and even better, you can use Milanote for free! That's right! Zero dollars! On top of that,
Milanote is hosting a giveaway just for you guys! If you're ready to start planning your novel in
2021, sign up for Milanote for free using the link in the description below, and three lucky winners
will be randomly selected to receive Milanote Pro subscriptions for FREE! Click the link, try them
out for free, and you may be walking away with a free Pro subscription! It's that easy! If you
want more writerly advice and giveaways, be sure to subscribe to my channel and ring that bell! I
post videos on Wednesdays! They're awesome! I'm in 'em! Sometimes my dog is in them! She's not
in this one right now, but she is sitting like three feet away... (Butter's Voice) Hellooooo
everyone! Hellooo! (Normal Voice) And don't forget, my number one best-selling dark fantasy
romance novel The Savior's Sister is available right now in e-book, paperback, and hardback!
It will also soon be available in what, Butters? (Butter's Voice) In audioboooook! (Normal Voice) That's right! The audiobook
is coming very, very soon! Butters is very excited, as you can see! Audiobook! Audiobook!
Now it's time for me to answer your top 10 questions all about how to structure your novel!
Number One (1): What is structure? Structure is the framework of your story, the elements that
link the different parts of your story together into one cohesive plot. Think of it this way:
without the framework of your house, you just have a big pile of wood, which is pretty fuckin'
useless. Narrative structure is similar to that. It connects the pieces of your story together so
there's a beginning, middle, and end to your whole, complete novel. Number Two (2): What does a story
structure look like? The standard story structure is one everyone should be familiar with, and
it looks kinda like a pyramid. You've got your beginning or inciting incident, which is the event
that instigates the plot of the novel. We have the rising action, which is a series of events
that further escalate the conflict. Then we reach the climax, which is where the conflict comes
to a head. Then we have the falling action, or aftermath of the climax, ending in the resolution.
All stories follow this structure to some degree, but there are different structural options that go
into further depth. Number Three (3): What are the different types of structures? There are a zillion
different types of structures to choose from, which may seem overwhelming, but keep in mind
they are all elaborating on the same thing: a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action,
and resolution. It's not that one is better than the other; they all follow the same pattern,
just with different degrees of detail. A few popular structural techniques are the three-act
structure, the four-act structure, the Seven Point Structure, the mirror structure, hero's journey,
Save the Cat, and the W-plot. And there are many more out there, I'm sure! Some of these
are very detailed–for example, Save the Cat, whereas others are very vague–for example,
the mirror structure. Now, I can't break down every single structural option because one,
I don't know them all and two, we'll be here all day. I gotta pee at some point! So instead,
I'm going to break down two of the more popular structures: the three-act structure and the
hero's journey. For the rest of 'em, you're just gonna have to Google. The information's out there,
I promise! Number Four (4): What is the three-act structure? The three-act structure is based
on classic three-act plays and divides your story into three parts. If you couldn't figure that out
already... The three parts are usually referred to as Act 1: The Setup, Act 2: The Confrontation,
and Act 3: The Resolution. The setup is exactly what it sounds like; it's there to establish the
characters, the world, and how everything fits together until bam! We are hit with the inciting
incident that sets the plot into motion. The setup usually ends with some kind of dramatic situation
or question that essentially brings the conflict to the forefront of the story. The confrontation,
or second act, is the rising action of the story. It's a series of events showing the protagonist is
trying to fix the conflict only for things to keep getting worse. During this chunk of the story,
the character learns, grows, and develops, usually with the help or hindrance of other characters
along the way. Lastly, we reach the resolution, or third act. This is where the climax of the novel
happens. The conflict is resolved and the main character learns whatever life lesson they were
meant to learn. As you can see, this structure is pretty general. You can probably think of a
lot of books or movies that fit this structure, if not all of them. If you like your structure to be
a bit simpler and lax, the three-act structure might be for you. Number Five (5): What's the
hero's journey? I've heard people talk about the hero's journey as if it's a writing cliche,
but they're wrong, bitch! It's a structural template; a blueprint for telling a story
about a hero, and it's extremely popular. Now, this template is a lot more complicated than others. It
includes the three-act structure as well as a special world, and an ordinary world. I'm
not gonna go too deep into it, because that could make up its own video entirely. Instead,
I'm just going to cover its 12 main points. For the pedants out there, I'm keeping shit general!
Don't push me! Step 1 is called The Ordinary World, where we see the day-to-day life of our
hero. Step 2 is the Call to Adventure, which is basically where the plot, conflict, or goal
presents itself. Step 3 is the Refusal of the Call, which is where our hero says, "Fuck that!
I don't wanna go on a quest! I'm normal!" Step 4 is Meeting the Mentor, which is pretty
self-explanatory. Someone's got to teach our hero to fuck shit up! Step 5 is Crossing the Threshold,
which is where the hero officially embarks on the adventure and dives into danger! Step 6 is Tests,
Allies, and Enemies. It's a series of events that makes things harder for the hero, whether that's
dangerous tests or new enemies. But of course, they make some handy dandy allies along the way!
Step 7 is Approach the Inmost Cave, which basically comes down to the hero trying to tackle
the conflict head on and failing big time. Step 8 is the Ordeal. The hero faces the conflict again,
they struggle immensely, but ultimately, they win! Step 9 is The Reward, where the hero is benefited
in some way from saving the day. Usually, they become a better, stronger person and they claim
some kind of prize or reward. Step 10 is The Road Back, which is where the hero heads back to their
normal life or maybe grapples with the decision to go back at all. Step 11 is The Resurrection.
