Story Structure — August 15, 2026
Nightfall at Asilomar Beach, Monterey Peninsula CA
“Structure is essential in building anything that thrives.” – Henry Cloud
Ever read a novel that’s full of adventure on every page, but it still doesn’t seem to be going anywhere? That may be the mark of a writer who doesn’t trust that the central conflict at the core of their story will be enough to sustain the reader. Maybe the author was aiming for complexity but only succeeded in convoluting the plot.
Structuring 300 pages or so of narrative can be challenging. I’ve read lots of advice on it. Every chapter should have its own narrative arc; the events of each chapter should cause a change in the character; you need to include a subplot, and maybe some twists and red herrings; you need to raise the stakes high enough to make the reader really care; the conflict must build to an eventual climax before the story resolves. While all this advice is supposed to keep you on track, sometimes it may cause panic that catapults you off course.
I just read a novel with a plot so simple and self-assured the author made structuring the novel look easy. Whistler by Ann Patchett. The novel is based on one event from the protagonist’s childhood that the author reveals dribble by dribble throughout the entire book. The story is told in alternating sections of past and present and reads like a symphony building to a climax. In between the telling of the incident, events of the novel fill out the characters, add suspense and deepen the impact of the final reveal.
That example is just to say it pays to know where you’re going and what you’re aiming for. Even if you’re a writer who doesn’t plot ahead but rather writes and finds the story as you go, it pays to be looking to your characters for that direction and purpose. If you have a sense of where your story’s going, you’ll know how to parse out the details to keep your readers wanting more.
