Story structures

Joseph Campbell's monomyth structure - the classic adventure template

1. 01The Ordinary WorldThe hero's normal life before the call. Show what they value, what they fear, and what is missing, the quiet pressure that makes them ready, even unconsciously, for change.
2. 02Call to AdventureA challenge, invitation, or disruption that arrives uninvited. The hero is presented with an opportunity to leave the familiar, whether they want to or not.
3. 03Refusal of the CallThe hero hesitates. Fear, duty, or doubt makes them resist crossing into the unknown. This refusal lets the audience feel the weight of what is being asked.
4. 04Meeting the MentorA guide arrives: a teacher, an ally, an artifact. The mentor offers wisdom, training, or a tool that gives the hero the courage to commit.
5. 05Crossing the ThresholdThe hero commits and enters the special world. The rules change; the journey is now real. End of Act One, the point of no return.
6. 06Tests, Allies, EnemiesThe hero learns the rules of the special world. They face early trials, find companions, identify adversaries, and start to discover who they really are.
7. 07Approach to the Inmost CavePreparation for the major challenge. Plans are made, fears named, stakes acknowledged. The story turns inward as the hero readies for the ordeal.
8. 08The OrdealThe midpoint: the hero faces their greatest fear or most dangerous challenge. A symbolic death: the old self has to fall away for the new self to emerge.
9. 09Reward (Seizing the Sword)The hero survives the ordeal and gains something, a treasure, knowledge, reconciliation. The reward is real, but the journey is not yet finished.
10. 10The Road BackThe hero begins the journey home. The special world tries to hold on; consequences of the ordeal echo. Pressure builds toward a final test.
11. 11ResurrectionThe climax. The hero faces a final, definitive test (often the highest stakes of the story) and proves the transformation has taken hold.
12. 12Return with the ElixirThe hero returns to the ordinary world, transformed and bearing a gift (wisdom, healing, or a tangible boon) that benefits the world they left.

Dan Harmon's simplified 8-step structure based on the Hero's Journey

1. 01You (Comfort Zone)Establish the character in a place of comfort, the equilibrium the rest of the circle will disturb. The audience meets who they are before the want surfaces.
2. 02Need (Desire)The character wants something they currently lack. Naming the desire is what tilts the world out of balance and starts the circle turning.
3. 03Go (Unfamiliar Situation)The character crosses into unfamiliar territory in pursuit of the want. The rules of the comfort zone no longer apply.
4. 04Search (Adaptation)The character adapts. They struggle, learn, and try on new behaviors to survive the unfamiliar, earning the climb toward what they wanted.
5. 05Find (Get What They Wanted)The character finds what they were looking for. On the surface this looks like victory; underneath, it carries the cost the next beat will exact.
6. 06Take (Pay the Price)The character pays the price for what they took. The circle reveals its true cost, what they had to give up to get what they wanted.
7. 07Return (Back to Familiar)The character returns to the familiar world they began in, but they cannot return as the same person. Setting is the same; they are not.
8. 08Change (Having Changed)The character has changed in a way the comfort zone now reflects back to them. The circle closes, but at a higher altitude than where it began.

The foundational dramatic structure used in most screenplays

1. 01Act 1: SetupEstablish the protagonist, their world, what they want, and what they lack. Show the status quo so the audience knows what is about to be disturbed.
2. 02Inciting IncidentThe event that disrupts the status quo and sets the story in motion. The protagonist is now confronted with a problem or opportunity they cannot ignore.
3. 03First Act TurnThe protagonist commits to the journey, ending the setup. From here on, there is no going back to the world of the opening pages.
4. 04Act 2: ConfrontationThe protagonist pursues their goal and meets obstacles. Stakes rise, complications multiply, and allies and antagonists become clear.
5. 05MidpointA major reversal or revelation that resets the story. The protagonist often shifts from reactive to proactive, or learns something that recontextualizes everything.
6. 06All Is LostThe protagonist hits their lowest point: the moment all seems lost. They confront what they have been avoiding and must decide who they will be from here.
7. 07Second Act TurnNew information or a reclaimed resolve propels the story into Act Three. The protagonist now has what they need (internally or externally) to finish.
8. 08Act 3: ResolutionThe decisive confrontation and its aftermath. The protagonist applies what they have learned, faces the central conflict, and the new normal settles in.

Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure for commercial screenwriting

