Welcome back to my screenwriting series writer fam. As always, if this advice is helpful, use it! If not? Discard it! Today let’s talk STORY STRUCTURE. So why does it matter?

I’ve read some scripts with amazing worlds, fascinating characters, simmering conflicts and...that’s it. For 60 pages, nothing changes, or the changes are minor. Those scripts feel like you’re reading the prologue of story that never gets started. I don’t want that to be you.

When we talk about applying Story structure what we mean is, is the story turning? Evolving? Building to a climax? What do your act breaks look like? The act break is your friend. It’s the big sexy change in the story that hooks your audience to find out what happens next.

You want to set up your story, make the chars comfortable and then swerve on them. And as soon as your chars get comfortable with their new reality? Swerve - They’re kicked out of home. Their mentor dies. They’re caught by the cops etc. Subvert their expectations of their future.

Some believe that structure makes movies and TV formulaic. Yes and no. When done poorly, they can make twists and turns feel tired and expected. But when done properly? When you’re really digging into your characters and making unique problems for them...

Structure can elevate your idea into a meaningful, impactful story that takes the reader on a journey. Remember, story structure is a TOOL to help MAXIMIZE the drama you already have contained in your story.

So how does one work on structure? First READ. There’s tons out there, more than will fit in a tweet - 3 Act Structure, Save the Cat, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, Katytastic’s 3 Act 9 Block 27 Chapters. Read as many as you can Google, find what appeals to you and fits your story.

Next ANALYZE what you watch and read to try to determine their structures. What are the big story turns? What happens in between? How does it conform or deviate from what you’ve read? Write it down and plot it out visually for maximum impact.

Finally PRACTICE. For TV writers- Write with act breaks. WRITE WITH ACT BREAKS. Write. With. Act. Breaks. Most shows are 4 or 5 acts plus a teaser. (Yes, cable shows have “act breaks”.) Plug your movie ideas into the structure of your choice. See how it makes your story evolve.

To that end, next week I’ll talk about doing a REVERSE BEAT SHEET. This is what I was taught in film school and is still how I do all my breakdowns and analysis. It’s deceptively simple but that doesn’t make it easy! See you then.