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WHAT IS THE IDEAL STORY STRUCTURE

FOR A ROMANTIC COMEDY?

Romantic comedies can seem very formulaic.

Boy meets girls, boy loses girl, then the boy gets girl back. Simple!

And like most simple things, the beauty of the finished work hides the deeper work
below the surface.

The romance audience expect to be entertained.

All your target audience cares about is the emotional roller coaster experience that
you have created for the two main characters on the page.

They want to see the two lovers come together in the end – that is the promise the
writer makes to the audience.

I would suggest that what your audience actually wants to see if that the main
character or character get what they truly need in their lives.

The characters should grow as a result of the romantic relationship and overcome
their character flaws and limiting beliefs and achieve a meaningful resolution.

In other words, the audience expects and anticipates that the two main characters in
a romantic comedy will each go through a positive transformational character arc
because of the love interest.

We discussed character arcs in the previous module and this is where you have the
chance to put those arcs into action on the page.

How do we pull all of these elements together?

By using emotional and plot conflict to create challenges along the journey that will
force each character to make decisions and take actions which will help them to
grow.

The pattern of how you introduce those challenges is created using story structure.
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HOW ARE STORIES STRUCTURED?

Imagine that you are building a house.

You start at the bottom the foundations, the groundwork, the floor layout and
underpinnings of the building. Then the building work begins for an office block, a
residential home or a retail store – whatever your plan dictates.

Story structure are the foundations which underpins all of your work.

On top of those foundations you can build any kind of fresh and new story you like, of
any length and in any romance subgenre.

The foundations of the story stay the same.

The story you build on those foundations is your creative genius - but you need that
structure to support the story ideas and character developments and growth.

In a properly structured movie or novel, the story consists of six basic stages, which
are defined by five key turning points in the plot when the story shifts or something is
revealed and the stakes increase.

Not only are these turning points always the same; they always occupy the same
positions in the story. In this way, the story moves on and builds, and there are no
sagging middles but a controlled pace.

In conventional story structure, scenes are collected into Sequences of

scenes where there is a start, middle and end to each Scene Sequence.

Every Sequence ends with a turning point that hooks onto the next
Scene Sequence.
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Sequences of scenes are then collected into Acts.

The number of scenes and sequences of scenes will vary according to

the length of the manuscript, but for a working guide it can be helpful to
work with two sequences of scenes per Act.
Yes. This is the conventional story structure for commercial romance
and romantic comedies, but I would encourage you to master these
story craft techniques before you decide to use a different model.

Don’t forget. This isn’t about you – it’s about the emotional journey you
are going to take your audience on with the two romance characters.
That’s the driver.

Here is a classic story structure which can be used for any type of
romance and is ideally suited to romantic comedy.
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THE FOUR ACT, EIGHT-SEQUENCE STORY PLAN

ACT ONE. SEQUENCE ONE

Introduce and establish your hero and heroine in their ordinary worlds.

Hook the reader with interesting characters. Build sympathy and empathy by
showing that they are lacking something.

They come onto the stage with their own needs and wants and expectations for the
future.

By the end of the first sequence of scenes we know the external conflict of both
characters and the internal conflict – what is missing in the life/psychology of the
protagonist which the other person will fulfil. This is the start of their character arcs.

This sequence ends with a Plot Point or Turning Point #1,

called the Inciting Incident. Something unusual happens that spins the
main character or characters out of the ordinary world.
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In a romantic comedy this is often the “Meet Cute” scene when the two main
characters meet for the first time.

Often they will meet and sparks fly because of their opposing points of view or
contrasting goals and intentions. They want different things and the other person is
blocking that intention in some way.

This creates conflict, heat and friction and drives response and action. This does not
mean that they argue and fight. It can be a lot more subtle than that.

You need to work out some way of making the characters start far apart so that they
have to battle to be together. Setting up the rest of the journey for these characters.

Example. In Notting Hill, William feels lots and lonely after his wife left him. Then he
spills juice all over the most famous actress in the world, Anna Scott, and invites her
to his unkempt house to clean up.

Example. Annie Hall. She is on a mission to spend more time with him and attempts
to navigate the situation – he is oblivious.

Example. When Harry met Sally. The inciting incident is the title of the film. Harry has
the theory that men and women cannot be friends because sex gets in the way. Sally
believes the opposite.

In some cases, the hero and heroine already known one another or work together,
but something happens that shifts their relationship to another level and they start to
see the other person in a different way.

Example. As Good as it Gets. Lots of conflict from the start. Jack Nicholson hero is a
grumpy despicable character with no emotional empathy. Helen Hunt struggles with
her sick son. They have met before in the café where he eats every day. The moment
Jack seriously notices her for the first time because she calls him out when he
insults her son.

ACT ONE. SEQUENCE TWO

Turn up the heat.

Our hero and heroine have to react to this startling event and new situation.

They don’t want to change and resist moving out of their established lives, but
something pushes them to commit to change and try something new.
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This is linked to their motivation and needs at this point, but one thing is clear. From
now on their lives will be very different. They have a specific objective to achieve and
decide to go for it.

This is the external plot that brings them together and forces them to stay locked
together. The romance begins!

