17 Story Structures Guide - Griotswell App

Understanding the Collection

Plotting Tools provides 17 interactive story structure frameworks divided into two categories:

Classic Structures (9 frameworks)

Linear architecture variations from Western storytelling tradition. All share the same organizational DNA but emphasize different aspects.

Free Tier

Worldwide Structures (8 frameworks)

Fundamentally different architectural systems from global traditions. Web, spiral, cyclic, and geographic organization patterns.

Premium Tier

Classic Structures (Free Tier)

1. Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell)

Source: Western monomyth analysis (1949)

12-17 stages tracking hero's departure, initiation, and return. Circular diagram emphasizing transformation through trials.

Best for: Personal transformation narratives, mythic quests, protagonist leaving familiar world
Key stages: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Tests/Allies/Enemies, Ordeal, Return with Elixir

2. Three-Act Structure

Source: Aristotelian drama theory (ancient Greece)

Simple three-part division: Setup, Confrontation, Resolution. Foundation of most screenplay analysis.

Best for: Clear dramatic progression, screenplay writing, straightforward storytelling
Key beats: Inciting Incident (end Act 1), Midpoint (middle Act 2), Climax (end Act 2/start Act 3)

3. Save the Cat (Blake Snyder)

Source: Hollywood screenplay structure (2005)

15 precise beats with page number recommendations. Highly specific timing for commercial screenplay success.

Best for: Screenwriting, commercial fiction, tight pacing requirements
Key beats: Opening Image, Catalyst, Break into Two, All Is Lost, Break into Three

4. Freytag's Pyramid

Source: Analysis of Greek/Shakespearean drama (1863)

Five-act dramatic arc emphasizing climax as peak moment. Visual pyramid shape.

Best for: Tragic narratives, classical drama adaptation, dramatic tension focus
Key stages: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement

5. Dan Harmon's Story Circle

Source: Simplified Hero's Journey for TV (2009)

8-stage circular structure. "You/Need/Go/Search/Find/Take/Return/Change" framework.

Best for: TV episodes, episodic storytelling, character-driven comedy/drama
Key concept: Character enters unfamiliar situation, gets what they want, pays price, returns changed

6. Seven-Point Story Structure (Dan Wells)

Source: Plot structure analysis (2010s)

Hook, Plot Turn 1, Pinch Point 1, Midpoint, Pinch Point 2, Plot Turn 2, Resolution. Often plotted backward.

Best for: Reverse-engineering plots, mystery writing, tight plotting
Key concept: Start with ending, work backward to create satisfying setup

7. Five-Act Structure

Source: Shakespearean drama tradition

Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement. Similar to Freytag but distinct act divisions.

Best for: Traditional drama, complex character development, literary fiction
Key feature: Extended falling action allows consequences exploration

8. Fichtean Curve

Source: Rising action emphasis structure

Series of escalating crises with brief falling actions between. Continuous rising tension.

Best for: Action-heavy narratives, thrillers, sustained tension
Key feature: Multiple crises building to final climax rather than single arc

9. In Medias Res Structure

Source: Classical epic tradition (Iliad, Odyssey)

Begin in middle of action, reveal backstory through flashbacks. Non-linear presentation of linear story.

Best for: Immediate engagement, complex backstory, thriller/mystery
Key feature: Chronology is non-linear but structure remains linear

Worldwide Structures (Premium Tier)

These represent fundamentally different architectural systems—not variations of linear organization.

10. Kishōtenketsu (Japanese Four-Act Harmony)

Source: Chinese/Japanese poetry and narrative (1,000+ years)

Four-part structure WITHOUT conflict as organizing principle. Introduction, Development, Twist, Conclusion through harmony.

Architectural type: Balance-seeking, non-conflict
Best for: Slice-of-life stories, contemplative narratives, stories about understanding rather than overcoming
Key insight: Resolution through perspective shift, not victory over antagonist

11. Anansi Web Pattern (West African Akan)

Source: Anansi trickster tradition (2,000+ years)

Network/web architecture where multiple storylines interconnect. Spider as weaver, not climber.

Architectural type: Web/network structure
Best for: Multi-protagonist stories, community narratives, interconnected plot threads
Key insight: Every action creates ripples affecting entire web; completion through pattern, not climax

12. Griot Performance Cycle (West African Mandé)

Source: Griot oral tradition (centuries)

Spiral architecture for generational sagas. Past and present coexist; ancestors remain active participants.

Architectural type: Spiral/generational
Best for: Family sagas, historical epics, stories where past directly affects present
Key insight: Time moves in spirals; history repeats with variation

13. Ancient Egyptian Ma'at Structure

Source: Ma'at concept of cosmic balance (5,000+ years)

Balance-restoration architecture. Stories move from Ma'at (order) through Isfet (chaos) back to Ma'at.

Architectural type: Balance/restoration
Best for: Justice narratives, cosmic order stories, restoration rather than victory
Key insight: Conflict disrupts universal balance; resolution restores it

14. Medicine Wheel Story Cycle (Native American)

Source: Plains Indigenous traditions (centuries)

Four-direction cyclical structure. Seasonal/elemental organization with circular time concept.

Architectural type: Cyclical/seasonal
Best for: Nature-based stories, seasonal narratives, cyclical time concepts
Key insight: Time is circular, not linear; seasons repeat with wisdom

15. Songline Mapping (Australian Aboriginal)

Source: Aboriginal Dreamtime traditions (60,000+ years)

Geographic architecture where story IS the land. Physical journey creates narrative structure.

Architectural type: Geographic/place-based
Best for: Journey stories where place matters, land-as-character narratives
Key insight: Story encoded in geography; walking the land tells the tale

16. Arabian Nights Nested Structure

Source: Middle Eastern frame narrative tradition (1,000+ years)

Stories within stories within stories. Frame tale contains nested narratives at multiple layers.

Architectural type: Nested/layered
Best for: Multiple narrative layers, metafiction, stories about storytelling
Key insight: Each layer illuminates others; meaning emerges from relationships between tales

17. Magical Realism Pattern (Latin American)

Source: Latin American literary tradition (20th century)

Magical elements integrated into realistic settings without explanation. Reality and magic coexist naturally.

Architectural type: Hybrid reality/magic
Best for: Stories blending ordinary and extraordinary, cultural memory narratives
Key insight: Magic needs no justification; it simply IS part of reality

How to Choose

Step 1: Identify Your Story's Natural Architecture

Ask these questions:

Does your story follow ONE protagonist's journey, or MULTIPLE equal threads?
Does time move FORWARD ONLY, or do past and present INTERACT?
Does conflict ESCALATE to climax, or seek BALANCE/RESTORATION?
Is PLACE itself a character in your story?
Do events CYCLE or REPEAT?

Step 2: Match Structure Type to Story Needs

If your story wants:

Single protagonist transformation → Choose from Classic Structures (9 variations available)
Multiple interconnected plots → Try Anansi Web Pattern
Generational family saga → Try Griot Performance Cycle
Balance/restoration story → Try Ma'at Structure or Kishōtenketsu
Place-based narrative → Try Songline Mapping
Nested storytelling → Try Arabian Nights Structure

Step 3: Experiment

Try 2-3 structures with the same story concept. The right architecture will feel natural—your story will flow rather than resist.

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