{"id":30966,"date":"2022-11-20T09:16:17","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T13:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=30966"},"modified":"2024-01-15T11:02:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T15:02:04","slug":"why-use-a-story-structure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure\/","title":{"rendered":"Why use a story structure?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Plus: 18 writing templates to try<\/h2>\n<p>People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. (Mandler and Johnson 1977; Kintsch, Mandel and Kozminsky in 1977; Mandler 1978; Stein 1976; and Thorndyke 1977)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30967\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30967\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"30967\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure\/why-use-a-story-structure\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"why-use-a-story-structure\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. That\u2019s because those familiar structures fit into readers\u2019 existing mental frameworks. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/three-post-isolated-on-white-background-57228280&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Roxana Bashyrova&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" alt=\"Why use a story structure?\" title=\"Why use a story structure?\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30967 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure-300x200.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"30967\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure\/why-use-a-story-structure\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"why-use-a-story-structure\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. That\u2019s because those familiar structures fit into readers\u2019 existing mental frameworks. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/three-post-isolated-on-white-background-57228280&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Roxana Bashyrova&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png\" alt=\"Why use a story structure?\" title=\"Why use a story structure?\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-use-a-story-structure-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. That\u2019s because those familiar structures fit into readers\u2019 existing mental frameworks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/three-post-isolated-on-white-background-57228280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Image by Roxana Bashyrova<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The reason: People have mental frameworks \u2014 aka\u00a0schemata\u00a0\u2014 that they\u2019ve built through experience and instruction. These mental frameworks provide a skeletal structure for organizing information as they read. (Anderson, 1977; Rumelhart, 1975)<\/p>\n<h5>&#8220;Comprehension and composition bear a reciprocal relation to each other.&#8221;<\/h5>\n<h6>\u2014 Robert C. Calfee, Ph.D, professor of Education and Psychology at Stanford University<\/h6>\n<p>The more familiar the writer&#8217;s framework, the easier it is for readers to place new information into their own schematas. Otherwise, information just comes across as a list of facts, which people can only recall through rote memorization.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why researchers Robert C. Calfee and R. Curley set out to create a taxonomy, or classification, of the most well-known story structures. Here&#8217;s what they learned along the way.<\/p>\n<h3>Common story structures<\/h3>\n<p>Bonnie J.F. Meyer suggests using one of these five structures for the major points in your piece:<\/p>\n<table class=\"pinktable\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"3\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" colspan=\"3\">\n<h3>Bonnie J.F. Meyer&#8217;s topical plans<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">What<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">How<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Example<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\">Antecedent and consequence<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Show cause and effect, if \u2026 then.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">A bylined editorial may use this approach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\">Comparison<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Present two or more opposing viewpoints.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Political speeches often use this approach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\">Description<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Develop the topic by describing its component parts, such as attributes, specifications or settings.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Newspaper articles, for instance, explain who, what, when, where, why and how.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\">Response<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Organize by remark and reply, question and answer or problem and solution.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Case studies focus on the problem and solution.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\">Time-order<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Relate events or ideas chronologically.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Company profiles often use this approach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Bonnie Armbruster, Ph.D., professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, lists these common structures:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Simple list<\/strong>: List items or ideas where the order of presentation is not significant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compare\/contrast<\/strong>: Describe similarities or differences between two or more things.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temporal sequence<\/strong>: Show the passage of time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cause and<\/strong> <strong>effect<\/strong>: Organize by reason and result.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Problem\/solution<\/strong>: Cite the problem and the solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Draw a narrative line<\/h3>\n<p>Armbruster also offers these elements for a narrative story:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Goals<\/li>\n<li>Actions<\/li>\n<li>Outcomes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In 1975, cognitive psychologist David Rumelhart developed this formula for a simple narrative:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>story<\/strong> = a <strong>setting<\/strong> (It was a dark and stormy night) + 1 or more <strong>episodes<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>An <strong>episode<\/strong> = an event (Boy meets girl) + 1 or more <strong>responses<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>response<\/strong> includes:\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>plan<\/strong> (He decided to call her).<\/li>\n<li>An <strong>action<\/strong> (He picked up the phone.)<\/li>\n<li>A <strong>consequence<\/strong> (And she came running.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>All the story structures that are fit to print?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Based on their survey of story structures, Calfee and Curley developed this taxonomy.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"pinktable\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"3\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" colspan=\"3\">\n<h3>Calfee &amp; Curley&#8217;s taxonomy of story structures<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Description<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Definition<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Elaborate on the meaning of a term.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Classification<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Relate groups of objects, events or ideas according to a principle or similarity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Comparison &amp; Contrast<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Highlight similarities or differences among two or more entities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Illustration<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Analogy<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Compare two things or activities to help explain one of them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td valign=\"top\">Example<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Illustrate with a sample or outstanding incidence.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Sequence<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Process<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Show the steps toward a result.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Cause &amp; effect<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Show the sequence of events in a causal chain.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Narration<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Tell a story.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td rowspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Argument<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Deductive<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Reach a conclusion from generalities to particulars.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td valign=\"top\">Inductive<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Reach a conclusion from particulars to generalities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td valign=\"top\">Persuasive<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Present ideas in the most convincing manner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td valign=\"top\">Evidence<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Support your claim with concrete facts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Functional<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Introduction<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Open with a statement to introduce the position and maybe also the structure.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Transition<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Emphasize relations among ideas or changes in theme.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Conclusion<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Review thematic material; tie together lines of thought.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">Summary<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Write a brief statement of the main points.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Explanation<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Listing<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">List items or ideas where the order of presentation is not significant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td valign=\"top\">Instructions<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">Outline step-by-step how-to&#8217;s.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>Which of these story structures can you use to make your next piece easier to read, understand and remember?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Sources: Robert C. Calfee, and R. Curley \u201cStructures of prose in content areas,\u201d In <em>Understanding reading comprehension<\/em>, ed. J. Flood. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 1984, pp. 161-180<\/p>\n<p>Bonnie J. F. Meyer, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/357843\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reading Research and the Composition Teacher: The Importance of Plans<\/a>, <em>College Composition and Communication,<\/em> Vol. 33, No. 1 (February 1982), pp. 37-49<\/p>\n<p>Bonnie B. Armbruster, \u201cThe problem of inconsiderate text,\u201d in <em>Comprehension instruction<\/em>, ed. G. Duffey. New York: Longmann, 1984, pp. 202-217<\/p>\n<div id='MMC-Feature' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-83\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/feature-writing-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/writing-structure-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/writing-structure-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>Draw readers in with the best structure<\/h3>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Writers say, \u201cWe use the inverted pyramid because readers stop reading after the first paragraph.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>But in new research, readers say, \u201cWe stop reading after the first paragraph because you use the inverted pyramid.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Learn a structure that\u2019s been proven in the lab to outperform the inverted pyramid at our <a title=\"Feature-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/feature-writing-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>feature-writing workshop<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/feature-writing-workshop\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/feature-writing-workshop\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus: 18 writing templates to try<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":30967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[233,165],"class_list":{"0":"post-30966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story-structure","8":"tag-story-structure","9":"tag-templates","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why use a story structure?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. 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