The Three-Act Structure

This template walks through the classic three-act model (Setup, Confrontation, Resolution), helping you map turning points like the inciting incident, midpoint, and climax to your own story. Use it to check pacing, escalate conflict, and ensure your ending pays off what you set up.

Save the Cat Beat Sheet

This template outlines the “Save the Cat” beats, from Opening Image to Final Image, so you can track your story’s emotional rhythm and character transformation. Use it to plan or revise key moments like the Catalyst, Fun and Games, and Dark Night of the Soul.

The Hero’s Journey

This template breaks down the Hero’s Journey, from the Ordinary World to the Return with the Elixir, focusing on internal and external change. Use it to design powerful thresholds, mentors, tests, and transformations for character-driven stories.

The Fichtean Curve

This template focuses on the Fichtean Curve, a structure built on a rising chain of crises leading to a high-intensity climax. Use it to keep tension tight, minimize lulls, and design stories that feel propulsive and hard to put down.

Choosing the Right Structure for Your Story

Picking the right structure for your story might feel daunting. Sometimes you need to write out the idea and the structure falls into place. Once that’s the case, use the relevant template to ensure pacing feels appropriate.

Picking which structure best supports your genre, length, and creative process can be daunting. Pick up a published book that aligns well with your genre and try to determine which models it follows. Maybe your story needs a blend! Capture notes on what’s working, where you feel stuck, and how you might experiment with different frameworks.