192 | TTT016: Tools for the Journey
April 2025
Welcome back! I have some good ideas I want to talk through today.
Today's Topic: Tools for the Journey
I actually did start writing...
Then I found this
Now I feel even better about my decision
// CHAPTER 1: I ACTUALLY DID START WRITING
As we discussed last time - I made the decision to put The Trilogy on hold - and dive headlong into a standalone book based on one of the characters from The Trilogy.
I had the plan - and I put it into place.
I did all the initial stuff - developed a character list, determined the world, and how it would be different than ours - occurring just before the story told in The Trilogy.
And so I started writing:
I developed a Prologue - very similar to the way The Trilogy started:
A story from long ago - but one that would set the stage for my protagonist and the her story
I then jumped into the story and knocked out two, maybe three scenes:
I was on a roll - getting things done
And yet it didn't feel right
I was telling the story - but if I asked myself, "Would I keep reading this if I picked it up off a book shelf?"
The answer was NOT an immediate yes...
It was interesting to me - because it's my story
I know where it's going
But the reader doesn't have that knowledge - so if it doesn't catch their attention immediately - the book is probably tossed
And I don't want readers to say, "You know, it's one of those books that starts really slow - but if you just push through it gets really good at the end."
Because I just don't think those people exist any more
People who decide to make it through a slow beginning of a book when there is Netflix, HULU, social media, and so many other things they could be doing
And this is when things started to slow down:
I stopped writing as often
I began procrastinating
I found excuses why I couldn't get up early to keep pushing it down the field
But at the end of the day it's because I wasn't confident in the story
// CHAPTER 2: THEN I FOUND THIS
So while I was floundering around in this quicksand. Knee deep in the Hoopla so to speak.
I found another author on YouTube with all the answers...
I say that tongue-in-cheek because by know you know this is the story of my writing life:
I find articles, blog posts, podcasts and now YouTubers that seem to have the silver bullet
The best advice for new authors trying to write their first book
Typically from authors who already have one or more published
Many of them seem like they know what they're talking about
But they all have different ideas - and latch on to different theories on story structure, the importance of story arc, and even how many acts should be in a story for that matter
I had coffee with Mike again this weekend - and told him what I'd found. He listened, but was probably thinking, "Dude! Not again! Just write your book for crying out loud."
But this time - it feels different.
In the beginning I got so into Story Grid that it ate me for lunch:
Why?
Because it is a massive idea
A framework for writing a novel that almost requires you become a structural engineer first
Then, once you can solve insane mathematical equations - you should be good to go on your novel
To me - this made sense
Nobody knows how to write a novel - it seems like one of the hardest things in the world to do
So if someone was able to create a formula for it - surely it would look like the Story grid - right?
Well, maybe not. Once I started to back away from following the Story Grid down to the letter, I started to enjoy writing again.
And I started to look for ways to plot a book that were a lot more simple.
Before finding these tools - I was pretty confident I could use The Hero's Journey as my guide.
Simply take the 11 or 12 elements from the Journey, and fit my protagonist and her story into those plot points or story beats.
A huge departure from the Story grid mentality. Allowing me to have a road map, but at the same time a lot of freedom to just write the story.
And then I found the girl on YouTube. That doesn't sound very good does it...
But at the end of the day - she's a girl and she writes books - and she has a channel where she tells you how she did it. Just like so many others...
Her name is Natalie Sea. And to be clear - these ideas aren't specific to her. She is pulling other people's ideas and using them because they work for her.
I'll leave a laundry list of links to her channel in the show notes so you can watch her videos if interested.
But what I found fascinating is how she took these two tools and uses them to fully flesh out entire novels.
Tool #1: The Story Circle
The Story Circle was created by Dan Harmon - the author known for his work on the shows Community and Rick and Morty
At the end of the day, Dan Harmon took The Hero's Journey and stripped it down even further - to the base elements required for a good story
From the StudioBinder article listed in the notes:
In The Story Circle, "Also called "The Story Embryo" or "Plot Embryo," the 8 steps follow a character's pursuit of a goal outside of their normal world. Their inevitable return finds them changed, whether or not they achieved their goal."