1. 01Opening ImageA single visual that sets the tone, mood, and "before" of the story. Designed to mirror, and contrast with, the Final Image at the end.
2. 02Theme StatedSomeone (usually not the hero) states the lesson the hero will eventually learn. The hero ignores it now; by the end, they will live it.
3. 03Set-UpIntroduce the hero, their world, and the things in their life that are broken. Plant the flaws and wants the rest of the story will pay off.
4. 04CatalystThe moment everything changes: life-changing news, a discovery, an unwanted intrusion. The protagonist cannot return to who they were five minutes earlier.
5. 05DebateThe hero asks: should I do this? They weigh the cost, hesitate, look for an out. The debate ends when they commit.
6. 06Break into TwoThe hero proactively chooses to leave the old world for the new one. End of Act One. They own the choice, even if circumstances forced it.
7. 07B StoryA new relationship enters: often the love interest, mentor, or close ally. The B Story is where the theme gets discussed and emotionally tested.
8. 08Fun and GamesThe "promise of the premise", the sequence the trailer is built from. The hero plays in the new world; we get the genre payoffs we paid to see.
9. 09MidpointA false victory or false defeat that raises the stakes. The fun and games end, and the hero realizes the real fight has only just begun.
10. 10Bad Guys Close InExternal enemies tighten the noose while internal doubts undermine the hero from within. Allies splinter; the path forward narrows.
11. 11All Is LostThe opposite of the Midpoint: total defeat. Often a literal or symbolic death; the lowest point of the story.
12. 12Dark Night of the SoulThe hero sits in the wreckage and processes the loss. They confront the lie they have been living and find, or accept, what the theme has been telling them.
13. 13Break into ThreeThe hero finds the solution by fusing what the A and B stories taught them. They have a plan, and they re-enter the fight changed.
14. 14FinaleThe hero executes the plan, dismantles the antagonist, and proves the change is real. The world of the story is reordered.
15. 15Final ImageThe mirror to the Opening Image: visual proof that the hero, and their world, have transformed.

Classical dramatic structure from Greek theater, used in TV and theater

1. 01Act 1: ExpositionIntroduce the world, the characters, and the initial conditions. Establish what the audience needs to understand before tension begins to build.
2. 02Act 2: Rising ActionComplications stack and tension builds. Each obstacle raises the stakes and pushes the protagonist closer to the breaking point.
3. 03Act 3: ClimaxThe turning point: the moment the story pivots irrevocably. Everything before led here; everything after flows from this.
4. 04Act 4: Falling ActionThe consequences of the climax unfold. Loose ends tighten; the new trajectory becomes visible.
5. 05Act 5: DenouementThe final resolution. Conflicts are settled, loose threads tied off, and the new equilibrium of the world is shown.

Emma Coats's six-sentence framework used at Pixar, great for emotional clarity

1. 01Once Upon a TimeEstablish the world and the protagonist as they exist before the story. One sentence about who they are and where they live.
2. 02Every DayShow the rhythm of daily life: the pattern that is about to break. The audience needs to feel the routine before it ruptures.
3. 03Until One DayThe single event that disrupts everything. One specific day that breaks the pattern of every day.
4. 04Because of ThatThe chain of consequences that follows from the disruption. Each beat lands because of what came before, causality, not coincidence.
5. 05Until FinallyThe climactic moment the chain has been building toward. The decision or confrontation that resolves the story.
6. 06Ever Since ThenThe new normal. Show what life looks like now, the lasting change the story produced.

Four-act structure from East Asian storytelling, no conflict required

1. 01Ki (Introduction)Introduce the people and the place. Establish a stable, observed reality with no demand that conflict drive it forward.
2. 02Shō (Development)Develop the established situation without forcing a turn. Deepen the audience's relationship to the characters and the world.
3. 03Ten (Twist)An unexpected element enters: a new perspective, a surprising connection, a reframing. The twist need not be a conflict; it is a shift in seeing.
4. 04Ketsu (Conclusion)The twist and the setup are reconciled into a new, complete understanding. The piece resolves through synthesis rather than victory.

Dan Wells's seven-point plotting system used in novels and screenplays

1. 01HookThe starting state: deliberately the opposite of where the protagonist will end. Plot the destination first; the Hook is the inverse of that landing.
2. 02Plot Turn 1The world changes and the story proper begins. The protagonist is moved from the world of the Hook into the central conflict.
3. 03Pinch Point 1A first hit from the opposing force. The antagonist applies pressure that the protagonist cannot ignore, push, not pull.
4. 04MidpointThe shift from reaction to action. The protagonist stops being moved by events and starts moving them, the spine of the story flips.
5. 05Pinch Point 2A heavier blow from the opposing force. Stakes feel overwhelming; the protagonist's plan looks like it will not be enough.
6. 06Plot Turn 2The final piece arrives: the knowledge, ally, or insight the protagonist needed to act decisively. They are now equipped for the resolution.
7. 07ResolutionThe end state: the deliberate inverse of the Hook. The character's arc is complete because they have arrived at the opposite of where they began.

Classical five-part dramatic arc from Gustav Freytag, common in tragedy

1. 01ExpositionIntroduce the characters, world, and the status quo. Lay the ground from which the rising action will climb.
2. 02Rising ActionTension accumulates through a series of complications. Each event tightens the situation and pushes toward the climax.
3. 03ClimaxThe turning point: the highest point of the pyramid. In tragedy, the moment after which the protagonist's fortunes can only fall.
4. 04Falling ActionThe consequences of the climax begin to unwind. In tragedy this is the long descent; in comedy, the unraveling toward resolution.
5. 05Dénouement / CatastropheThe final resolution. In comedy a denouement that ties off threads; in tragedy a catastrophe that delivers the inevitable end.

