Structuring Your Novel:
The Basics.
June 2022 by Susan Shepard
Structuring your novel will automatically bring out the panster vs. plotter debate. I've also heard them referred to as "gardeners" vs. "architects."
To be brief, a panster (or gardener) are writers who "write by the seat of their pants." They discover the story as they go with zero to very little planning ahead of time.
Plotters (or architects) are writers who outline, character sketch, plot, and come up with most or all of the story before they start to write.
Some writers fall in between or have a little bit of both in their process. As for me, I'm a pantser through and through. There is something about outlining that completely shuts off my creative flow. I've tried. Several times. I just can't write by an outline.
BUT that doesn't mean I don't structure my novels. And I usually start structuring by the second or third draft.
So, however you get your novel written, good for you. I don't believe one of these approaches is better than the other.
"Create, write, and dream however you want. Just make sure it's a process that works for you."
You will never hear me (or see me in writing), tell another writer that they should always plot or outline their novel before they get writing. Or that they shouldn't outline because it messes with their creative energy. What's right for me will not be right for you. And no one should presume that their way is the only way to create amazing stuff. Create, write, and dream however you want. Just make sure it's a process that works for you.
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Now that you've plotted or pantsed your way through your story, let's move on.
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The structure of a novel doesn't care what genre it is, or whether it is a novella, a novel, or a 1,000-page epic fantasy adventure, you will always plot your novel in the same way.
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(**Disclaimer: I can't speak for non-fiction. I have no experience with memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, etc. But for everything else in the fiction realm, this is generally the structure you will use).
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THE BEATS
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Structure Tip #1: A good story will hit certain beats at certain times. This balances slower sections with action packed scenes.
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The beats are as follows:
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The Hook
Inciting Incident
Door #1 of No Return (or First Plot Point)
Introduction of the B Story
Pinch Point 1
Midpoint
Pinch Point 2
Door #2 of No Return (or Black Moment/Crisis)
Climax
Resolution
Each of these beats plays a vital role in the pacing of your story. Now, I'm going to take these and structure them a bit more:
Three Act Structure broken down into 10 manageable steps!
Are there variations on this? Yes. Do some writers add more beats? Yes. Do some writers prefer a different structure than the three act? Yes. Like I said above, find your own process that works for you, BUT this is a structure used for forever. It will set up and pace your story in a way that readers will connect with and keep them turning pages.
BEAT PERCENTAGES
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I'm not a math person, but now we need to figure out exactly where in the story these beats are supposed to go. Think of your entire novel as 100% (a whole). We'll divide that whole into sections. Those sections are nothing more than percentages of your story.
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I'm going to take the above image and turn it, simply because that's how my mind works when I'm dealing with numbers, I have to go linearly. The general breakdown is like this:
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This is where word count matters (and doesn't), because no matter what your word count is, it will divide in the same way. You do need to know what your total word count is, however. In my example, we'll say it's 60,000 words. The formula:
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Total Word Count X Percentage (as a decimal) = the word count where the beat falls.
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Ex: 60,000 X 0.25 = 15,000. My Door #1 of No Return (1st Plot Point) will be around the 15,000 word count.
Ex: 60,000 X 0.5 = 30,000. My midpoint will be at the 30,000 word count.
Ex: 60,000 X 0.67 = 40,200. My Pinch Point #2 will be at the 40,200 word count.
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Here's the same image from above with my word counts calculated:
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Make sense?
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Structure Tip #2: Notice the wiggle room between word counts. Be flexible and don't fret if your scene doesn't fall on the exact word count calculated.
Structure Tip #3: Some beats are more important than others, though all are important to the pace of your novel.
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The most exciting beat should be the climax. This is the heightened point of your entire story physically, emotionally, and mentally for your characters. This is the final battle, the final, giant hurdle your characters have to cross to win.
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The second most exciting beats are the Hook and Midpoint. The Hook pulls your reader in at the beginning and convinces them to keep reading. The Midpoint takes them through the middle when the book is longest to read and convinces them to read through to the end.
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Your Black Moment/Crisis is the saddest point of your novel. There is no hope for your characters to win. They've lost everything physically, emotionally, and mentally. Let them fail.
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I learned this through working with an editor on Warriors of the Wood. Since then I've read some great books from people who know their stuff. I highly recommend the book Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. Great read. You can also check out Jami Gold's website for Beat Sheet templates. You fill in a few cells and the math is calculated for you!
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If you're overwhelmed by all the numbers and rules...
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Structure Tip #4: Breathe.
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Get the story written. Then, when it's out of your brain and down on paper, you can structure it. Scenes can be moved, changed, deleted, or added. One of the joys of creating a story is that you have the power to solve any problem, correct any mistake, or overcome any obstacle your characters face. Your pen is only limited by your imagination.
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So, if your story needs a little love but you're not sure what to fix, see if your structure is the problem. Imagine trying to build a house by starting with the interior designs. When you go to hang up that lovely mirror you bought and there is nothing to hang it on, it will fall. Most likely break.
Giving your story a solid framework is what will allow you to then put on the sheet rock, install the walls, and the flooring. When all of that is nailed in and sealed together, you can decorate however you want!
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Good luck on structuring your novel! You can always reach out to me through my contact page with questions.
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