LESTER DENT’S MASTER PLOT FORMULA DAN WELLS’S 7-POINT PLOT STRUCTURE RANDY INGERMANSON’S SNOWFLAKE METHOD

6000-word pulp story divided into 4, 1500-word parts: STORY ORDER: 1. 1-sentence summary (1 hour)
PLOT FO RMULA CHEATSHEET
a. 15 words or fewer
FIRST PART: 1. Hook b. No character names
1. Begin with (as many as possible): a. Hero in opposite state to their end state. c. Tie big picture to “personal picture” - what does the
a. A different murder method for villain to use 2. Plot Turn 1 character have to lose and what do they want to
b. A different thing for villain to be seeking a. Introduce the conflict. win?
c. A different locale b. The hero’s world changes; call to adventure. d. Read NYT bestseller blurbs for inspiration
d. A menace which is to hang like a cloud over hero c. New ideas 2. Expand sentence to full paragraph summary (1 hour)
2. Introduce hero. d. New people a. Approx. 5 sentences
3. Put hero in trouble. e. New secrets b. Story setup
4. Hint at a mystery, menace or problem. 3. Pinch 1 c. (Three) Major disasters
5. Hero tries cope. a. Apply pressure: d. Ending
6. Introduce ALL the other characters ASAP. i. Something goes wrong. 3. One page summary for each character (1 hour each):
7. Hero in physical conflict near end. ii. Bad guys attack. Character’s…
8. Plot twist near end. iii. Peace is destroyed. a. Name
b. Forces the hero into action. b. 1 sentence storyline
SECOND PART: c. Introduce villain. c. Motivation (what do they want abstractly?)
1. Hero in more trouble. 4. Midpoint d. Goal (what do they want concretely?)
2. Hero struggles, which leads to… a. Movement from one state to the other. e. Conflict (what prevents them from reaching goal?)
3. Another physical conflict. b. Shift from reaction to action f. Epiphany (what they learn, how they change)
4. A surprising plot twist near the end. 5. Pinch 2 g. 1 paragraph storyline
a. Apply more pressure until situation seems hopeless: 4. Expand each sentence in summary (#2) to full
THIRD PART: i. A plan fails. paragraphs. (several hours)
1. Hero in more trouble. ii. A mentor dies. a. All paragraphs end in disaster, except…
2. Hero makes some headway. iii. The bad guy seems to win. b. Final paragraph shows how the book ends.
3. Hero corners villain in... b. The jaws of defeat. 5. 1 page description of each major character (1-2 days)
4. Physical conflict. 6. Plot Turn 2 a. Tell story from POV of each character.
5. A surprising plot twist which ends badly for the hero. a. Move the story from midpoint to end. 6. Expand each paragraph from #4 into full page synopses.
b. Hero obtains final piece to move from midpoint to (1 week)
FOURTH PART: resolution. a. High level logic & strategic decisions
1. Hero almost buried in trouble. c. “The power is in you!” 7. Expand character descriptions from #3 into full
2. Hero extricates themselves using their own skill, d. Hero snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. character charts. (1 week)
training or brawn. 7. Resolution a. Birthdate
3. Remaining mysteries resolved as… a. Hero follows through on their decision from the b. Description
4. Hero takes control of final conflict. midpoint. c. History
5. Final big plot twist. b. Hero becomes the opposite of their Hook state. d. Motivation
6. The punch line. e. Goal
f. Epiphany, etc.
After each part check: PLOTTING ORDER: FLESH OUT THE SKELETON: 8. Turn 4-page summary from #6 into a scene spreadsheet.
☐ Increasing suspense? a. 1 line per scene
☐ Growing menace? 1. Resolution - Rounded characters b. Columns for:
☐ Logical progression? 2. Hook - Rich environments i. POV character
☐ Purposeful action? 3. Midpoint - An “ice monster” prologue ii. What happens
☐ Varied action? 4. Plot Turn 1 - Try/fail cycles iii. Page numbers
☐ Continuous action? 5. Plot Turn 2 - Subplots 9. (optional) Expand each scene from spreadsheet into
☐ Show don’t tell? 6. Pinch 1 multi-paragraph description.
☐ Character tags? 7. Pinch 2 a. Add dialogue
☐ Convincing triumph? b. General workings of conflict
☐ Satisfying for readers? 10.Start writing first draft.
