Story Structure Models Reference
Common story structures with beat sheets. Use as starting points - adapt to fit the story.
Three-Act Structure
The most common Western story structure.
| Beat | Act | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 1 | Establish normal world and protagonist |
| Inciting Incident | 1 | Event that disrupts the status quo |
| First Plot Point | 1 | Protagonist commits to the journey (end of Act 1, ~25%) |
| Rising Action | 2 | Protagonist faces escalating obstacles |
| Midpoint | 2 | Major reversal or revelation (~50%) |
| Crisis | 2 | Stakes raised, things get worse |
| Second Plot Point | 2 | Final push, all seems lost (end of Act 2, ~75%) |
| Climax | 3 | Final confrontation, highest tension |
| Resolution | 3 | New normal established, loose ends tied |
Hero's Journey (Campbell/Vogler)
Mythic structure common in fantasy and adventure.
| Beat | Phase | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary World | Departure | Hero's normal life |
| Call to Adventure | Departure | Challenge or opportunity appears |
| Refusal of the Call | Departure | Hero hesitates or resists |
| Meeting the Mentor | Departure | Guide appears with wisdom or tools |
| Crossing the Threshold | Departure | Hero enters the unfamiliar world |
| Tests, Allies, Enemies | Initiation | Hero learns the rules, makes friends and foes |
| Approach to the Inmost Cave | Initiation | Preparation for the central ordeal |
| The Ordeal | Initiation | Major crisis, death and rebirth moment |
| Reward | Initiation | Hero gains what they sought |
| The Road Back | Return | Journey home, pursued by consequences |
| Resurrection | Return | Final test, transformation complete |
| Return with the Elixir | Return | Hero returns changed, bearing gifts |
Save the Cat (Snyder)
Popular in screenwriting, works well for tightly paced stories.
| Beat | Position | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Image | 1% | Visual/thematic snapshot of starting state |
| Theme Stated | 5% | Theme hinted at in dialogue |
| Set-Up | 1-10% | Establish world, characters, stakes |
| Catalyst | 10% | The event that changes everything |
| Debate | 10-20% | Protagonist wrestles with the call |
| Break into Two | 20% | Protagonist chooses to act |
| B Story | 22% | Secondary story begins (often love interest) |
| Fun and Games | 20-50% | The "promise of the premise" delivered |
| Midpoint | 50% | False victory or false defeat |
| Bad Guys Close In | 50-75% | Opposition intensifies |
| All Is Lost | 75% | Lowest point, whiff of death |
| Dark Night of the Soul | 75-80% | Protagonist processes the loss |
| Break into Three | 80% | Solution discovered, often from B story |
| Finale | 80-99% | Protagonist acts, defeats opposition |
| Final Image | 99% | Visual/thematic proof of change |
Kishotenketsu
Four-act structure common in East Asian storytelling. No central conflict required.
| Beat | Act | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ki (Introduction) | 1 | Establish characters and setting |
| Sho (Development) | 2 | Develop the story, deepen understanding |
| Ten (Twist) | 3 | Unexpected element, shift in perspective |
| Ketsu (Conclusion) | 4 | Reconcile the twist with the established story |
Five-Act Structure (Shakespeare)
Classical dramatic structure.
| Beat | Act | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exposition | 1 | Setting, characters, initial conflict |
| Rising Action | 2 | Complications develop, tension builds |
| Climax | 3 | Turning point, peak of tension |
| Falling Action | 4 | Consequences unfold, momentum shifts |
| Denouement | 5 | Resolution and new equilibrium |
Fichtean Curve
Crisis-driven structure that opens at or near the first crisis and escalates through rising crises to the climax. Minimal setup — exposition arrives in small doses between crises, and the ending is brief.
| Beat | Phase | Description |
|---|---|---|
| First Crisis | Rising | Open mid-crisis; the protagonist is already in trouble |
| Escalating Crises | Rising | Each crisis worse than the last, with shrinking recovery time between them |
| Climax | Peak | The final, decisive crisis — the point of no return |
| Resolution | Falling | Brief falling action; consequences land quickly |
Dan Harmon's Story Circle
Eight steps in a circle that foreground internal change. Fits episodic and short-form stories well: each episode runs one full circle while the season traces a larger one.
| Beat | Step | Description |
|---|---|---|
| You | 1 | Character in a zone of comfort |
| Need | 2 | But they want something |
| Go | 3 | They enter an unfamiliar situation |
| Search | 4 | They adapt to the new situation |
| Find | 5 | They get what they wanted |
| Take | 6 | They pay a heavy price for it |
| Return | 7 | They return to their familiar situation |
| Change | 8 | Having changed — the circle completes where it began, but the character is different |
Choosing a Structure
- Three-Act: Default choice for most stories. Simple, flexible, well-understood.
- Hero's Journey: Fantasy, adventure, coming-of-age. Stories about transformation.
- Save the Cat: Tightly paced commercial fiction. Stories that need precise pacing.
- Kishotenketsu: Literary fiction, slice-of-life, stories exploring ideas over conflict.
- Five-Act: Epic scope, multiple climaxes, complex political drama.
- Fichtean Curve: Crisis-driven pacing. Stories that start in motion and never let up.
- Story Circle: Episodic and short-form. Stories built around one character's internal change per unit.
Structures are guides, not rules. Mix and adapt as the story demands.