This is Turning Point#2. About 25% of the way through the

book. The rest of your story builds out from this Turning
Point.

Example. In Notting Hill, Anna Scott agrees to come to a birthday party and meet his
friends as William’s date.

Example. When Harry met Sally. They are trapped on a long road trip together and
have to negotiate their differences.

ACT TWO. SEQUENCE THREE.

ACT TWO. This is the fun falling in love stage of the book.

If you were create a movie trailer of the fun and emotionally evocative falling in love
moments for your story, most of it would be from Act Two.

The hero and heroine are working together on a joint project or being forced to
communicate and interact with one another in some way. They are still relying on
their old self-protection mechanisms but start to see another side of the person as
they are forced to work together and communicate. Attraction increases. She beings
to notice more about him, how he talks, the tones he uses, the words he uses and
how he acts.

One of the characters starts to see the other one in a different way from they
originally did. And that amplifies the romantic tension and is also a breeding ground
for increased conflict. Because these characters are going through individual
character arcs themselves as they work on becoming the characters that they need
to be in order to end up with the people they want to end up with.

Circumstance become complex - hubris conflicting with goals, meddling secondary

characters, whatever it may be, our characters relationship is not going well - a storm
is coming.
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Sequence 3 ends in a pinch point where something

changes in their relationship, at around the 38 to 42% point
in the book. Turning up the heat.

Example. In Notting Hill, Anna and William have a wonderful time together in London
before he discovers that she has a handsome boyfriend waiting for her at the hotel
and is rejected again.

Example. You’ve Got Mail. Joe Fox destroyed book store owner Meg Ryan. Opposing
ends of the community small store vs discount for the masses huge company
superstore.

Scene at the party when meg realises that his name is joe fox. Each of them states
their POV and position. Amazing scene of conflict. Subtle – she chides him for
taking the caviar – and she takes the food from his plate onto hers. Both sticking to
their guns.

ACT TWO. SEQUENCE FOUR.

Recognition and communication. Slowly they start to re-evaluate one another and
communicate like human beings. Building acceptance and trust as they enjoy being
with the other person.

The characters are still committed to their original goals but it is starting to conflict
with their burgeoning emotions for one another.

One or both of them have experienced a heavy dose of guilt because what they
believe they want does not align with how they feel about the person they could be
hurting in the process. Linked to conflict between what a character wants and what
they need.

Ultimately they know what they really want to choose but they are going to have a
hard time getting there because of the original character flaw we set up in Act One.

It allows us to see how they consistently bump up against their character flaw –
dishonesty, limiting beliefs, hubris etc. that is what keeping them from going
forward.

Secondary characters add to this conflict/ they are pushing our love birds to stick to
the steady path and start to impact the journey of the others
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Sequence 4 ends with a major shift in the external plot and the relationship which
locks the hero and heroine together in a powerful way. This could be a sexual, close,
intimate or personal moment, but it has to be a fundamental shift that changes the
entire direction of the story.

This is Turning Point#3, at about the halfway point through

the book. This is also known as the Midpoint of No Return.
They cannot go back from this point.

Example. In Notting Hill, Anna turns up on his doorstep looking for shelter and
protection.

Example. In As Good as it Gets. Helen Hunt and Jack Nicolson agree to take a gay
artist to see his parents to ask for financial help, which means they are locked
together on a road trip and forced to communicate away from their ordinary world.

ACT THREE. SEQUENCE FIVE.

After the midpoint of no return, the stakes increase at several levels and their
relationship becomes threatened by complications and issues.

Things are getting more difficult for our characters and the romantic tension is really
mounting.

Their limiting beliefs and fears are overcome by deep connection. They step outside
of their comfort zone and start to disclose and share their life with the other person.

Usually there is intimacy and passion for one another, leading to a strong trusting
bond between them, locking them even closer together.

The heroine [or the hero] is trusting enough to share her background “ghost” and the
cause of her inner conflict with the hero. He responds tenderly to the revelation with
warmth and understanding. Sincere bonding. Intimacy and sensitivity. Protection.

Sequence 5 ends in a pinch point where something

changes in their relationship at around the 62 to 65% point
in the story.
The conflict is mounting in the relationship which is developing despite the
misgivings our characters have. Each of them working towards their individual goals
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then something physical romantically plays out. There is a kiss, sleep-over, some
major milestone.

Mutual feelings take root but also one character can pull back from the other.

It does not allow the characters to resolve any of their problems.

Because our characters have not dealt with the individual issues that they are facing.
That is what allows us to ramp up the tension and send the story into more and more
complicated territory.

Example. In Notting Hill, Anna and William spend the night together and build an
intimate, trusting bond. Share some of their personal background history and
problems.

Example. When Harry meets Sally. They sleep together and the entire relationship
changes and they move further apart. They used to be best friends. It results from a
lie that he believes about the world – that they cannot be friends. And she has
romantic feelings but is scared because she knows his feelings and beliefs about the
world. Because the two characters have not overcome their flawed belief about the
world they are not ready to be together yet.

