Story Structure

There are many ways to tell a story, but there are some fundamental features and structures that most professional storytellers consider essential to crafting a great story.

Every story has a hidden structure. Writers are like architects and stories are like buildings. Stories have an internal invisible frame that holds all the pieces of the story together. The structure frames the plot, conflicts, characters and actions to gradually build up to something grand. So the first thing you need to do is be able to analyze and break stories down to their basic structure and their Story Beats.

A Story Beat is an episode or a piece of the story that serves a specific purpose. A beat can consist of a scene or a series of scenes tied together by a common theme. Below is a typical story breakdown in 3 Acts, along with a well known example.

Story Breakdown: The Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame

We will be using the last installment of the Avengers Series as an example of how a story can be broken down into recognizable story beats. In this case, we are looking at two movies because together they create one overarching narrative, so for our purposes we'll pretend they are one movie and one story.

First, read the the title and description of each story beat. Then, see how that example is expressed in the movie. Not all descriptions match exactly, but that's the point. The overall structure is what matters. All the details are what make each story unique. The big difference between these movies and other conventional stories is that the Avengers movies have multiple protagonists, but other than that, the formula fits perfectly.

Act I

1. Hook and Setup:

This is where the story grabs the audience’s attention with a memorable first sentence or scene. Put us right in the middle of something happening or describe some odd situation. After that, take a few sentences to explain the setting of your world, and how your protagonist or antagonist fits in it.

EXAMPLE: The movies starts us right in the middle of the action when Thanos, our antagonist, intercepts the spaceship carrying the survivors of Asgard's recent destruction. This is the setup of the world, as it introduces some key characters and their relationships to each other.

2. Inciting Incident:

This is an event that completely changes your protagonist’s world. Horrible news arrives, or a disaster strikes, or a bully or enemy emerges out of nowhere and takes something from your protagonist. This completely destroys your character’s ability to live life normally or comfortably.

EXAMPLE: Thanos is able to get the first stone and the audience is shocked by the murder of Loki. Now we know that even with one Stone, Thanos is incredibly more powerful. From this scene, we know that Thanos will stop at nothing and that the Avengers are in real danger.

3. Hesitation & Eventual Choice:

At first your character is in denial, but the situation is so dire that it requires your character to act. Your character will resist acting or doubt themselves, but eventually they have to make a choice. Once they make this choice they can never go back. They must leave the comfort of the life they used to know and embark on an adventure.

EXAMPLE: Bruce Banner tries to convince Dr. Strange that Thanos is coming for them. At first he is hesitant to believe them. Same with Tony Stark, but eventually they all choose to band together to try and fight Thanos. Spiderman gets on the ship, ignoring Tony's advice.

Act II

4. A New World to explore:

Your protagonist begins their adventure and at first this is exciting. They explore a new world, or find something they didn’t know they had in them. They explore a new ability or superpower, or a new setting or find a new friend or reunite with people they know. This part is all fun and games.

EXAMPLE: We see all of the avengers being recruited one by one. There are subplots and funny dialogue. Basically it's a fun to see each character being included and developed in the narrative.

5. First Encounter & False Victory:

This is the first direct encounter with the antagonist of the story. Your protagonist, either through luck or skill, is able to seemingly defeat or barely escape the antagonist or overcome the obstacles they faced. But this is only a false victory...

EXAMPLE: The avengers convene on Thanos's home world, Titan. This is where a large number of them first meet each other and this is the first major fight with Thanos. Using their wits and working together they seem like they are about to win. They have Thanos subdued are about to take the Gauntlet, but then...

6. The Antagonist strikes back:

The antagonist or obstacle returns with unexpected ferocity. The protagonist is unable to overcome this onslaught. The protagonist or his companions are badly hurt. Some beloved character may even die. Things turn into a mess.

EXAMPLE: Thanos is able to escape and his comeback is ferocious. He almost beats Ironman to death. Thanos arrives in Wakanda and despite the rest of the Avengers mounting a defense, he is able to complete the Gauntlet and snaps his fingers. One by one, half the Avengers begin disintegrating.

7. All seems lost:

Because of the actions of the antagonist, the protagonist loses something incredibly valuable to them. Their pride, a loved one, their confidence, a friend. When this is done, it looks like things could not get any worse.

EXAMPLE: The first part of the movie ends with the realization that Thanos has killed half the living things in the universe. Many of the beloved characters we know have disintegrated. The Avengers have lost. Things could not get any worse.

8. The Dark Night of the Soul:

The protagonist retreats having lost badly. This is as bad as things could possibly get and this is where the protagonist feels the worst emotions: Sadness, rage, impotence, defeat. This is a humbling moment. They feel like they’ve lost everything. But...

EXAMPLE: The second movie begins with Ironman about to die. The avengers find a way to track Thanos down but it's useless. Even though they find him, they are unable to bring their friends back. Years pass and the survivors are in deep mourning. They feel sad and defeated and powerless. They've lost people they love and the movie makes us feel their pain.

Act III

9. Epiphany:

Suddenly, there is an aha moment! That's what an epiphany means: a sudden grand idea. Your protagonist realizes what they must do to not only fix all of the problems created in act 2, but more importantly, fix themselves. They remember something they missed, or they regroup with their friends, or find a new source of power or motivation.

EXAMPLE: Ant Man is able to come back and he comes up with the idea of using time travel to fix things. Though hesitant at first, Tony Stark agrees to help and finds a way to travel through time to find the stones and revive their friends.

10. Training Montage:

The protagonist chooses to regroup and try again. They begin to prepare, or train, or practice, or gather supplies or support for a final confrontation with the antagonist. They have a new idea or scheme and a sense of purpose. During this part, imagine a montage with music and the protagonist preparing for the final showdown. This is also usually where the good speeches or pep talks appear.

EXAMPLE: You know that scene where all the avengers are walking up and they look super cool getting ready to Time Travel? Yup, that's your montage. Steve Rogers gives a pep talk. Then they proceed to go around gathering the stones each with their own little story tying up loose ends.

11. Climax:

This is the final confrontation with the Antagonist and this time, the protagonist is ready. It’s not an easy fight, and winning comes with a heavy cost, but finally, the bad guys are destroyed, inner demons are conquered, lovers are reunited. The hero’s world is not only saved…it’s a better place than it was before.

EXAMPLE: The Climax of the movie is the final battle with Thanos. It's not an easy fight, and it actually ends up costing Tony's life, but the Avengers are finally victorious and many characters come back to life.

12. Resolution:

Once all the challenges are overcome, your protagonist has come to learn some truth. This is where the theme of the story is resolved. Your story describes how the world and your protagonist has been changed by the ordeals they have endured. Things are not exactly back to normal, but they are better. And that’s where the story ends. Or you can also throw in a cliffhanger for a sequel.

EXAMPLE: The movie ends honoring Ironman and with Steve having lived a happy life. A lot was lost. Tony, Natasha and Steve, but their sacrifice meant so many others could live. In the end that was the theme of the movie. What it means to sacrifice for those you love.

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