I Hate Story Structure, Now What?

A No-Paradigm Paradigm

Story structure is a make-or-break element in any narrative. The most brilliant premises collapse under a weak structure. But I have to be honest: Structure has been my writing’s number one enemy.

It’s Not a You Problem

Even the most meticulous structure sticklers will agree that it can be a pain. It’s the logical piece of a largely intuitive process and can overwhelm anyone’s mind.

For a long time, I thought my inability to follow traditional structural paradigms meant I was a lousy writer.

But my resistance wasn’t a writing deficiency; it was a sign that I needed a completely different approach to my writing process. I appreciate all the wisdom in structural paradigms, but trying to force in an “inciting incident” or “refusal of the call” kills my creative flow.

I’m most invested and excited when writing a moment in a character’s life. And that made my relationship with prescriptive structure a bit convoluted.

The Singspot

Alternative approaches to structure aren’t wishful thinking. They have led to acclaimed work. For example, The Shawshank Redemption came from Frank Darabont’s unstructured process.