Are you a control freak? I am: I crave structure. When I decided to write a story and Google failed to find me a generic outline, I sought help.
- A teacher explained that a story has a beginning, middle, and an end.
- A movie maven explained my story needed a beginning, change, climax, denouement (wha-at?), and conclusion.
These were descriptions – where was the structure?
I cobbled together an outline from books about writing but it failed to write my story; an outline practically writes a technical report so its failure to write a story came as a surprise. Frustrated, I spent an afternoon writing a random scene – just to put something on paper.
I began by writing the middle of the story.
It worked: only critical characters emerged. The seeker and her comic relief, the love interest. The villain was implied: somebody was dead and a bad guy dunnit. As I developed the bad guy, he brought baggage and suddenly I had a dynamic cast, each with a purpose and the nuggets of a backstory. I could imagine where the scene might go (conclusion) and background needed to explain the significance (introduction).
My outline (below) placed the scene within a larger story. New scenes became imperative, not for the sake of word count but because I had to show the bad guy was evil and show why the seeker was attractive. I set them on a collision course and encouraged conflict (that was a hurdle: I shy from conflict) using this outline:
1. Identify the hero and the  status quo.
2. Introduce a change/challenge.
- how does the hero change/adapt/resist
- what happens to her/his friends
3. Introduce adversity/conflict.
- betrayal
- fear/sense of failure
4. Plan, work, stretch.
- discover abilities & capacities
- make new friends or watch friends grow to accommodate the adventure
- develop a plan and  execute
5. First plan fails.
- epic event so devastating the good guys rethink tactics, strategy, and the goal.
- The failure that wasn’t an option became reality.
6. Look inward and fight yourself.
- The main character grows and transcends a fatal flaw. This is not a happy occasion. The audience’s ability to connect and to empathize pivot on how your character handles it. Not to get all Musashi, but spend time on this scene.
7. Devise a second plan that requires sacrifice and fundamental change.
- What is more important: acquiring the cool toy or succeeding without it? Curing cancer or accepting that bad things happen?
- What is success worth? Does the hero greenlight a cost s/he wasn’t  previously willing to pay?
8. Execute the second plan. Climax. Triumph – success at cost.
This success eclipses the first failure. Make it real; if you squirm out, the audience will leave.