Writing Excuses 10.12: Story structure Q&A, with Special Guest Wesley Chu

Wes Chu joins us again for a Q&A about this month’s topic: story structure! Here are the questions:

Do you make a conscious decision about how to structure your story before you begin writing?
Is it necessary to use multiple structures (three-act, Hollywood formula, etc) in order to ensure that your story works?
What tools do you use to view your story’s structure?
What do you think about cliffhangers?
How do you come up with plot twists for your stories? (Answer: A blast from the past with Michael Stackpole! Season 1, Episode 19!)
What structures should I use to add variety to my writing?
Is there a specific amount of time you should spend on your introduction before getting to the inciting incident?
What do you do when you’re halfway through with a story before you realize the structure is wrong?

Homework: Make a list of all the awesome things you want your story to accomplish. Then put them in the order in which you want them to happen.

Thing of the week: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin.