To structure a christmas story
The Second Day of Christmas
By Nick Dunkerley
🎄 Once you have an idea for your story, it’s time to shape it.
Every story needs a structure—it’s what makes the difference between an engaging narrative and a collection of random thoughts.
Think of structure as the backbone of your story. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just a clear beginning, middle, and end. That’s often all you need.
For example: “I went to buy a Christmas tree.” Not a story.
But add a twist: “A young lady grabbed the last tree in town right in front of me.”
Now we’re curious—what happens next?
“And then we kissed. We’ve been married for twenty years this Christmas.”
There it is: beginning, middle, end. Simple, but it works.
Exploring Other StructureS
Of course, there’s more than one way to tell a story. Here are a few other structures you might consider:
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The Hero’s Journey: A character starts in an ordinary world, faces a challenge, and comes out changed. Think of your favorite holiday movie—Elf or It’s a Wonderful Life—and you’ll see this structure in action.
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Circular Storytelling: The story starts and ends in the same place, but the characters or audience have gained new insights along the way. Imagine starting with the sound of bells on Christmas morning, exploring various perspectives, and returning to those same bells at the end, but now with a deeper meaning.
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The Three-Act Model: Act 1 sets the stage and introduces the conflict. Act 2 is the journey or struggle. Act 3 resolves the conflict and ties up loose ends. It’s the blueprint for countless holiday classics.
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List or Countdown: Perfect for a piece like The Sound of Christmas. Each section could explore one unique holiday sound or perspective, creating a satisfying rhythm and flow.
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More about
story structures
If you’d like to learn more about story structures,
Nick has written a blog on the topic.
You can find it in our blog overview
or navigate directly to it here.
UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCSTURE
The story here continues below
🎄
How to Choose a Structure
The key is to choose a structure that serves your story and keeps your audience engaged.
Use it like a tool—not to box yourself in, but to guide your storytelling.
And if your story feels like it’s missing something, structure can help you figure out what:
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Does your story have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
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Is there tension or intrigue that keeps the audience curious?
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Does it leave the listener with a sense of resolution or something to think about?
For The Sound of Christmas, here’s one possible structure:
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Beginning: Most of us think we know what Christmas sounds like—bells, laughter, footsteps in the snow.
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Middle: But not everyone celebrates it this way. What does Christmas sound like for people of other faiths, in other places, or for those spending it alone?
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End: By listening to different perspectives, we might all get a little closer to the meaning of the season.
Tomorrow, we’ll take this structure and use it to create a storyboard—your visual guide for bringing the story to life.
🎁 Today’s challenge: Take the idea you came up with yesterday and experiment with different structures.
Does it fit a Hero’s Journey? A circular story? Or a simple beginning, middle, and end?
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