In a previous post I discussed the concept of breaking down your story into Act Parts or quarters: Thesis, Hypothesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis.
This quartering concept can be used to further breakdown your story. Here is my method:
A story has 4 quarters called Act Parts (Act I, Act IIa, Act IIb, Act III).
Each Act Part has 4 quarters called Sequences.
Each Sequence has 4 quarters called Scenes.
Each Scene has 4 quarters called Segments.
Each Segment has 4 quarters called Elements.
Each Element has 4 quarters called Moments.
These are the terms I prefer to use; they may not align with industry terms, but I find this concept critical.
This structure helps me know what should be happening at any point in the story.
Once again, a good story structure is not to be rigid or restrictive, it should help a writer track events, emotions, and knowledge.
Next time I will discuss External Pressures and Internal Responses