Too Much Structure

We want conflict and tension in our story. It's in our DNA to resolve tension, and that's what propels readers to the end of our stories. It's what keeps moviegoers in their seats. They want to see that the conflict is resolved and how it is resolved. It's part of the universal appeal of storytelling. It's the "yes, I could do that" or the "so that's how you do that" catharsis at the end.

​To increase the tension, we've learned to make the worst possible thing happen at the worst possible moment. That's great advice. Seeing how someone handles conflict is how we learn about his true character. Your hero's response to conflict is way more telling of character than any description you can give. We also want to have the worst possible thing happen at the worst possible moment because we're telling epic stories meant for the big screen. In other words, we want to sell our novel or screenplay.  

We've also learned structure. We've learned to plot our stories in three acts or five acts or eight sequences or sixteen beats or, dear God, 44 plot points. So here's the pitfall . . . we tend to make the worst thing happen at the most logical time for the worst thing to happen. That's where our structure turns formulaic and where it least resembles real life.

Our hero makes plans to do A, B, and C before she takes on the villain. Bing, bang, boom, take on the bad guy.

But in real life, if you've ever received that terrible phone call, or if tragedy has ever struck, you know it comes when you're least prepared, when you're least expecting it, when you've only started to think about A. You've not actually acted on A yet, and B and C are barely phantom thoughts swirling around in your head.  

Real life is the standard we're familiar with, and as a creator, it's your challenge to spin a tale more dramatic than real life. You have to do terribly mean and twisted things to your characters at the worst possible times.  It will pay off ten fold when the hero shows how clever she is and overcomes whatever cruel thing you've sent her way. These are the things that are memorable to your audience.  However, the timing is critical. 

It's important to have a tight story that doesn't wander all over the place, but some chaos can go a long way. If you need to get your script past a reader or novel past an editor, don't be overly formulaic. Leave room for you. The gatekeepers know all the formulas. They are literally thinking, "Here comes the twist. Here comes Plot Point 13." SHAKE IT UP! Let some things happen organically in your story. You need to surprise the gatekeepers before you get the chance to surprise your audience. You want the reader to say, "I did not see that coming. Now I'm interested."  You'll rarely do that if you're overly formulaic.