10 Plot Structures All Screenwriters Should Know
There’s an adage in screenwriting that writers need to know the rules before they break them. This is true for formatting, playing with tropes and archetypes, and using — or dismissing — plot structures. While it is by no means mandatory to follow a precise plot structure, they provide tried and true frameworks for creating compelling, well-paced narratives. This article will discuss the top 10 plot structures that every screenwriter should be familiar with to enhance their storytelling skills, including shaping character arcs, themes, and satisfying conflict resolution.
10 Essential Plot Structures
So, what is plot structure? It refers to the sequence of events in which a story unfolds. The first one you might have learned when telling stories in school is “Beginning, Middle, End.” As story narratives become more complex, there are certain formulas that modern audiences have come to internalize, making for a satisfying series of events. Each incident propels the characters forward through the story.
Let’s look at the ten most essential plot structures that screenwriters should utilize for guiding their stories along.
1. Three-Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure is a step-up from that “Beginning, Middle, End” example from grade school. In a traditional three-act format, the plot contains the following: setup, conflict, and resolution. It introduces the world before the story begins, then some kind of conflict provides an obstacle for the protagonist who overcomes their challenges in a satisfying resolution (note the use of “satisfying” — a story ending does not need to be happy or sad or evoke any other emotion, but it does have to conclude the story you promised to the audience in a satisfying way.
Conflicts are the key to a well-paced and entertaining story. Audiences want to see characters grow throughout the narrative, and in order to make that happen, you as the writer have to offer the characters challenges to overcome.
2. Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey by now is a familiar and popular template often used in epic storytelling, particularly in adventure, fantasy, and science fiction. First coined by professor of literature Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey is a plot structure for a protagonist who embarks on a journey, learns something of value that helps her achieve victory in her quest, and returns home changed.
The Hero’s Journey consists of three essential stages: the Departure, the Initiation, and the Return, which have seventeen steps within them. While not all heroes have to hit each of the seventeen steps, overall The Hero’s Journey looks a little something like this:
DEPARTURE
1. The call to adventure
2. Refusal of the call
3. Supernatural aid
4. Crossing the threshold
5. Belly of the whale/Point of no return
INITIATION
6. The road of trials
7. The meeting with the goddess
8. Woman as temptress
9. Atonement with the father
10. Apotheosis
11. The ultimate boon
RETURN
12. Refusal of the return
13. The magic flight
14. Rescue from without
15. The crossing of the return threshold
16. Master of two worlds
17. Freedom to live
Not for nothing, many scholars have attempted to deconstruct the hero’s journey and codify something similar to but distinct from the journey of the lonely hero: enter, The Heroine’s Journey where the protagonist must build an empowered network of companions to assist them in their journey.
3. The Five-Act Structure
The Five-Act Structure builds on the Three-Act Structure in complexity and is often used for plays or some television scripts. Adding in more narrative beats and a guide for rising stakes deepens character development and allows for more nuanced plot progression. Introduced by German playwright Gustav Freytag in his book Technique of the Drama, the Five Act Structure breaks story points down into further detail:
Exposition – Introduction of the protagonist and central conflict with inciting incident
Rising Action – Protagonist makes first attempts to achieve their goals as tension rises
Climax — Moment where tension reaches its peak and it looks like the protagonist could completely fail
Falling Action – Uncertainty about the fate of the protagonist as story reaches final moment of suspense
Resolution – Questions are answered, loose ends are tied up, and story reaches satisfying conclusion
4. In Media Res
In media res is a Latin phrase that means “in the middle of things” and as a plot structure it refers to beginning a story in the middle of the action, part way through the plot, with missing events and exposition filled in later. As a narrative device, it hooks audiences with the unspoken question of how did we get here?
Many films famously employ this technique, including Moulin Rouge!, which opens with a heartbroken Christian writing about the death of the woman he loves before the film launches into Christian's experiences with Satine at the Moulin Rouge; and Pulp Fiction, a story that reveals itself to be told out of chronological order, with different character perspectives filling in the series of events that make up the complete story.
Television episodes will also use in media res, opening in the middle of the episode where the characters are in a sticky situation before flashing back to the beginning of the events that led them there.
This structure can be overdone — remember to know the rules so you can know when to break them — but when implemented effectively, the structure hooks the audience immediately and maintains engagement as it answers their burning questions while they catch up to the timeline.
5. The Fichtean Curve
The Fichtean Curve is sort of like if the Five-Act Structure and In Media Res had a little love child. Like In Media Res, The Fichtean Curve begins with characters right in the thick of things — and the action only rises from there. The structure looks like the dorsal fin of a shark or a series of increasingly higher mountains to climb before a final descent:
Rising Action (with a series of crises)
Climax
Falling Action
It is very suitable for thrillers and action genres, with high tension that continues to rise and fast-paced events. This structure keeps the narrative moving at a rapid pace. It hooks viewers instantly by launching them into the story, keeps tension high with crises and conflicts, and immerses viewers in suspense before a swift conclusion.
6. Save the Cat Beat Sheet
Save the Cat! encompasses the methods and teachings of Blake Snyder first published in his book with the same name. The Save the Cat Beat Sheet is also referred to as the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet and includes 15 story beats to outline a narrative plot — and an approximate percentage of time where each beat should take in a story.