© Eva Deverell >> http://eadeverell.com
 BLAKE SNYDER’S BEAT SHEET THE FOOL’S JOURNEY CHRISTOPHER VOGLER’S JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S MONOMYTH
WRITER’S JOURNEY (THE HERO’S JOURNEY)
ACT ONE (THESIS) 00. The Fool 11. Strength
1. Opening Image (1) - set tone, mood & style; give “before” 01. The Magician 12. The Hanged Man 1. Ordinary World SEPARATION
snapshot of hero. 02. The High Priestess 13. Death 2. Call to Adventure - The Call to Adventure
2. Theme Stated (5)- declaration of theme, argument or 03. The Empress 14. Temperance 3. (Acceptance or) Refusal of the - The Refusal of the Call
story purpose (by minor to main character). 04. The Emperor 15. The Devil Call - Supernatural Aid
3. Set-up (1-10) - introduce hero’s quirks; how & why they 05. The Hierophant 16. The Tower 4. Meeting with the Mentor - The Crossing of the First Threshold
need to change 06. The Lovers 17. The Star 5. Crossing the Threshold to the - Belly of the Whale
4. Catalyst (12) - bad news that knocks down set-up, but 07. The Chariot 18. The Moon Special World
ultimately leads the hero to happiness. 08. Justice 19. The Sun 6. Tests, Allies and Enemies INITIATION
5. Debate (12-25) - hero questions their ability to proceed. 09. The Hermit 20. Judgement 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave - The Road of Trials
10. Wheel of Fortune 21. The World 8. The Ordeal - Meeting with the Goddess
ACT TWO (ANTITHESIS) 9. Reward - Woman as Temptress
6. Break into Two (25) - hero (through their own decision) > Click here for a guide to using The Fool’s Journey. 10. The Road Back - Atonement with the Father
moves into the antithetical world. 11. The Resurrection - Apotheosis
7. B Story (30) - break from main story; often a “love” story; 12. Return with the Elixir - The Ultimate Boon
meet new characters antithetical to earlier ones. EVA DEVERELL’S ONE PAGE NOVEL
8. Fun and Games (30-55) - provides the promise of the > The Coterie has a table comparing RETURN
premise; movie trailer moments; whatever’s cool. BRAINSTORM: the Writer’s Journey, One Page Novel, - Refusal of the Return
PLOTTING ORDER:
9. Midpoint (55) - fun and games over; hero reaches false 3 names Hero’s Journey & Fool’s Journey. - The Magic Flight
1. Resolution
peak or false collapse; changes dynamic; raises stakes. 3 wants/goals/needs - Rescue From Without
2. Stasis
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75) - bad guys regroup; internal 3 locations - The Crossing of the Return Threshold
3. Shift
dissent in hero’s team; hero isolated and headed for fall. 3 objects - Master of Two Worlds
4. Trigger JOHN TRUBY’S
11. All Is Lost (75) - false defeat (that feels real); “whiff of 3 obstacles - Freedom to Live
5. Quest 22-STEP STRUCTURE
death” (often of mentor); end of old way. 3 things lost/sacrificed 6. Power
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85) - darkness before the 3 occupations > You can find a summary of each myth
7. Bolt 1. Self-revelation, need and desire
dawn; hero feels they’re beaten and forsaken. 3 things on your mind motif in ‘Using the Hero’s Journey’ in
8. Defeat 2. Ghost and story world
13. Break into Three (85) - internal B story provides solution 3. Weakness and need The One Page Novel Bonus Lessons.
to A story. STORY ORDER: 4. Inciting event
1. Stasis: the character isn’t living to their full 5. Desire
ACT THREE (SYNTHESIS) potential - opposite state to Resolution. 6. Ally or allies
14. Finale (85-110) - triumph for hero; bad guys dispatched 7. Opponent and/or mystery NIGEL WATTS’S
2. Trigger: an internal or external impulse (or both)
(in ascending order); hero changes world. 8. Fake-ally opponent 8-STAGE PLOT STRUCTURE
forces the character to take the first step towards 9. First revelation and decision:
15. Final Image (110) - opposite of opening image; proof of their Resolution state.
real change. changed desire and motive
3. Quest: the character enters the new world of 10. Plan 1. Stasis: once upon a time
adventure, meets mentors or allies and makes a 11. Opponent’s plan main 2. Trigger: something out of the
(bad) plan to solve the problem the Trigger created. counterattack ordinary happens
THE NEW & IMPROVED 4. Bolt: the (bad) Quest plan inevitably goes wrong. 12. Drive 3. Quest: causing the protagonist to
GARY PROVOST PARAGRAPH 5. Shift: the character makes the paradigm shift 13. Attack by ally seek something
necessary for them to inhabit their Resolution 14. Apparent defeat 4. Surprise: but things don’t go as
from How to Tell a Story by Peter Rubie 15. Second revelation and decision:
state. expected
obsessive drive, changed desire 5. Critical Choice: forcing the
Once upon a time, something happened to someone, and he 6. Defeat: the character makes the ultimate sacrifice. and motive
decided that he would pursue a goal. So he devised a plan 7. Power: the character finds a hidden power within protagonist to make a difficult
16. Audience revelation
of action, and even though there were forces trying to stop themselves that allows them to seize the prize. 17. Third revelation and decision decision
him, he moved forward because there was a lot at stake. 8. Resolution: the character is living up to their full 18. Gate, gauntlet, visit to death 6. Climax: which has consequences
And just as things seemed as bad as they could get, he potential in their Resolution state. 19. Battle 7. Reversal: the result of which is a
learned an important lesson, and when offered the prize he 20. Self-revelation change in status
had sought so strenuously, he had to decide whether or not > Click here. to enrol in the online course. 21. Moral decision 8. Resolution: and they all lived happily
22. New equilibrium ever after (or didn’t).
to take it, and in making that decision he satisfied a need
that had been created by something in his past. © Eva Deverell >> http://eadeverell.com