What’s a foolproof way to structure a story?

Stories are like cakes. They can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors – but they’re usually made from the same basic ingredients: characters, plot, structure, and conflict.

Ever since Aristotle argued that a play should be a cohesive whole split into two parts (a complication and its unraveling), this idea of dramatic structure has seen all sorts of variations: Freytag’s Pyramid, the Fichtean Curve, In Media Res, The Hero’s Journey, etc.

These narrative trajectories are all variations of the same thing: a clear but compelling path for the reader to follow. Let’s take a closer look at the basic components of story structure…

Stories start with exposition: you establish context by explaining the setting and characters. Think of the way every Star Wars film begins with a scrolling text that brings you up to speed.

Once the story has been set up, there will be an inciting event, i.e. something happens and things will never be the same. This is called rising action: the complications that add tension and steer us towards a climax.

The climax is the turning point in the story: the moment everything has been building towards. Every audience is expecting this, of course, but (ideally) they’re not sure how it will play out.

Falling action is the aftermath of a story’s climax: the consequences (or rewards) of that pivotal moment. It’s an important stepping stone towards the final resolution. Without it, the story will feel incomplete and unsatisfying.

The story’s resolution represents the new normal. Often there’s been a transformation or a lesson learned that contrasts sharply with how things were at the beginning. Some uncertainty may remain, but the narrative ends on a conclusive note.

Leaving out one of these components (even in a true story) risks creating confusion or disinterest. Telling a story without a backbone will only leave your audience with questions.

Ultimately, story structure is just a recipe – and pretty much any recipe can be customized. You can experiment with the steps and get creative with the ingredients, but having a reliable framework is the foundation of any compelling narrative.