Chris Soth's 8-sequence structure, each sequence is a mini-movie

1. 01Sequence 1: Status Quo & Inciting IncidentIntroduce the world and end the sequence with the event that disrupts it. Acts as a self-contained 12–15 page mini-movie that primes the spine.
2. 02Sequence 2: Predicament & Lock-InThe protagonist takes the problem on as their own. By the end of the sequence, walking away is no longer an option.
3. 03Sequence 3: First Obstacle & Raising the StakesThe first serious attempt to solve the problem fails. The failure tells the protagonist, and the audience, what the real fight will require.
4. 04Sequence 4: First Culmination / MidpointA midpoint reversal that changes the rules of the story. What looked like the problem is bigger or different than the protagonist thought.
5. 05Sequence 5: Subplot & Rising ActionThe B story takes weight and the pressure on the A story keeps climbing. The protagonist's relationships and tactics are tested in parallel.
6. 06Sequence 6: Main Culmination / End of Act 2The lowest moment of the story: the end of Act Two. The plan has collapsed; the protagonist is stripped of the means they were counting on.
7. 07Sequence 7: New Tension & TwistA new plan forms in the wreckage of the last one. Complications remain, but the protagonist has a route back into the fight.
8. 08Sequence 8: ResolutionThe final confrontation plays out and the new equilibrium is shown. The eight sequences land as a single complete arc.

Six-act structure for hour-long TV dramas with act breaks

1. 01TeaserA short cold open that hooks the audience before the title card. Establishes tone and a question the rest of the pilot will answer.
2. 02Act 1Establish the world, the regular cast, and the central question of the pilot. Plant the franchise, the engine that will run for many episodes.
3. 03Act 2Introduce the ongoing engine of the series, the conflict, mystery, or ensemble dynamic the show is actually about.
4. 04Act 3Midpoint escalation. The pilot's A-story raises the stakes and the conflict becomes personal for the lead.
5. 05Act 4The low point: pressure threatens the protagonist's world and they appear out of options. A natural commercial cliffhanger.
6. 06Act 5Resolve the pilot's A-story and seed the engine that will run future episodes. Close one loop; open three.
7. 07TagA short closing beat after the main story resolves, an emotional button, comedic punctuation, or a cliffhanger pointing toward episode two.

10 genre beats: meet cute, obstacles, grand gesture, happily ever after

1. 01SetupIntroduce the protagonist and the romantic flaw or belief that has kept love away. Plant what they will need to unlearn to earn the ending.
2. 02Meet CuteThe two love interests collide in a memorable, specific way. The interaction should be charged enough that the audience needs to see them again.
3. 03AdhesionA circumstance forces the leads to keep crossing paths, work, geography, family, a deal. Without adhesion, they would walk away from each other.
4. 04No Way, Yes WayInitial resistance softens into attraction. Each lead lets the other past one defense at a time.
5. 05MidpointA declaration or a false high: the leads commit. The relationship feels real and earned, which sets up how much the next beat will hurt.
6. 06ComplicationsThe flaw planted in Setup resurfaces. Secrets come out, miscommunications land, and the relationship starts to crack.
7. 07BreakupThe relationship collapses. The protagonist is alone with the truth of what their flaw has cost them.
8. 08Dark NightThe protagonist sits with the loss and faces what real love would require of them. They learn the lesson the Setup planted.
9. 09Grand GestureThe protagonist acts (publicly, dramatically, at personal cost) to win the relationship back. The gesture has to hurt the old self.
10. 10Happily Ever AfterA closing image of the new couple, transformed. Mirrors the Setup and shows what love has rebuilt.

12-beat structure for escalating tension and investigation

1. 01The Crime / Inciting EventThe crime, threat, or disturbance that opens the case. Establishes the wrong the protagonist will spend the story trying to right or expose.
2. 02Protagonist Drawn InThe protagonist is drawn into the investigation, by job, by personal stake, or by accident. Refusal is no longer possible.
3. 03First ClueA discovery that reframes the mystery. What the protagonist thought happened is partly wrong, and the case opens up.
4. 04Rising SuspicionSuspects and threats sharpen. The protagonist starts naming who could be responsible and gathers evidence to test the names.
5. 05First AttackThe antagonist makes a move, a strike at the protagonist or someone close. The hunt is now mutual.
6. 06Midpoint ReversalA major revelation turns the investigation inside out. The protagonist's working theory collapses and a new one takes shape.
7. 07Personal StakesSomeone the protagonist cares about is in the line of fire. The case is no longer abstract. It is theirs.
8. 08False SolutionThe seemingly correct answer falls apart. A confession recants, an alibi breaks, the obvious suspect is cleared, and the real threat remains.
9. 09Darkest MomentThe protagonist is outmatched, isolated, or betrayed. The antagonist looks unstoppable and the case looks unsolvable.
10. 10RevelationThe truth surfaces: the real antagonist, the real motive, the real shape of the crime. Everything before snaps into focus.
11. 11ConfrontationThe final confrontation. The protagonist sets the trap (emotional or physical) and springs it on the antagonist.
12. 12DenouementThe aftermath: costs counted, the changed protagonist revealed. The world is more honest than it was at page one, even if it is not safe.