How to Write Enduring Bestsellers with the Two-Act Chiastic Structure

Novel Marketing

The last time I visited Barnes and Noble, I marveled at the comic book section. Western comic books only filled a couple of shelves, while around the corner, there was an entire aisle of manga comic books.
I wondered, “Why is Eastern manga so much more popular than Western comic books from DC and Marvel?” As I investigated, I discovered an interesting and shockingly ancient answer.
Western storytelling is typically based on the three-act structure, which dates back to Aristotle. But one ancient story structure that dates back to the time of oral storytelling and is still popular in the East, yet it appeals to modern Western readers.
Many Western storytellers have rediscovered it and used it to write some of the most enduring bestsellers in the English language, including Pride and Prejudice, Goodnight Moon, and Dracula.
In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss

• A story structure based on only two acts
• How to create a two-act structure for a sentence or a series
• How this structure might rescue a story you’ve been struggling to finish

Listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to learn about this ancient story structure and how can you use it to make your book more appealing to readers.

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章

1. How to Write Enduring Bestsellers with the Two-Act Chiastic Structure (00:00:00)

2. This is the Anime Formula, Not the Hollywood Formula (00:02:19)

3. What is a chasm? (00:03:31)

4. Beautifully Resonate Symmetry (00:05:09)

5. Two Acts and a Cataclysm (00:08:22)

6. A Chiasm Can Add Emphasis, Humor, or Mystery (00:13:48)

7. Timeless Tension Through Contrasting Characters (00:17:50)

8. Powerful Endings (00:20:33)

9. Transform a Messy Middle into a Meaningful Peripety (00:22:44)

10. Peripety in a Single Sentence (00:24:50)

11. A Flexible Structure (00:25:53)