The hero faces death one last time in an ultimate showdown, and through this experience, they come
back better, stronger, a new person! And finally, we have Step 12, which is Return with the Elixir.
The hero returns home and shares his prize with all the land! This is the hero's journey in the
teeniest, tiniest nutshell! There are a bazillion different interpretations and
variations of the hero's journey. It has been around for eons, so if you want further detail,
do your research! The information's out there! As you can see, this option is way more detailed than
the three-act structure on its own. So if you want a more detailed, regimented structure, the hero's
journey might be for you! Number Six (6): How do I know which structure is right for me? First things
first, what is your writing style? If you're free as a bird and don't like hard and fast rules,
maybe try a less regimented structure. If you're the type who thrives with organized lists,
then a detailed structure might be better suited for you. And if you're somewhere in the middle,
maybe you want the freedom to add and remove structural points as you please,
then blending some of these structures may be a good idea for you. The three-act structure is
often compounded with additional plot points per the author's discretion. It's your book,
your rules! Second, take a look at your genre. It wouldn't make sense to use the hero's journey if
you're writing a horror novel where everyone dies at the end. Some structures are better
suited for certain genres. That said, even if you're writing a genre that pairs very well
with a specific structure–for example, the hero's journey works great with sci-fi and fantasy–that
does not mean you HAVE to use that structure. So long as you're at least sticking with the standard
pyramid we've discussed ad nauseam, you're fine! Which brings me to my last point: story. You
know your story better than anyone else. Where do you want your story to go? What do you want your
characters to achieve? Find the structure that fits your end goal best and you're good to go!
Number Seven (7): How am I supposed to fit my jumble of ideas into a structure? If you're
planning a novel, you probably have some plot points in mind, some conflicts or characters
that you want to fit into your story. This is where outlining and storyboarding come into play.
Take your ideas and see where they fit within the structure of your novel. This is where a
platform like Milanote really comes in handy. You can literally splatter all of your ideas across a
Milanote board and move them around to match your structure! Pro Tip: if you're really new to this
and not sure what you're doing, I'd recommend creating a structural blueprint right on your
board. You can even use the standard structure of a beginning, rising action, climax, falling
action, and resolution. Then match your plot points on the structure itself, kinda like pin
the tail on the donkey. This is a great way to see which pieces of your story are vital to the plot
and what's just unnecessary fluff. Number Eight (8): "Okay, so I just pick a structure and follow
it exactly, right?" I mean, you CAN, but you don't HAVE to. After you get comfortable plotting,
it's very common to develop your own sense of structure. Keep in mind, your story must follow
the standard of having a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. However,
there may be additives that fit your style. Many writers I know create their own structure
that's sort of a mix of other popular structures. Ultimately, the more you write, the more familiar
with plotting you'll become, which means you won't necessarily have to follow these structural models
as rigid guidelines. Instead, you will adopt a method that fits your brand of storytelling.
Number Nine (9): "Do I really need a structure?" YES! Usually, I say there are exceptions to the
rule. But when it comes to structure, you're shit outta luck. If you are writing a fiction novel,
it HAS to have a structure. All plot lines revolve around some kind of conflict or goal,
and having a structure ensures that your novel follows that conflict or goal to completion.
Without structure, your book is just a series of unrelated events. Just your characters meandering
through life, and that is NOT a plot. It's also boring as hell! Structure is the epitome of what
makes a novel. You gotta have one if you want to have a storyline! And Number Ten (10): "But Jennaaa,
how do you structure YOUR novel?" Like I mentioned earlier, I have been writing for decades,
so I have adopted my own structural method. If you'd like a video where I break down my
personal structural method, comment below! I would be happy to do so! My structural
method is second nature. I've been using it for years because it works really well
for the kind of genres I enjoy writing, which are typically fantasy, sci-fi, action adventure, and
romance. So that's all I got for you today! A huge thank you to AJ Mason for requesting this topic!
If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, become a patron today! I've got it linked
below! You can get videos dedicated to you, we've got an exclusive writing group, we get early
access to videos, there's livestreams, there's signed merch! There's tons of goodies! Check
it out! And thank you to Milanote for sponsoring today's video! If you need help structuring your
novel, I cannot recommend Milanote enough! Even if you're not structuring your novel,
even if you're just creating characters or organizing your life, there are so many
different uses for this platform! I love it SO much! I use it every day! And best of all,
you can try it for free! And of course, Milanote is hosting a giveaway right here on my channel! If
you check out Milanote right now using the link in the description below and try them out for free,
you will be in the running to receive a free Pro subscription! Three winners are gonna be chosen,
so get to clicking! Try it out! You'll be glad ya did! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell!
The Savior's Champion and The Savior's Sister are available all over the place right now!
I've got 'em linked below, definitely check 'em out! They are number one bestsellers,
so if you like dark fantasy, and you like romance, and you like stabby-stab, and you like kissy-kiss,
check 'em out! You'll love 'em! And be sure to follow me on social media! I'm on Instagram,
Tumblr, Facebook–and of course, you can Tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye! (Older Male Voice) This
is Wembleton. If you haven't subscribed to Jenna's channel, then by all means,
go for it! The people will love you for it! Go on, press the button! Ding that bell! See you soon!