When will it ever end?

Most stories share a common structure derived from just three component parts:

Premise Conflict Resolution

Or, if you prefer:

“Where the hell am I and what the hell’s going on?” “Aw jeez – can you make this any more difficult?” “Wow – who’d have thought we’d end up here?”

One of the seminal works on classic story structure is Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”

Think of any story and there’s a good chance it’ll fit this mould, whether it’s a traditional folk tale, a modern...