There is a concept floating around the writing community that I think is a bit problematic. It’s the idea that you’re either a pantser or a planner. You either outline every event in detail before you start writing or you fly by the seat of your pants and improvise every scene as you write it. People talk about being a pantser or a planner as if it’s an inherent personality trait. But the truth is, entirely pantsing your plot is unlikely to result in a satisfying story shape. On the other hand, being too rigid with your outlining may keep you from having spontaneous moments of ingenious creativity. We all need a bit of pantsing and a bit of planning in our writing lives.
Whether you lean toward pantsing or planning, you need to have a deep understanding of plot structure to make sure your story has a compelling shape. Sometimes, your intuitive understanding of plot that you’ve gained from consuming other stories is enough to guide your writing. But often, especially when we get stuck, we need a refreshing dose of conscious story theory to get us back on track.
So, what is this theory behind plot structure that can help guide you as you write? In this two‑part series, I’ll give you the plot structure fundamentals that every author can benefit from consciously understanding.
But before you start plotting your story’s specific events, you need to understand what connects all your story events together. In this post, I’ll go over four key elements you need to settle on before you start plotting.
Plot Pillar 1: The Driving Narrative Question
Your story’s beginning should pose a question that the middle explores and the ending answers. We call that question the driving narrative question. It’s what propels your reader through your story.
For example, we keep reading The Hunger Games to find out whether Katniss will survive the games. We keep reading The Lord of the Rings to find out what happens to Frodo, the One Ring, and the fate of Middle Earth. We keep reading A Game of Thrones to find out who will survive and come out on top in this struggle for power. Every story poses a question that motivates the reader to keep going until the end: Will Katniss survive? Will Frodo save Middle Earth? Who will win the throne?
Your driving narrative question will naturally give your story a three‑part shape. Aristotle liked to call these three parts act one, act two, and act three. Todorov liked to call these three parts equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium. But philosophers aside, I find it most practical to think of a story’s three parts as question, exploration, and answer. The beginning will ask the driving narrative question, the middle will explore it, and the ending will answer it.
Before you start planning your specific plot points, you need to decide what your driving narrative question will be. That way, every plot point will work together to form a unified story. If you want to learn more about how to craft a compelling driving narrative question, you can check out this post. For now, we’ll move on to the other pillars of plot.
Plot Pillar 2: The Protagonist’s External Goal
In tandem with the driving narrative question, your protagonist should have a clear external goal that they are trying to achieve through the story. For example, in The Hunger Games, Katniss’s external goal is to survive the Hunger Games. The story’s driving narrative question is, will Katniss survive the games? As you can see, the protagonist’s central goal and the driving narrative question are inherently paired.
Plot Pillar 3: The Protagonist’s Internal Goal
But in addition to an external goal, the protagonist will have an internal goal. Characters may or may not be aware of their internal goal, but it still fundamentally defines who they are as a person. This internal goal is the underpinning motivation behind their every decision. An internal goal could be to be in control of one’s own life, or to be a good person, or to gain the security of always having more power than everyone else around you.
In The Hunger Games, Katniss’s internal goal is to protect those who are innocent and vulnerable. Sometimes, this internal goal conflicts with Katniss’s external goal to survive the games. Over and over again throughout the series, Katniss picks allies who she trusts and wants to protect rather than allies who are the strongest and give her the best chance at surviving. Internal goals are a fundamental part of a character’s identity and drive their every decision.
You need to understand this fundamental part of your protagonist’s identity for them to be a compelling character that goes on a compelling journey.
Plot Pillar 4: The Driving Thematic Question
In addition to a driving narrative question, stories also have a driving thematic question. The stories that deeply impact us are the ones that help us explore questions about what it means to be human. After this exploration, the story leaves us with a cathartic sense of personal discovery or growth as our understanding of ourselves or the world around us has deepened. In short, good stories make us feel less alone.
The key to eliciting this profound emotional response in the reader is your driving thematic question. Just like the driving narrative question is tied to your protagonist’s external goal, the driving thematic question is tied to your protagonist’s internal goal.
Let’s look at The Hunger Games again. The driving thematic question of the whole series is, how do we rebel against and change a corrupt society without becoming corrupt ourselves? Katniss’s pure internal goal – to place protecting the vulnerable and innocent above any other desire – acts as the story’s response to the driving thematic question.
Before picking your protagonist’s internal goal, you may want to ask yourself, what thematic question do you want your story to explore? Once you know the thematic question you want to explore, you’ll be able to craft a character that will naturally explore those themes through their actions. You’ll also be able to create an antagonistic force that will create conflict related to your central theme.
Remember that Compelling Themes Pose Questions Rather than Answers
Remember that it’s important to frame your theme as a question rather than a lesson. Readers don’t like it when authors or other storytellers push their worldview onto the reader. Even when the reader agrees with the author, it feels intellectually belittling for the author to force that view onto the reader. Readers want stories to give them the opportunity to explore a theme and come to their own conclusions. That’s why it’s best to think of theme as a question rather than an argumentative statement. For an in‑depth exploration on this topic, you can check out this excellent video essay from The Closer Look.
Summing Up
So, here are the four pillars of plot structure:
- The Driving Narrative Question
- The Protagonist’s External Goal
- The Driving Thematic Question
- The Protagonist’s Internal Goal
Each of these pillars are connected. If you find yourself struggling to define one of these pillars, try starting with one of the other ones. For example, you can ask yourself, what kind of goals would help you explore your driving thematic question? Once you have all these pillars in place, you’re ready to start plotting your specific story events. I’ll cover the key plot points of traditional story structure in next week’s post.
Other Posts You May Like:
The Secret Foundation of Strong Stories: The Driving Narrative Question
Eradicating Reader Boredom: How to Hook Your Reader and Never Let Go
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