To summarize before we get into the eight steps: The Story Circle is a simple way to define the character arc of your protagonist
If you get these eight steps right - your story will include one (if not the) most important elements - a story arc where the protagonist goes through a change and is different by the end of the story
This is HUGE! Why? Because I think a lot of new writers forget this piece. They have an idea for a story (like me) and it is plot driven
This huge thing happens, and then that huge thing happens and then there is this huge plot twist at the end
Which is great - but if all your protagonist does is go along for the ride - it will be a meh kind of story
These are the James Bond movies of the 60s 70s and 80s
Until Daniel Craig took over - then something changed
All of a sudden .007 had a back story, he had wants/needs, he struggled with things, and over the five movies you could feel the change he was going through in terms of his career, his love for one woman and his desire to do the right thing
Now I'm not a story expert - and I'm definitely not an expert on the Bond Movies
But to me it was a night and day difference between plot driven movies, and then a character arc driven set that took the series to the next level
So let's look at The Story Circle in a bit more detail:
On the circle there are eight stages. If you cut the circle horizontally you get two hemispheres:
The top is called "Order"
The bottom is called "Chaos"
Each hemisphere has three of the eight elements within it
And two elements are on the line between the two
8 Steps in the Dan Harmon Story Circle:
You:
"Establish the protagonist"
A character is in a zone of comfort
The reader meets the main character and what the ordinary world is for them
Need:
"Something isn’t right"
The protagonist wants something
Define the want: what they think they need to reach their goals
Go (On the line):
"Crossing the threshold" (Crossing from Order to Chaos)
They enter an unfamiliar situation
Protagonist decides their want is big enough to leave the comfort of the ordinary world to get it
Search:
"The road of trials"
The protagonist must adapt to the new world and the discomforts they encounter
Find:
"Meeting the Goddess"
The protagonist finds what they were looking for and gets what they want
The protagonist shifts to using new beliefs to get what they want (but it isn't what they need)
Take:
"Meeting your maker"
The protagonist pays a heavy price for getting what they want
The protagonist gets what they want, but it doesn’t help them reach their goal
They learn that their want wasn’t really what they needed
Return (On the line):
"Bringing it home"
The protagonist returns to their familiar situation
Protagonist moves from Chaos to Order and reaches the climax of the story
Change:
"Master of both worlds"
The protagonist was changed
The reader gets to see how the protagonist has changed during the story - for better or for worse
So there you go - pretty straightforward right?
You can definitely see the Hero's Journey in there - but it's just shorter
And you can see how it focuses on the character arc
The change the protagonist will go through from the beginning to the end of the story
But - that's only one tool. It can only get you so far. For those of us that need additional plotting in order to feel good about the entire story - Natalie suggests we add Tool #2...
Tool #2: The 4 Act Story Structure
I know. I know. We have the 3 Act Story Structure so why are we trying to re-invent the wheel?
Well - the explanation is quite simple really:
The 3 Act Story Structure is problematic
Why? Because it has to be
Every article I've read on the 3 Act Story Structure breaks it down like this:
Act 1 - 25% of the book
Act 2 - 50% of the book
Act 3 - 25% of the book
See the problem? It should be obvious
The Acts are not uniform in size or length
And because of this - many writers face a problem called the "Messy Middle"
Act 1 is amazing - you're setting the stage, kicking off the story
Then you hit the barren wasteland that is Act 2
You walk into the desert and start looking for signposts to tell you where the heck you're going
You struggle, probably writing scenes that feel disconnected from the story
And after you've written enough you find yourself in Act 3 which is back to amazing town
It's the climax, the resolution and tying up all the loose ends
So what the 4 Act Story Structure does - is break Act 2 into 2 separate acts - giving each an important job - and making it easier for writers to plot out their stories from beginning to end.
It's almost as if it the 3 Act Story Structure was never meant to be a thing.
At least that's what Natalie believes. And so this has become Tool #2 for her:
She takes the high level story she defined in The Story Circle
Then fleshes out the 4 Act Story Structure
And how do you flesh out the 4 Acts you ask?
Well, with story beats of course
Natalie has an entire video on this as well
She walks through each of the 4 Acts and describes the story beats in each one
And after some digging I realized that she uses the story beats from the Save the Cat methodology
However, in order to fully flesh out the 4 Act Story Structure - there are a few additional story beats added to her final list
So without further adieu - let's get into the 4 Act Structure with the identified story beats in each:
ACT 1: Setup
Hook:
Introduce the reader to your protagonist and their internal conflict (want vs. fear)
In Media Res: Jumping right into the story in the middle somewhere
Setup:
Huge emphasis on the ordinary world of your character - which will make the Inciting Incident that much more intriguing
Theme Stated:
Should not be stated in black and white terms
But need to establish the theme the story is going to explore
Example: "Hero's aren't born - they're made."
