In a guest post on Writers Helping Writers, Jami Gold says that paying closer attention to traditional story structure can help you bolster a sagging section of your novel.
While a lot of story structure guidance is prescriptive – this happens at the 25% mark, that happens at the 50% mark – there’s generally a good underlying reason for this kind of advice. While Gold doesn’t suggest you have to hit these points – and this editor says the same – understanding the reason for traditional story structure can help you beef up sections of your novel where your narrative drive starts to fade.
By that fabled 25% mark, the reader should (probably) have a good idea about the nature of the hero’s goal, the conflicts and obstacles, and the internal issues that will block your MC from reaching their goal.
Gold says that many writers fail to hit that last beat. “Many story structure systems and beat sheets focus on the external issues of our story—plot, antagonists, villains, obstacles, etc.—and don’t touch on internal issues,” Gold says. “However, if we comprehend the deep, underlying purpose of a story’s structure at this 25% mark, we know that we want to not only show the goal our characters are aiming for, but also to at least hint at what’s preventing them from reaching that goal right now.”
While there’s no rule saying you need to adhere to a strict story structure, some structure does matter to your ability to tell your story and keep your readers engaged. If you find yourself flailing in the middle of your book, check back to see if you’ve hit the right beats beforehand.
