PLOT STRUCTURE: FOUR PARTS
Use this to check the shape of a story before you outline chapters.
Each part is roughly a quarter of the story.

PART 1: SETUP (the first quarter)
Normal life: what does the main character's world look like at the start?
The problem that is already there:
The event that cannot be ignored:
The first decision: what do they choose to do about it?

PART 2: COMPLICATION (to the halfway point)
What is different now?
Allies and opponents:
First attempts: what do they try, and why does it not work?
Midpoint: what do they learn that changes the meaning of everything so far?

PART 3: ESCALATION (to the three-quarter point)
The new plan after the midpoint:
The rising cost: what does chasing the goal now put at risk?
The low point: what is lost?

PART 4: RESOLUTION (the last quarter)
The final decision: what do they choose when it counts?
The climax: where and how is the main conflict settled?
The final picture: how is their life different from the start?

ONE-LINE CHECK
[Character] wants [goal], but [obstacle], so they [action], which leads to [ending].