Plot Structure Cheat Sheet: Find the Best Plot Structure For Your Novel

Have you ever spent hours and hours scouring the interwebs for the best plot structure?

(Psst, a plot structure is a formula for structuring a story. Think Save the Cat and the Hero’s Journey.)

This process often results in nothing but confusion and overwhelm.

How do you know whether to choose the Four Act Structure, Seven Point Structure, or Heroine’s Journey?

What’s the difference between these structures and which works best for your book?

Plotting Is Hard

Plotting well is one of the hardest parts of developing a book.

You’ll notice I said plotting well. It’s easy to plot. Just throw a bunch of exciting events onto the page.

But plotting with intention, where all elements of world character and event come together in a cohesive and impactful story? That’s work.

Let Me Help You Out

I know how difficult it can be to build a solid plot. That’s why we have an entire module in the Rooted WRiter’s Mentorship dedicated to plotting and outlining.

One of the things I help Rooted Writers learn is how to pick the best plot structure for their novel.

Not all plot structures work well for all novels or writers.

When you can identify what your novel needs and what YOU need, you’ll be better equipped to find the structure that works best for you.

What Are Your Needs?

I created a handy dandy cheat sheet to help you find the best plot structure for you without the overwhelm.

But before you dive in, I want you to answer three questions first.

What themes does your story explore?

Some structures fit naturally with certain themes. The Hero’s Journey is about individualism and triumph over evil. The Heroine's Journey show the power of community and compromise. The Virgin’s Promise conveys self-acceptance and empowerment.

Jot down the top two or three themes your story explores.

How extensive do you need your outline to be?

Let’s be honest, most writers either abhor outlining or think it’s the bees knees. If you find it tortuous, you’re going to do much better with a bare-bones plots structure. But if you need to know every scene in your book, you’ll probably be better served with a structure that’s more comprehensive.

Do you prefer a bare-bones or thorough outline?

Does your genre have strong plot conventions?

Picking a structure that fits your genre will make plotting much easier. If you’re writing a romance but there’s no Confession of Love or Happily Ever After, you’re in trouble. Likewise, a murder mystery, thriller, or speculative fiction novel has genre conventions the reader expects to see—a dead body, for example.

Does your genre have scenes the reader expects to see?

Plot Structure cheat sheet

Now that you know what you need and what your book needs, you’re ready to find your perfect plot structure.

Four Act Structure

Summary:

Breaks Three Act Structure into Four Acts, each focusing on how the protagonist changes. Similar to Seven Point Structure with more focus on what’s happening inside the protagonist.

Best For

• Tying the protagonist’s change to what’s happening in the plot

• Writers who

  • Get overwhelmed with a full outline

  • Want a loose structure they can pants within

  • Need help breaking down their protagonist’s arc

The Hero’s Journey

Summary:

The protagonist relies on their own strength to overcome their weaknesses and defeat an evil foe. They receive a boon for their victory but are unable to return to their ordinary life because they are so changed.

Best For:

- Epic stories that meet traditional genre expectations

- A single protagonist who relies on themselves to overcome a strong external foe

- Stories that take the protagonist outside their everyday world

- Anti-heros

The Heroine’s Journey

Summary:

Victory is achieved through community, connection, and compromise. “We are stronger together than we are apart.”

Best For:

- Stories where community is essential to victory

- Romances

- LGBTQIA2S+ stories

Romancing the Beat

Summary:

Based on genre romance conventions, this structure divides the plot into four acts based on a relationship’s growth.

Best For:

- True genre romances

- Using as a secondary structure for books with a strong romantic subplot

Save the Cat Writes a Novel

Summary:

Based on screenplay structure, Save the Cat is an expansion of the Three Act Structure which includes an A and B story and approximate locations for each scene.

Best For:

- Stories with one primary subplot

- Stories that fit the “blockbuster” model and aren’t challenging reader expectations

- Stories with a romantic subplot

- Writers who want a more comprehensive outline

Seven Point Story Structure

Summary:

Similar to Three Act Structure, this simple outline works for most stories. The narrative is divided into two phases—reactive and proactive. You’ll start plotting at the story’s resolution and work your way to the interior scenes.

Best For:

- Writers who:

- Don’t know much about their plot

- Get overwhelmed with a full outline

- Want a loose structure they can pants within

- Getting a general shape of the story before going deeper with another structure

The Virgin’s Promise

Summary:

The protagonist lives in a world that’s holding them back from becoming their truest selves. They move from a place of servitude and oppression to full personhood. A fairy tale structure.

Best For:

- Themes of changing society through self-actualization and self-empowerment

- Themes of spiritual or sexual awakening

- Stories that don’t require a quest; the protagonist changes within their normal world

Finding the best plot structure for your novel and your process won’t make plotting easy, but it sure will make it easier.

Let me know in the comments which structure is best for you.