Thread by @itsamia

THE TEXAS HOLD ’EM STRUCTURE: A NOVEL IN 4 ACTS
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A question came up about structuring novels & how a 3-act isn’t always the best framework for the story. Growing in popularity is kishoutenketsu, the Japanese 4-act. But I think the West should use already-extant structures. 1/

Why? Because the West does not need to plunder other cultures for their storytelling methods before fully exploring its own. Novels can be written using any framework available. 2-acts exist (musicals, operas). 5-acts exist (Shakespearean plays). 2/

We're obsessed over agency in the West. We love our individualism and the ability to make choices. Texas hold ’em is a variant of poker built on player agency and the consequences of the choices the players make. 3/

I love Texas hold ’em. It's a card game, yes, but more than that, it's a game of learning the other players at the table and sussing out what they'll do next. It's a game of pitting unknown factors against unknown factors, with luck thrown in. And that can be your novel. 4/

ACT 1: The Hand

The hand is dealt. This is your exposition, your laying out of the stakes and goals. Introduce your cast, contextualize the setting for the MC. Your MC is sitting at the most precarious seat at the table—the big ante. They decide they're in. 5/

ACT 2: The Flop

The other players/forces make their choices. The flop lands on the table. Your MC now starts calculating. Is it worth going on? How much of a hand can they build? Someone bets. Most casual players with a halfway decent hand will see that bet. So will your MC. 6/

At any point your MC can make a different decision and fold. Or your MC can double down. Your MC can see the bet and raise the stakes. Scare off others, if possible. Or bluff and end the game early (this can backfire, and your MC may have to push all in before they're ready). 7/

ACT 3: The Turn

EVERYTHING CHANGES. Your MC either sees this through or folds before they die of bleeding out antes. THIS IS YOUR MC'S REVERSAL OF FORTUNE. Their moment of clarity. Their oh-no-it's-the-consequences-of-my-actions. Raise the stakes. *The goal changes.* 8/10

ACT 4: The River

This is your final act and your big setpiece. If your MC is here, there's no end but winning (sometimes the pyrrhic type) or losing. There is no escape. Your MC ekes out the ultimate win against everyone and everything or suffers a tragic defeat. 9/10

Hold ’em players understand the psychological, emotional, and mental aspects of the game to make the best choices they can, and that's why I think a novel built on hold ’em can be pacey, tight, and capture a reader's attention. If you try this, let me know... 10/10

BONUS TWEET: I believe you can write on just about any structure available and I always want to see experimentation, especially in short form. Write a novel in a circle. Write it like a house. Write it with popular song structure. Write it like a sestina. GO FOR IT.