2. A. Basics
• Information has various levels
– Detail, concept, category
• These create flow, attention, preparation, etc.
• Structure shows significance
• For readers, structure needs to both
– Reassure (familiar format)
– Challenge (new connection, disconnect)
• Knowledge makes writing easier, faster
3. Goals of Structure
• Attract reader interest
• Organize information for your purposes
– Significance, background, facts, comment, etc.
• Prepare reader for the next step
• Link and change the levels of information
• Follow or challenge the familiar format
• Keep reader until the end
• Reward reader for completing story
4. Start with Clear Goals
• What impact you want on the reader
– Kinds of information, emotion, surprise, gratitude
• What you want to tell/show them
– Remember that reading is also an experience
• What is the standard format?
– Consider playing with it
5. Your Knowledge of Readers
• Start with norm
– But be ready to bend the rules
• Some audiences and situations are more
– Conservative
– Playful
• Select and write to them
– Satisfy and challenge
6. B. My Structures
• Few stories will follow a simple format
– Most stories need a variation
– But a diagram will help
• Knowing and choosing improves writing
• I analyzed stories
– Found the following standard structures
7. Inverted Pyramid
• The baseline format
– Summary followed by description, details, (close)
• Big picture
• Main events/facts
• Major details
• Minor details
• (close)
8. Hourglass
• Big picture as an open
• More detail
• Lot of detail
• Single observation
• Lot of detail
• More detail
• Big picture as a close
9. Diamond
• Fine detail
• Category
• Big category
• Big picture
• Big category
• Category
• Fine detail
10. Parallel
• Introduce story, first aspect
• Introduce second aspect
• More on first aspect
• More on second aspect
• More on first aspect
• More on second aspect
• Close
11. Question and answer
• Ask or imply first Q
• First answer/info
• Ask or imply second Q
• Second answer/info
• Ask or imply third Q
• Third answer/info
• Close
13. Circular
• Open (usually detail)
• First aspect
• Second aspect
• Third aspect
• Fourth aspect
• Close: return to
opening point
14. C. Ways to Structure
• Decide structure and outline
– Main idea, intro, background, etc.
• Start-at-the-end
– Decide where you want them to arrive
• Then go in reverse for steps to get to start
• Pivot
– Start with “nut graph” and go to front and close
• Social/experiential
– Imagine telling a story to a friend
15. D. Approaches to structuring
• Outlining
• Start-at-the-end
• Pivot
• Intuitive
16. Outlining approach
• Organize before you write
– Think of the story as a machine, outline as
blueprint
• Be ready to change the structure
• Find holes and fill them
17. Start-at-the-end approach
• Decide
– the impact you want on readers
– which elements will lead to that result
– Which will work best as hook, nut graf, close
– String together the ideas that connect those
– Make sure of transitions
18. Pivot approach
• The pivot is the point that all leads up to and down
from:
– can be same or different from nut graf
• Find a single idea that readers care about
• Start from the pivot idea and work outwards
– To what is needed for lede/hook
– To what is useful for detail
– To close
• Complex stories won’t have a simple pivot
19. Intuitive approach
• Some stories come with a natural structure
that you should respect
– E.g., a strong personal dimension, facts with clear
impact on audience
– However, be ready to adopt parts of other
structures
20. E. Imagine a Story…
We will go through the process
standard structure; what readers want
possible information
main and secondary structures
strong transitions, open and close
