5 Story Shapes that will Change Your Book FOREVER 

You're welcome!

As a pro editor for years, no, it is not. Certain reactions come too quickly, concepts the responder needs half a second to digest before responding. Not including those makes it totally not realistic or reflective of an actual conversation. It ends up looking like something some RU-vid idgit might post.

@@tomlewis4748 Good and well, Mr. Pro Editor. What exactly is it you are a pro at editing?

Yes, good clarifications.

I got into an argument with my sixth grade teacher over this because she said that the climax occurred close to the end even though she also said that there should be an equal number of things before and after the climax. It was really confusing and upset me a lot, and I think that's where my hatred for these shapes originated. Having said that, as an adult, I now recognize their importance, and I look forward to using them in the future.

Ha ha! Thank you so much!

But it is good for movies and TV scripts. Books, not so much, unless you're using it with another story structure formula.

Thank you! Just having fun and trying something new.

Glad to hear it! Many more videos on the way.

Yes, this is why I tend to avoid Save the Cat. It's a bit too prescriptive for me. But I wanted to offer it as an option for people who needed a more in-depth guide to plot points.

Just because a book is predictable, is it necessarily unenjoyable? These plot archetypes serve a function, but they are not written in stone; they can be altered or adapted. On the other hand, it is foolish for writers to try to subvert expectations just to catch readers off guard. Often when writers do that, they end up making a worse story. The plot archetypes exist for a reason. It is a structure that many successful stories have in common. There are many unsuccessful stories that break the structure or subvert it, but then you have The Last Jedi. I think you have a point about stories being predictable, but I think it is only something you should focus on after you understand the plot structure your story follows. In other words, learn the rules before you break them.

@@keithg460 True, but my brain becomes exhausted and almost overstimulated when I'm exposed to the same pattern over and over again. I was at karaoke the other day and they were putting on a bunch of pop-rock songs from the 2000s and 2010s (Linkin Park, Sugarcult, other bands I don't recognize), and almost all of the songs used the same set of progressions (maybe changing up one part, substituting a different chord, etc.) as well as the same set of themes, same type of language, and even the same kinds of melodies. I got overstimulated and wanted to cry at a certain point because it felt like I was being assaulted with one neverending song. This is how I feel about tropes and archetypes in writing. What separates a mediocre writer from a good writer is their ability to breathe life into tropes, and that's a rare talent indeed. Tropes describe things in vague, abstract terms, after all, so how one is implemented will always be unique. It's a question of how that uniqueness adds to the story. Make it too unique -- break the trope entirely -- and you'd better be going for a specific effect. After all, even I have to admit that seeing a hippo who's a world-class ballerina feels like 'Haha, you thought hippos could not be dextrous? You were wrong!' without any deeper impact.

Thanks, you too!

Glad to hear it!

That's another good one! I could probably do a whole other video on ones I didn't mention here.

@@Bookfox Please do :)

I think each character has a storyline that can follow one of these shapes.

We are on your side!

Similar, but also distinctly different.

The Story Embryo is actually Dan Harmon's Circle, which in my opinion is the best and most flexible universal story structure because of how it can be used from scenes all the way to whole stories.

Ha ha! Just trying to create some variety!

what he did was cool! the audio wasn’t perfect but that’s how people learn and he’s a fairly new channel. I’m so confident he’s gonna blow up as a writing RU-vidr and he’ll refine his production along the way!

Thank you! Hope you enjoy the next videos I've got coming up.