Structure of Stories
Creative Writing, Ms. Manfra
Connections between genres
• Narrative: a story being told
• Memoir: a story told about ourselves
• Short story/novel: a fictional story
being told in prose
• Scripts: a story told in a script form,
for stage or screen
Structure
• Conscious, purposeful arrangement
• Some writers naturally understand
flow
• Some writers need to learn the basics
of flow
• Structure creates a framework for
your story, but allows for creativity
Elements of a Story’s Structure
• Bits
• Beats
• Scenes
• Sequences
• Structure combines these elements to
form an engaging story
Bits
• Small images or moments
• Show who people in a piece are
• Show what people are doing
Bits
1. Bits reveal
something about a
character
But I'd like the pie
heated and I don't want
the ice cream on top, I
want it on the side, and
I'd like strawberry
instead of vanilla, if you
have it. If not, then no
ice cream, just whipped
cream, but only if it's
real; if it's out of the can
then nothing.
Scene from When
Harry Met Sally
Bits
2. Bits establish
relationships
In Of Mice and Men,
the opening bits
demonstrate the
relationship between
Lennie and George
Bits
3. Bits move the plot forward
In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker finally
hears a mysterious message he’s
been wondering about
Bits
4. Bits serve as backstory to
give the story depth
▫ One or two sentence flashes
into past actions, images from
the past
▫ Reveal background on the
character or situation
Hey,
remember
that time
when…
Using Bits
• Brief, active, make a single point
• Distinguish bits from summary
▫ “They fought in the kitchen” is
summary
▫ “When he turned, she wound back
and struck him across the side of the
head. Dazed, he stepped back and
muttered unintelligibly, knocking over
a pile of dirty pots she’d left on the
counter.”
Using Bits
• Summary doesn’t allow quick,
efficient establishment of
relationships
• Overuse of summary is seen as
immature
• Bits add depth and layers
• Bits reflect human behavior—shaded,
complex, nuanced
• Bits are micro-movies
Using Bits
• Lean towards bits more than
summary
• “Bits are tiny images, the cells of the
body of your work”
Beats
• Beat: a unit of action or thought in a
story
• Beats are bits with plot implications
• Beats use cause and effect
▫ A megalomaniac threatens to take
over the world, so…
▫ A groom is left at the altar by the
bride, so…
▫ After you slay the dragon, you…
Beats
• Beats use implications, stakes, and
results
• The direction of the story changes
• Use emotional turning points
• Every story has a minimum of 3
beats: a beginning, middle, and end
Scenes
• Beats combine to make scenes
• A fixed location
• A contiguous span of time
• When you change location, you
change scenes
• When you change the time, but not
the location, you change scenes
Sample Beats in a Scene
• 2 PM, Sally’s Salon
• Sally’s customer Bob becomes angry
because she dyed his hair green.
• Bob’s wife is flirting with Sally’s son.
• Sally refuses to refund Bob.
• Bob and his wife storm out, as Bob
screams, “I’ll ruin your business!”
Scenes
• Scenes have four features:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Problem.
Polarity.
Time Limitations.
Space Limitations.
Scenes: Problem
• Conflict drives scenes, gives them
shape and dramatic interest
• The main character needs a clear
problem
• There needs to be a worthy
“opponent”
Scenes: Polarity
• The scene needs an emotional
direction: better? Worse?
• What is the impact of the solution?
• What is the energy of the scene?
• If nothing changes, the scene is static;
what is its purpose then?
Scenes: Time Limitations
• Pressure from time can make a
stronger scene
▫ The boss is coming
▫ The rent is due
▫ You’re late getting home
• As the writer, be conscious of the time
used in the scene—when it begins,
and when it ends
Scene: Space Limitations
• Have a specific location with
boundaries
• Imagine the setting in detail before
you write
• At some point, introduce the reader
to this concrete world
Try It
In a story you have read (consider a
memoir excerpt):
• Outline the beats in the sequence
• Identify 2-3 bits used and state their
purpose.