Story Basics, Part III: A quick and dirty introduction to story structure

Some writers love outlines - sailing from island to island in an archipelago to reach the mainland. Some like to sail into the fog, boldly striking out on their own to find their story.

Both ways are correct. Both will make fabulous stories.

For those of us who run aground at the slightest notice, story structure helps keep the boat on track. I love to use this little tool called the nine sentence synopsis. This will help you figure out the turning points of your story, where your characters are going, and what needs to happen next in order for everything to make sense to your reader.

The Nine Sentence Synopsis 

1. The trouble starts when.....
2. The protagonist makes a plan to cope by...
3. The trouble gets worse when...
4. The protagonist regroups and presses on harder by...
5. The protagonist reaches the point of no return when...
6. The protagonist is pushed to the brink when...
7. She appears to have lost when...
8. She fights on by...
9. Everything is on the line and only one will win when...

I know I got this from a genius writer, but I can't find the original handout to give credit. Damn! I'll keep trying to find that.

This quick and dirty tool helps you shape the rising and falling tension of your story. I'll go more into explanations next time!