Few writers like to admit it, but let’s rip off the velvet curtain: good fiction is formulaic, which some refer to as having a narrative arc.

Shocking? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

Because if we confess that stories follow formulas, it means—gasp—we’re all writing variations of the same tale. And you know what? We are.

That’s not an insult. It’s a testament to what works.

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Stories Have Rules (and They Work Everywhere)

Whether it’s a novel, a short story, a Netflix binge, or a Broadway play, there are ground rules most editors and writers will agree on. Put them together, and you’ve got yourself the bones of a story that people actually want to read.

Sure, not every book plays by the rules. But nearly all the blockbusters do. Enough of them that there are entire nonfiction shelves groaning under the weight of How to Write a Novel manuals promising to decode the magic.

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The “Secret” Formulas (That Aren’t Really Secrets)

Some call it the three-act structure.
Others say: build tension as your hero pursues a goal while the universe gleefully blocks them.
Still others swear by three turning points and a finale.

But here’s the distilled version—the same advice playwrights and professors have been tossing at writers for over a century:

Get your hero up a tree. Throw rocks at them. Then get them down from the tree.

That’s it. That’s the sauce.

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Why This Matters for You

Understanding story formulas isn’t about stifling creativity—it’s about harnessing it. Once you know the rules, you can twist them, subvert them, and make them uniquely yours. But if you don’t know them? You’re throwing words into the void and hoping they stick.

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Want to Learn More?

Tell me you want a workshop, darling, or, if you’re more of a “just get me a ghostwriter/coach to do it with me” kind of royal, I’m happy to work with you, too.

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Now, darling, go climb that metaphorical tree… and start throwing rocks.