I am a huge researcher. There’s something soothing to me about the methodical nature of reading for details and pulling out pertinent information. It doesn’t matter that I may only use that information… someday. Or that I’m maybe, just possibly, researching in order to put off facing the blank page…

Okay, the truth is, research is as tedious for me as it is for the next person. To be honest, the only time I love researching is when I’m stuck in my current work in project (WiP). When that’s the case, it is easy and comfortable to research something I think might be wrong with my story and still call it work. *whistles innocently*

So research can be a double-edged sword for me. It can be a convincing procrastination tool or it can be extremely useful in my world building. However, once in a while it turns out to be both.

One of my favorite techniques for getting unstuck is to examine my WiP for flaws in basic structure. As long as I balance research and analysis sessions with sessions where I’m writing new stuff, this technique can be more productive than distracting, which is why I’m offering it here.

The very first element of story that I analyze is my plot’s structure. *pauses to wait for groans to subside*

Yes, structure. Every story has one. Much like the frame of the house, the structure of a story is what gives shape to all of the scenes. So whether you’re a Plotter, a Pantster, or something in between (like me—I’m a self-proclaimed Excavator), structure is the frame of your story. This is why it can make sense to test your work’s structural integrity when you are stuck.

There are many different ways to structure a plot, but the one I favor is often referred to as the Three Act structure. This is because of its origin in theater, where plays were/are often divided into three acts (Except Shakespeare, who seems to have preferred five acts, but he’s, well… Shakespeare). Today, the Three Act structure is prevalent among screenwriters, which is beneficial if you are a budding screenwriter or a novelist who hopes to have your novels made into movies.

My go-to resource for understanding and implementing the Three Act structure is The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray (note: there is a revised edition co-authored by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris, but I don’t sync with this edition as much as I did with the original edition)(second note: I’ve recently discovered the edition I prefer is out of print, so the previous link takes you to the ebook version of the current edition). In this book, Ray details the Three Act structure and explains how to use it within the 52 – 60 act formula used by many screen writers.

In short, a story’s structural parts consist of three acts and seven major scenes:

Act One, which introduces the Inciting Incident (the scene that introduces the story’s protagonist with a problem to solve and/or a goal to achieve, which is the major goal of the story) and develops some of the Exposition (background information necessary for the reader to understand what’s at stake in your story).

Act Two, which begins with Plot Point One, climbs to the Mid-Point mid-act, and ends with Plot Point Two (each of these three points is a major story event in which the protagonist is somehow prepared to achieve his/her goal in the story’s climax).

Act Three, which builds up to the story’s Climax and includes the Denouement.

To go into any greater detail about this subject is to reinvent the wheel. If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you’re aware that I’m not a fan of reinventing the wheel, so if you would like to know more about the Three Act structure and how to implement it, I recommend beginning with this resource or the one previously mentioned.

And if you are stuck in your WiP—truly stuck, not just disenchanted, bored, or tired—then I recommend going back to the basics, beginning with your story’s structure, and analyzing how the pieces of your story work. If all goes for me as I plan, future posts will touch on other elements of story to analyze and other resources to help you go in-depth in your learning, understanding, and/or utilization of these elements.

I don’t know who said it, (I searched the Internet for it. I did. But I got swamped in quotes about writing and, well, I have deadlines to meet!) and I’m probably going to butcher it, but at least one author is known for having said you never learn how to write a novel. Rather, each particular novel teaches you how to write it as you go. For this reason, no matter how many times you’ve been published, there’s always more to learn.

With that in mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts on story structure, and how analyzing yours it does or doesn’t help you when you get stuck in your current WiP. Please leave those thoughts in the comments section below.

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