Inciting Incident:
The scene/incident where the protagonist's world is shook to the core
It changes everything and forces the protagonist to decide if they want to get involved or not
The Debate:
The protagonist debates whether or not to engage in the Call to Action that the Inciting Incident created
Want:
Fear:
Need:
Plot Point 1:
Cross a point of no return
The protagonist decides to heed the Call to Action in a way that is irreversible
Pinch Point 1:
The first reminder that there is an antagonist
And that the antagonist is formidable
ACT 2: Response
Crossing the Threshold (Break into 2):
Protagonist crosses into the new world
Intro of B Story:
A Story is the current story identified in Act 1
B Story is the story required to teach the protagonist the theme os the story so they learn what their need is vs. want
Fun & Games:
Challenges that teach the characters things
Learning the ropes
Bonding with the new characters
Characters appear to be lost causes
Training montages
Midpoint:
Something happens that changes the game
Back to reality - there is an antagonist - and it is strong
Protagonist has to stop being reactive - and must go on offense
ACT 3: The Attack
Bad Guy Closes In:
Starts with the fallout of the Midpoint
Progressive complications
Antagonist begins attacking the protagonist methodically
Protagonist has to use Act 2 knowledge to push back - but not able to defeat the antagonist
Pinch Point 2:
Another reminder that there is an antagonistic force
A bit more in your face
A Taste of Success:
Typically when the protagonist gets the thing they want - or at least a taste of it
And it feels good until they realize it doesn't satisfy - or it won't get them the thing they really want or need
Disaster:
Protagonists worst fear starts to come true
They fear all is lost and almost throws everything away
Dark Moment:
"Dark night of the soul"
Marinating in sorrow - beaten down - just before they learn the theme
Aha Moment (Learning the theme):
Protagonist is reminded about the theme
They take it to heart
They switch their want for their need - and are brought back to life in order to enter the climax of the story
ACT 4: Resolution
The Revival (Break into 4):
The protagonist is revitalized with their new understanding of the theme
Begins to function with this new energy and prepare for the climax
At the point the protagonist has a can do attitude - willing to do whatever it takes to finish the journey
Climax:
Gathering the Team: Protagonist decides who they will take with them for the final battle
Execute the Plan: In the Revival section - the protagonist developed the plan they thought would work (based on all their learnings in the first 3 Acts)
High Tower Surprise: Protagonist is hit by something they didn't see coming
Dig Deep Down: Protagonist has to find the power within them for the final surge
Executing New Plan: Using the power within to take out the antagonist
The Final Image:
Author's moment to wrap things up
Highlight the theme
Highlight the change made in the protagonist
// CHAPTER 3: NOW I FEEL EVEN BETTER ABOUT MY DECISION
So there you have it.
Yet another way to develop one of our Big Ideas into an actual plotted out story.
But the cool thing about this one is that I don't feel overwhelmed by it the way I did with Story Grid.
This is something I think I could actually use:
To flesh out the big picture internal character arc for my protagonist
To develop story beats across a 4 Act Story Structure to have a solid outline for the entire story
So yes. At this point I'm feeling even better about my decision to put the Trilogy on hold and focus on getting one story under my belt first.
And with these two tools, I think it just might be possible for me.
So what's the plan from here?
Well, first order of business is the inject my story into these two tools
I completed that process last week
Next, I'll need to rework my first 3 scenes to include a more catchy hook
And from there it should be smooth sailing
Just get into a solid and consistent writing routine and keep moving forward
Let's Land the Plane:
Thank you for jumping on again today.
As I always say, I hope you have a WIP of your own. A Big Idea that keeps you up late at night, or getting up early in the morning for.
And I hope you're finding your stride - making the progress you need to make so it comes to fruition.
Isn't it amazing doing what you love? Creating? Taking an idea from concept to reality?
No place I'd rather be friends...
That's it from here. Have a great week - and as always keep Transcending Human!
References:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTAXzxcphQywt3U_1fAE8bDje4OryKtQ7
The Story Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UP4ZnoD0M
The 4 Act Story Structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBqqXom3z0