Structure
Background
Story is what happens, structure is the way the story is told. It is your plot of scenes. Keep in mind the worst offence you can commit as a writer is boredom.
"Screenwriting is like fashion. All clothes have the same structure. A shirt has two sleeves and buttons, but not all shirts look alike." - Akiva Goldsman
We will look at different act formats, which structure is more suitable for certain stories, emotional requriements of each act, different opening hooks and how to identify the inciting incident. Don't confuse structure with formula. The trick is what you do with your structure - where you start, where you end, and what you put in-between.
Concerns
Problems
Boredom in your reader
Overly complicated act structures
No clear plot points where they should be
Solution
No matter how you look at structures - the hero's journey, the twenty-two steps, the seven-act structure, all stories have three movements: beginning, middle, and end.
Related Insights
Pulp Fiction
Follows a circular narrative where each character has their own 3-act structure told in non-linear form
12 Angry Men
Uses a real-time structure, representing the story in a single uninterrupted stream.