PART 1 - SETUP Scene, Setting, Stakes

Where do the opening scenes in your story take

place?

What’s the mood, weather, feel of that place?

What is your unexpected event to hook your

reader early on?

What thing will your hero see that will come

back to haunt him/her later?

What reaction does your hero have to the hook

incident?

What would your hero do if faced with a moral

decision that would harm him/her either way?

What is your first plot point—inciting incident?

The spur to the hero’s quest?

What will happen if your hero doesn’t undertake

the quest?
PART 2 - REACTION
Retreat, Run, Regroup, Understand

In this section the hero runs for his life.

What is stronger than your hero’s earlier want or

desire that would make him/her flee in terror to
save him/herself?

What action will your hero take that will be

ineffective in helping him/her?

What is the evil force that may not be fully

known to your hero?

What is your hero’s reaction to the hint at this

evil force?

How will you lead your hero to understand what

he/she is up against?

At the midpoint of your story, what revelation

will the hero have?

What will metaphorically, physically or

spiritually “die” in your hero at the midpoint?

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PART 3 - PROACTION
In this section the hero tries to fight back but has
to fail.

How will your hero react and fail to address the

midpoint revelation?

How will you hint at the evil force against the

hero again?

How will your hero react to that second pinch

point?

Will you have a pre-second plot point lull? Give

your reader a little secret?

How will you lead your hero up to the world

changing completely again at the Second Plot
Point?

What Second Plot Point/revelation will your

hero have that will allow him/her to finally
understand how to defeat the evil?

What impending event is looming—what clock

is ticking? How long does your hero have to fix
everything?

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PART 4 - RESOLUTION
Climax Battle Scene. In this section the
outmatched hero fights the bad guy/gal and wins
or is martyred.

How will you show your hero accepting that

what he/she has to do to win?

How/where will your final battle play out?

What will the hero accomplish when he/she
triumphs or dies?

What new understanding does the hero now

have after the dust settles on the battle?

Is this a series? Will you have a cliffhanger to

lead readers to next novel?

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Mapping Our Days to the 4PSS

Day 1 - (10 hours) Brainstorm, killer concept

creation, overlay your story onto the four part
story structure’s elements.

Day 2 - PART 1 (5,000-10,000 words) Hook -

Opening scenes, grab the reader with some
exciting initial event, establish the hero and the
stakes for success or failure.

Day 3 - PART 1 (5,000-10,000 words) Setup -

Foreshadow coming events, set up the inciting
incident, first plot point—inciting incident—
hero has to choose.

Day 4 - PART 2 (5,000-10,000 words) Reaction

to the first plot point. Retreat, regroup, run
away! Doomed attempt to take action.

Flailing hero.

In this section the hero fears for his/her life,

maybe fights back a little, add a dash of
fornicating to try and take the fear away, and
you have about 90% of the stories ever written.
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Day 5 - PART 2 (5,000-10,000 words) Halfway
There! - Hint at an evil hidden force against
your hero. At the end of this section, the hero
figures out what they’re up against at the very
physical middle of the book— page 200-ish.
You and your hero are halfway to the end!

Day 6 - PART 3 (5,000-10,000 words) Fight

Back and Fail? - Reaction to midpoint of
figuring out the threat. Hero takes matters into
his own hands and fights back against the now
—he thinks—known villain. Hint at the hidden
evil force again.

Day 7 - PART 3 (5,000-10,000 words) Ripping

the Rug Out! - Just when you thought you were
almost there, your hero’s world changes
completely. World changes again and what hero
thought is not actually true. Second plot point at
the end of this section. Start the ticking clock.

Day 8 - PART 4 (5,000-10,000 words) Climax!

- Hero accepts reality of his/her situation. The
final battle scene against the evil force. Win and
live, or die a martyr for a cause.

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Day 9 - PART 4 (5,000-10,000 words) Dawn of
a New Day—New Equilibrium. You and your
hero have changed your world(s) . . . forever.

In the case of a trilogy or series, this is where a

cliffhanger will go. Some unforeseen, but
foreshadowed, threat that continues the hero’s
quest.