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  Three acts

  3 acts · 8 chapters · 13 scenes

  Setup, confrontation and resolution: the shape most novels and films share.

  Any genre, and a first draft you want to keep simple.Use template
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  The hero’s journey

  3 acts · 12 chapters · 12 scenes

  Twelve stages from the call to adventure to the return home, grouped in departure, initiation and return.

  Fantasy, adventure and quests.Use template
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  Fifteen-beat outline

  3 acts · 15 chapters · 15 scenes

  The beat sheet screenwriters use, fifteen turning points across three acts.

  Tight, commercial plots with clear turning points.Use template
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  Seven-point structure

  7 chapters · 7 scenes

  Plan backwards from the ending: hook, turns, pinches, midpoint and resolution.

  Writers who know the ending first.Use template
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  Kishōtenketsu

  4 chapters · 4 scenes

  Four movements built on a twist instead of a conflict.

  Literary fiction, short stories and quiet, character-led books.Use template
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  Mystery

  3 acts · 5 chapters · 9 scenes

  A crime, an investigation of clues and false leads, and a fair reveal.

  Crime, detective and cosy mysteries.Use template
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  Romance

  3 acts · 5 chapters · 9 scenes

  Two people, what keeps them apart, and what it takes to choose each other.

  Romance and love stories in any setting.Use template