STRUCTURE & PLOT
Deepen your understanding of your story and get inspiration for how to tell it.
Writers often find themselves tangled in the web of plot and structure, mistaking them as one and the same. However, the distinction between the two is crucial for crafting a compelling narrative.
PLOT
Plot is what happens in your story. It's the journey your characters go on. In western story telling, there are certain beats that readers find satisfying. As writers, we can lean into or subvert these expectations with how we structure our plot. But first we have to know what those beats are.
STRUCTURE
Story structure is how you, as the author, decide to tell the story. Writing a story becomes so much easier once you decide on things like point of view, setting and timeline. Having a solid structure will help you determine what belongs in your story and what doesn't.
“Structure is not a template. It’s a principle of connection between the parts and the whole.” - Robert McKee
About me...
My name's April Dávila. I'm an award-winning, traditionally published author, speaker, and writing coach. Publisher's Weekly called my debut novel, 142 Ostriches, a "vivid, uplifting debut" and the book went on to win the WILLA Award for Women Writing the West. Writer's Digest listed my blog as one of the Best 101 Websites for Writers and I am the creator of the Sit Write Here writing coaching program.
How will we spend our time together?
This 3-hour workshopis split into two parts.
The first section is spent on plot. We'll talk about the traditional three-act structure that most western stories adhere to and break down the major plot points that keep stories moving along.
Then we dive into talking about structure - the way that you, the author, decide to tell your story. This is different than plot. Plot is only one component of structure. As writers, we also need to consider point of view (POV) timelines, and setting.
Included in this lesson will be an exploration of the seven most commonly used story structures and examples of how authors use them in creative and unique ways.
"Unless the character's journey is properly structured, the audience won't follow it. It's that simple. Structure is the spine of the story, and if it's not right, nothing works." - Sidney Lumet