Welcome to the Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast. I'm K M. Wyland and I am here to take you

deep with story theory, writing techniques, and the incredible wisdom of story.

I believe story is the greatest power on this earth,

and that as writers, we carry the torch of wielding that power

with responsibility, passion, and skill.

There is no such thing as just a story.

Today, it is my honor and my purpose

to help you write your best story,

astound the world, and maybe change your life.

Hello and welcome.

You are listening to Secrets of Story Structure Part 1, five reasons story structure is important.

What's the single most overlooked, misunderstood, and yet important part of storytelling.

So you've already heard this episode's title, you already know the answer is story

structure.

Twelve years ago, I shared the series, Secrets of Story Structure, on my website.

And that series became the basis of one of my best known writing craft books structuring your novel.

That original series and the book that followed were founded upon my journey as a writer,

particularly the burning need to know how story worked. What is story? Anyway, and which

principles and patterns could show me how to write stories that hung together, created seamless arcs, and most importantly,

resonated with readers. Like most young authors, I was eventually told the answer to all these questions was structure.

When I began exploring what that meant, I had no idea how monumental a journey I had just embarked on. I expected story structure to teach me how to write great stories.

What I didn't foresee was that it would also change my entire perspective of life itself. My basic question, what is story anyway,

...