Writing Resources
Story Structure Worksheets
I’m a diehard plotter. I find that starting a story with its overall structure, character goals, and conflict in mind helps me immensely in, not only drafting, but getting to know my characters and the themes in my novels on a deeper level.
Here are a few different 4-Act story plotting beat sheets based on different story structure.
Romancing the Beat | Story Structure
This is based off of Gwen Hayes’ helpful book, Romancing the Beat, on story structure for romance novels. I’d highly recommend reading the book. It’s short and broken down into easily digestible sections.
The Hero’s Journey | Story Structure
Using the story structure of Joseph Campell’s mythic structure provides your classic adventure story. It’s most often used in fantasy, science ficion, myth, or folklore stories. The “hero” character does not have to be male
The Heroine’s Journey | Story Structure
Maureen Murdock, a student of Joseph Campell’s, once asked “what about the women?” to which Campell infamously replied, “Women don’t need to make the journey. In the whole mythological journey, the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she’s the place that people are trying to get to.” Not satisfied with that response and believing women had their own pyschological and spiritual journey to make, Murdock wrote a feminine verison of the hero’s journey.
You can read her book, The Heroine’s Journey. I found the first half the most helpful. She doesn’t come from a story writing perspective, but a psychological one.
Gail Carriger’s The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture is written with writers (and readers) in mind.
In her 6-part series on Archetypal Characters (worth the deep dive), K.M. Weiland has a section on The Maiden’s Journey and gives examples from films.
It’s important to note that just because it’s the “heroine’s” journey it doesn’t mean the main character can only be female. The same for Campbell’s hero. These story structure’s are simply a way to dive deeper into your character’s arc and story.
Preptober
Want to get ready for NaNoWriMo? Or looking for a simple way to start planning your next writing project? Download the Preptober prompt calendar and get started.
