Michael Hauge’s

SIX STAGE PLOT STRUCTURE

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Stage I: Stage II: Stage III: Stage IV: Stage V: Stage VI:
SETUP NEW PROGRESS COMPLICATIONS FINAL PUSH AFTER-
Fully in
identity SITUATION Vacillates between
identity and essence
& HIGHER STAKES Retreats to identity,
then returns fully to
MATH
Glimpses essence Moves steadily into essence essence Transformed
existence

Turning Point #1: Turning Point #2: Turning Point #3: Turning Point #4: Turning Point #5:
Opportunity Change of Plans Point of No Return Major Setback Climax

Act I Act II Act III

 2005 Michael Hauge www.StoryMastery.com (818) 995-4209
 Key Components of the Inner Journey
Longing or Need
This is a desire that is expressed but the protagonist does nothing
about it. It’s a hole in the character’s soul. A longing is expressed while
a need is not acknowledged. This need is usually for a connection with
another person.
Wound
A painful experience from the past is still driving the protagonist’s
behavior. Most typically take place in adolescence. In “Up,” the older
man’s wife Ellie dies. His wound is that he never gave her the
adventure he’d promised.
Belief
We formulate a belief to explain what caused the wound, and to prevent
it from happening again. In “Up,” the guy believes he failed by not
keeping his promise. In a romance, it might be the heroine’s belief that
if she loves again, her heart might be broken like before, and she might
not survive this time. Or, an abused child believes he deserved
punishment. The belief is never true but it is always logical.
Fear
We harbor the Fear that the painful experience will happen again. The
Belief is very specific as to what may cause it to reoccur. For the
abused child, the fear might be of letting anyone see who he truly is. An
abandoned child might believe that anyone he gets close to will
disappear. In “Up,” the man’s fear is that if he lets go of Ellie, he’ll lose
all connection to her (i.e. he’ll lose her again).
Identity
The Identity is the false self we present to the outer world that allows
us to feel safe. It protects us from the fear that grows out of the belief
that was created by the long-ago wound. In “Up,” the main character
has turned into a curmudgeon who lives in an empty house with Ellie’s
things still there. If he sells the house or lets anyone inside, he might
lose his memory of her. He must protect his memory of her at all cost.
Our identities keep us feeling safe. It’s our emotional armor. But it
makes us believe this is who we really are.
Essence
The Essence is a person’s true potential if they let go of the Identity. We
see who this person really is underneath their façade.
The heroine of a story must leave her identity behind and live fully in
her essence. This is the only way to achieve the outer motivation or
visible goal.
Identity versus Essence is the Inner Conflict. The heroine’s inner
journey or character arc takes her from living fully in the Identity to
living fully in the Essence.
Looking at the Six Stage Plot Structure, in Stage One which is the Set
Up, the heroine is living in her Identity. She believes the wound is in
the past and over. Then an Opportunity arises that moves her to a New
Situation. In the New Situation, the heroine is still in her Identity but
she gets a glimpse of what living in the Essence would be like. She sets
a goal.
To achieve this goal, she must live in the Essence. In the film “Up,” the
main character realizes his wife Ellie viewed their marriage as an
adventure. He throws out their furniture, which has served as his
emotional armor, and he moves on to a new adventure. He goes into his
Essence and achieves his goal.
The inner journey involves moving from Identity to Essence. This
exposes the Fear, and so the protagonist retreats to her Identity before
finally embracing the Essence. The Aftermath shows the reward where
the heroine has found the courage to move beyond her Fear and live
her truth.
This character arc should be a universal truth, while the outer plot is
specific to the story. i.e. To live fully, we have to be willing to let go of
the past and move forward.
This transformation should be gradual and not an epiphany. During
the third stage, the character makes Progress. She vacillates between
her Identity and her Essence. She feels vulnerable at getting a glimpse
of her Essence and retreats back into her Identity.
In a romance, the biggest weakness is when there’s no solid reason why
these two people should be together except the author wants it.
Attraction at first sight is okay, but physical chemistry only takes you
so far. This does not make for an enduring relationship. Why are these
two people in love? They fall in love because they are each other’s
destiny. The hero is the only one who sees beneath the heroine’s
Identity and appreciates her true Essence. And vice versa. They
connect at the level of the Essence. When there’s a love triangle, the
guy she’s going to leave represents her Identity. The guy who is her
destiny represents her Essence.
Conflict takes place at the level of Identity. Connection is at the level of
Essence.
At the Change of Plans, the characters may not recognize their goal of
pursuing each other but the reader does. You can put them into a
competition or force them to work together. At the half-way mark, they
can acknowledge their goal but still resist it.
Complications (Stage Four) ensue as the outside world intrudes. The
heroine might feel safe but unfulfilled in her Identity. She can have it
all, but she has to get past her Fear. She may think, “I’ll do whatever it
takes to achieve my goal. Just don’t ask me to [blank] because that’s
not me.” You know it’s the right thing if [blank] scares her.
At the Major Setback, both characters retreat to their Identities to feel
safe. In a romance, this is the Big Black Moment.
The heroine’s reflection character (best friend, sidekick, etc.) says,
“What are you doing? This isn’t you. Go after him.” The reflection
reminds the character of who she truly is.
The hero and heroine make the Final Push (Stage Five) to achieve their
goals and win each other’s love. They return fully to their Essence.
The Aftermath (Stage Six) shows their transformed existence.