ACT 1: The Ordinary World - Thesis
Beat 1 - Opening Image (0-1%)
Beat 2 - Theme Stated (5%)
Beat 3 - Set-Up (1%-10%)
Beat 4 - Catalyst (10%)
Beat 5 - Debate (10%-20%)
ACT 2: The Upside-Down World - Antithesis
Beat 6 - Break Into 2 (20%)
Beat 7 - B Story (22%)
Beat 8 - Fun & Games (20%-50%)
Beat 9 - Midpoint (50%)
Beat 10 - Bad Guys Close In (50%-75%)
Beat 11 - All Is Lost (75%)
Beat 12 - Dark Night of the Soul (75%-80%)
ACT 3: Merged World - Synthesis
Beat 13 - Break Into 3 (80%)
Beat 14 - Finale (80%-99%)
Beat 15 - Final Image (99%-100%)
Save the Cat is a more commercial structure used in Hollywood for creating mainstream movies that are comfortable and satisfying to audiences. It’s a great way to learn to outline a story, with a guideline to help you with plot points and timing.
This structure resonates with wide audiences because it tells a story about transformation in a cathartic way. Audiences do not have to study beat structure to internalize the beats in this series of events because it is very common, which means they know to anticipate the conflict and the resolution that is to come.
7. Circular Structure
In a circular plot structure, characters will venture “away” from “home” before returning, changed by their experience. Gone Girl provides a great visual depiction of this story which opens and closes with a shot of Amy Dunne lying on her husband Nick’s chest. While the characters are physically in the same position, metaphysically they have gone through the journey of keeping secrets from each other to keeping secrets together from the rest of the world. In this sense, the opening and closing of the story often mirror each other to depict the transformation that has taken place.
You can literally picture a circle with the plot structure taking place along the circumference:
Home: Where the characters begin
Away: Where the characters journey to and undergo changes
Home: Where the characters return, transformed by their experiences
You may recall that in The Hero’s Journey, the protagonist returns home, changed — this is an example of how plot structures can overlap. While The Hero’s Journey specifies certain beats, Circular Structure is more loose. It is often used in comedies, especially in television, where episodes depict characters enduring obstacles without completely transforming. They might learn small truths about themselves, but the heart of their character remains the same in order for the series to progress — this is often used to ironically induce laughter. “After all that, here we are again.”
8. Nonlinear Structure
Stories told in nonlinear chronology can add complexity and intrigue for audiences. Often used in mystery, thriller, or drama genres, nonlinear storytelling keeps the audience guessing. There is no definitive structure for this kind of plot. Indeed, many of the best nonlinear stories have visual depictions of the structure to help fans process the events — and a writer may need to write a linear timeline before choosing how to depict it.
Memento, Tenet, and 500 Days of Summer are great examples of nonlinear storytelling. In the first two, time and memory are literally part of the plot. In Memento, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Leonard Shelby suffers from short-term memory loss and must use an elaborate system of photographs and notes to try to uncover what happened to him and his wife.
In Tenet, also created by Nolan, the characters themselves are able to travel backward through time and often chronologically move through their lives at different times or trajectories than others in the film.
500 Days of Summer, however, is a romance — or anti-romance — which depicts 500 days of a relationship between two people, moving the audience’s perspective forward and backward in time through the ups and downs of the relationship.
Nonlinear structure can create suspense and intrigue, can depict a literal manipulation of time in the universe of the story, or can be a method by which the audience learns about the events of a story. Either way, it is a clever manner of building curiosity.
9. The Quest Structure
The Quest is a classic structure in adventure tales where the protagonist embarks on a journey for a specific goal. It can be thought of as a simplified version of The Hero’s Journey, though critically in The Quest, the hero will always achieve victory — even if it takes the scope of several books or films to do so.
There are five main beats in The Quest:
The Call
The Journey
Arrival and Frustration
Final Ordeal
The Goal
This is one of humankind’s oldest and most popular plot structures, with the hero on the pedestal overcoming the odds through bravery and strength. This structure drives character growth as the hero faces obstacles and provides a clear narrative direction to victory.
10. The Spiral
Similar to the Three-Act Structure, The Spiral forces the protagonist to transform by facing a repetitive, escalating pattern. They will continue to struggle with the same issue — with increasing stakes — until they finally change and overcome the obstacle in their path.
Consider Peter Pan in Hook and his fear of heights — he has the chance to free his children by climbing up the mast and touching their fingers, but he is too afraid to reach out to them. He loses his balance in the home of the Lost Boys. He falls off a cliff and nearly drowns. Later, the Lost Boys try to help him confront his fear by slinging him out of a human slingshot. Only by finally discovering his true happy thought — his love for his children — is he able to finally fly and become “The Pan.”
The Spiral Structure can be visualized with five beats:
Introduction
Obstacle repetition with variation — as many times as needed
Deepening conflict
Climax
Resolution
Use Plot Structures to Shape Your Story!
Different plot structures help create solid and effective narratives. They are guidelines for story beats that will make a narrative comprehensible, entertaining, and satisfying. They’re a great way to outline a story — even if you choose to deviate from the structure. Ultimately, mastering these structures will give writers the tools to shape their stories and elevate their characters.
Experiment with various plot structures in your own writing and pay attention to how other writers utilized these structures to enhance their own. Whether it’s “The Pineapple Incident” in How I Met Your Mother depicting nonlinear storytelling or straight up Primer, requiring visual aids to determine the chronology of events, playing with time is a great way to build intrigue for your audience.
Or maybe you’re telling the story of a hero and you want to take them on a fantastical tale against a villain — it’s dangerous to go alone, they’ll need structure from you.
Knowing when to launch your story from the middle and when that trope is overdone is part of your journey toward sophisticated writing, and it all begins with familiarizing yourself with structures and stories that have come before.
Good luck and happy writing!