Create and Structure Your Plot with 5-Step Storytelling Tools

☞SETUP

This sequence of scenes in the Stable World establishes the characters, their wants, the stakes, story theme, and the need for change. For example:

• Romance: The scenes introduce the lovers, their backstories, other characters, the story’s themes (i.e., external, internal, and philosophical), and the external story problem.
• Cozy Mystery: The scenes intrigue readers with a puzzle (i.e., who did it), and introduce the suspects, ancillary characters, true and false clues, potential motives, suspect interviews, the story themes (i.e., external, internal, and philosophical).

☞TRIGGER**

Halfway through Act 1, a major event triggers the disruption of the protagonist’s Stable World, stopping hero from continuing as before. For example:

• Romance: The lovers meet, and that raises another question: will they stay together?
• Cozy Mystery: The stakes become apparent, encouraging the reluctant sleuth to investigate, and that creates a new question: will the lead character investigate?

**Note: The HOOK and TRIGGER are separate events.

☞WRANGLE

In this sequence of scenes, the primary character wrangles with move-forward choices, but resists the need for change. For example:

• Romance: One lover debates whether they’re right for the other, setting in motion a series of conflicts.
• Cozy Mystery: The reluctant sleuth wrangles with choices, facing external and internal conflicts that influence whether to investigate.

☞THRUST INTO 2

In this scene, the lead character acts on the choices made in the WRANGLE sequence, thrusting the individual into an Unstable World. For example:

• Romance: The lovers’ initial efforts to get together fail, thrusting them into an Unstable World.
• Cozy Mystery: The lead protagonist encounters a person or an event that encourages the investigation of the crime, compelling the amateur sleuth to enter the Unstable World.

☞RESPONSE

In this sequence of scenes, the chief protagonist responds to the Unstable World, and meets someone who will help them learn the internal theme. For example:

• Romance: One lover meets a person who can help the individual get together with the other lover.
• Cozy Mystery: The lead protagonist struggles in the Unstable World, and while wrestling with raised stakes and hunting for the murder motive, meets a person capable of helping the lead character learn the theme.

☞POWER PLAY 1

This scene shows the power of the opposing force and establishes the core conflict. For example:

• Romance: The opposing force (e.g., rival lover, society, environment, distance, obligations, secrets, lies) exerts power over one lover or both, causing more conflicts.
• Cozy Mystery: The reluctant sleuth receives a threat from the yet unidentified killer and uncovers more clues.

☞PREMISE

This sequence of scenes fulfills the novel’s premise, giving readers the events and emotions they crave. For example:

• Romance: One lover or both express or show their intentions toward the other.
• Cozy Mystery: While still somewhat reluctant, the amateur sleuth amps up the investigation, interviewing suspects and narrowing down the list of potential killers, even though the stakes continue to rise.

☞MIDPOINT

This scene shows the chief protagonist’s status (i.e., winning or losing), increases the stakes, and gives the sleuth insight, shifting the focus from the individual’s want to need.

• Romance: One lover or both realizes a “need for love.”
• Cozy Mystery: The sleuth accepts the “need to investigate” even though the stakes rise again.

☞ACTION

In this sequence of scenes, the lead character takes action based on a discovery, changing the individual’s trajectory (i.e., up or down). For example:

• Romance: The lovers break up or are forced to separate because of conflicts or events.
• Cozy Mystery: Caught up in the active investigation, sleuth interviews suspects even though the threat of harm increases.

☞POWER PLAY 2

This scene hints at what is coming when the lead character PLUNGES INTO 3, emphasizing the ever-increasing stakes. For example:

• Romance: One lover vows to bring them together, increasing the stakes.
• Cozy Mystery: The mystery killer increases the sleuth’s risks.

☞BATTLE 1

In this sequence of scenes, the chief protagonist battles the opposing force, and appears to win (or lose) BATTLE 1. For example:

• Romance: The opposing force threatens to keep the lovers apart regardless of their efforts, but somehow they stay together—for now (i.e., in this plot example, the lovers appear to win).
• Cozy Mystery: The sleuth makes progress toward identifying the actual killer, sensing victory is near (i.e., in this plot example, the sleuth appears to win).

☞PLUNGE INTO 3

In this scene, the victory at the end of Act 2B is reversed, plunging the lead character into an all-is-lost state (i.e., a looming sense of physical, professional, or psychological death). It’s the hero’s lowest point in the story. As per Blake Snyder, it’s like that moment when a caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon. For example:

• Romance: The lovers break up or sense they must remain separate, devastating one or both (i.e., a reversal of the prior win).
• Cozy Mystery: The expected breakthrough in the investigation never materializes, and sleuth is forced to take more risks to identify the actual killer (i.e., a reversal of the prior win).

☞PONDER

In this sequence of scenes, the protagonist ponders prior choices, goal dedication, self worth, and personal abilities. For example:

• Romance: One lover or both debate their prior choices, trying to reconcile whether to try again.
• Cozy Mystery: The sleuth reevaluates the progress to date, questioning whether to continue.

☞FACE-OFF

The scene includes a face-off between the opposing force and the lead character, brought on by that character’s prior choices. For example:

• Romance: One lover confronts the opposing force.
• Cozy Mystery: The sleuth confronts the most likely suspect.

☞BATTLE 2

In this sequence of scenes, the primary point-of-view character and the opposing force fight intensely, knowing only one will survive the second battle. The protagonist must go through this fight just like a butterfly must struggle to emerge from the cocoon. For example:

• Romance: One conflict leads to another until a lover selflessly sacrifices for the benefit of the other.
• Cozy Mystery: Through a series of events, the sleuth realizes things are not as they seem, bringing into focus, but not yet revealing the true identity of the actual killer.

☞CLIMAX

This scene concludes with the chief character achieving positive or negative results tied to both the story’s goal and the protagonist’s need, resulting in either a win/win, win/lose, lose/win, or lose/lose. For example:

• Romance: The scene shows one lover or both realize a “need for love,” and they will stay together (i.e., the outcome is a win/win).
• Cozy Mystery: The scene shows that because the individual accepted the “need to investigate,” the sleuth will solve the crime (i.e., the outcome is a win/win).

☞RESOLUTION

The last scene ties up loose ends and satisfies readers with the emotions they expect from the Changed World. For example:

• Romance: The lover who sacrificed is rewarded.
• Cozy Mystery: The criminal is brought to justice, and the lesson learned by sleuth sets up the continuation of the cozy mystery series.