ACT THREE. SEQUENCE SIX

Stakes and problems ramp up as the external and internal conflict increases as their
passion develops. They have grown mutually dependent on one another and feel a
natural bond between them.

Both hero and heroine have started to move away from their limiting beliefs and into
a trusting growth state because of their relationship.

The hero [or the heroine] shares his source of pain and internal conflict in a major
revelation scene.

Then something happens.

Some major revelation threatens their relationship- through the external conflict,
which directly challenges the internal conflict and fears of one of them.

It could be linked to the revelations about the character’s backstory, or a betrayal of

their trust or self-worth, for example where the other person had been keeping the
whole truth hidden. But this is a major set-back.
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One of them steps away from the relationship and retreats back into the old self-
protective mode.

This is the moment in which our characters truly are the furthest apart in their
journey.

This is the dark moment, the crisis climax where the two characters have to confront
one another about the serious nature of the conflict, the thing they have not been
discussing the entire time.

It might also come from other sources = the ex boyfriend causing trouble, lots of
hidden secrets, miscommunication, the lies comes out, the jealousy etc – but
ultimately both characters retreat from the relationship, the tears happen, the
recriminations happen and now it seems that the pair will never get together.

This is critical since it allows the characters to see themselves outside of the
relationship because of the breakup = who are they in their lives, are they on the path
they want to be on, do they want to be somewhere else, what can they do to seek out
this new readjusted goal and ultimately how can they find their way back to their
other person .

So this needs to be the dark night of the soul, the low point, the moment when the
characters are stripped of everything that they had in terms of a relationship and it is
an essential beat because we have to start at the point of being at our lowest point
before climbing back and learning from our mistakes which we are going to see in
our final beat which is the resolution.

Sequence 6 ends with Turning Point#4, Major Setback, at

about the 75% point through the book. This is also known
as the Dark Night of the Soul or the Black Moment and is a
compulsory plot point in any romance.

Example. In Notting Hill, Anna feels betrayed when the press turn up at William’s
house and she tells him that she will regret this forever – this is the end.

Example. As Good as it Gets. Carol persuades Melvin to take her out to have dinner.
Melvin's comments during the dinner flatter Carol – but then he insults her and her
self-respect, and she walks out on him. After returning to New York, Carol tells
Melvin that she does not want him in her life anymore.

Example. Knocked Up. At the maternity check clinic. Just because these two people
are having a child together after a one night stand does not mean that they are on
the same page about everything. She has continuously asked him to read the baby
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books and be part of this relationship and take this situation seriously and grow up.
That is something that he resists on the belief that he has lived his life this way and
okay. She does not want to know the baby’s gender – he already knows. His flaw is
being immature and childish when he is facing massive life changes. Ben has to arc
and he has to change but it will take a massive confrontation and this is where it
happens.

Conflict does not mean fighting or bickering. Every line has to matter in a fight like
this since you are challenging the deep internal beliefs of the other person – but you
need to have that intense moment.

ACT FOUR. SEQUENCE SEVEN.

Everything they have gained in the story and the entire relationship seems at risk –
they are under attack. All of their fears about being vulnerable are back in place.
Their old belief systems threaten to destroy this relationship.

Hero and heroine must regroup and work out what to do next in the final push to
build a relationship – using the new strengths and lessons they have learnt in their
character growth. They are not the same person they were when the story began.

Sequence 7 ends in Turning Point#5. The Climax decision.

Do or die. Commit, compromise or walk away. Usually at
the 90% point in the book.

Example. In Notting Hill, William decides to go and see her filming in London and is
rejected again. She comes to his shop with the gift and asks him to love her. He
cannot – his heart will not be able to recover when she leaves him.

Example. As Good as it Gets. Melvin is desperate and begs his former neighbour and
now housemate and friend Simon for help. Simon persuades Melvin to take a chance
and declare his love for Carol.
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ACT FOUR. SEQUENCE EIGHT.

Sequence 8 is the aftermath and resolution of the Climax
decision as the hero and heroine commit to one another
and find a life together.
They have to show how they have grown, overcome the obstacles and conquered
their old beliefs. They earned their happy ever after and this is it.

They have to take a remarkable leap of faith in the other person.

Either the hero or the heroine – or both – have a self-revelation which drives them to
be the person who represents their true self.

Make sure that the Resolution is realistic and the circumstances that led to the
breakup have been resolved in a truthful organic way to your world and to your
characters/

The idea is that you are planting something at the beginning and paying it off at the
climax -you have the core idea set up at the beginning and paid it off and playing it
out at the end.

Example. In Notting Hill, realisation that he has made a horrible mistake –William
chases after her and declares his stupidity. Asks her to stay. They marry and start a
family.

Example. When Harry met Sally. It’s New Year’s Eve. He tells her all of the tiny details
that he loves about her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her and wants
that to start asap. He is able to admit his love and he sees all of the things that she
thought that he did not see in her.

Example. As Good as it Gets. Melvin goes to see Carol, who is hesitant, but agrees to
try and establish a relationship with him. The film ends with Melvin and Carol walking
together into a pastry shop early in the morning. His growth is shown when he steps
on a crack in the pavement, overcoming his obsessive-compulsive disorder.