# McPhee's Structural Diagramming

## Table of Contents

- [Workflow](#workflow) - Step-by-step checklist for structure planning
- [Philosophy](#philosophy) - Core principles of structural thinking
- [Why Structure Matters](#why-structure-matters) - Impact of good vs. bad structure
- [The Diagramming Method](#the-diagramming-method) - McPhee's approach
- [Structure Types](#structure-types) - 8 structural patterns with examples
- [Creating Your Own Structure Diagram](#creating-your-own-structure-diagram) - Five-step process
- [Gold-Coin Placement Strategy](#gold-coin-placement-strategy) - How to reward readers
- [Structure Selection Criteria](#structure-selection-criteria) - Matching structure to material

## Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

```
Structure Planning:
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze material thoroughly
- [ ] Step 2: Explore structure options
- [ ] Step 3: Select and refine structure
```

**Before starting:** Review [Philosophy](#philosophy) and [Why Structure Matters](#why-structure-matters) to understand the principles.

**IMPORTANT:** For analysis steps, output findings to analysis files in the current directory to ensure thorough coverage of all material. These analysis files remain in the project for your review.

**Step 1: Analyze material thoroughly**

Gather and understand all material completely. Create analysis file `writer-structure-material-analysis.md` and output: ALL key points/anecdotes/data/quotes/examples, themes and patterns, what's most important vs supporting detail, natural organizing principle (time, space, importance, comparison), and reader considerations (busy? engaged? unfamiliar? expert?). See [Step 1: Gather Your Material](#step-1-gather-your-material) for detailed guidance.

**Step 2: Explore structure options**

Read the analysis file. Review all [8 Structure Types](#structure-types) with examples. Create analysis file `writer-structure-options.md` and sketch 3 different structure options, each with: type, diagram sketch, pros/cons, and how material fits. Test each option against [Structure Selection Criteria](#structure-selection-criteria). See [Step 3: Sketch 3 Options](#step-3-sketch-3-options) for detailed process.

**Step 3: Select and refine structure**

Read the options file. Compare all three options and select the structure that best serves the material. Map key moments and transitions. Identify where to place [gold-coin moments](#gold-coin-placement-strategy) throughout (especially middle). Annotate structure diagram with pacing and transition notes. Verify structure supports your through-line (promise → delivery → resonance). Test: Does this feel inevitable or forced? Create final annotated structure diagram for user to review before drafting. See [Step 4: Test Each Structure](#step-4-test-each-structure) and [Step 5: Select and Refine](#step-5-select-and-refine) for detailed guidance.

**How to know if your structure is working:**

If structure is working: Readers won't notice it, they'll just experience flow, they'll feel the piece is "well-organized", they'll reach the end satisfied.

If structure isn't working: Readers will feel lost, they'll wonder "where is this going?", they'll experience it as disorganized, they might abandon before the end.

---

## Philosophy

"Structure is as visible as someone's bones" - readers shouldn't notice it, but it carries everything.

Structure must:
- Arise from within the material (not imposed upon it)
- Serve the content (not the other way around)
- Be invisible to readers (they experience flow, not architecture)
- Be planned before drafting (blueprint first, build second)

## Why Structure Matters

Good structure:
- Carries readers effortlessly through your piece
- Creates natural momentum
- Supports your argument or narrative
- Places key moments strategically
- Makes complex material digestible

Bad structure (or no structure):
- Readers get lost
- Momentum stalls
- Key points get buried
- Material feels random or chaotic

## The Diagramming Method

**McPhee's Approach:**
1. Understand your material completely first
2. Identify the natural organizing principle
3. Sketch 3 different structural options
4. Select the one that best serves the content
5. Annotate with key moments and transitions

**From Mrs. McKee's Teaching:**
"Can be anything from Roman numerals I, II, III to a looping doodle with guiding arrows and stick figures"

The diagram is for you - it doesn't need to be beautiful, just functional.

---

## Structure Types

### 1. List Structure

**Description:** Simplest structure - one point after another in sequence.

**When to Use:**
- Multiple independent points
- How-to guides
- Tips or techniques
- When order doesn't matter much

**Diagram:**
```
1. Point A
2. Point B
3. Point C
4. Point D
```

**Example Use Case:**
"5 Ways to Improve Your Writing"
- Each technique is independent
- Order is somewhat arbitrary
- Readers can skip around

**Strength:** Simple, clear, easy to follow
**Weakness:** Can feel mechanical, lacks narrative drive

---

### 2. Chronological Structure

**Description:** Time-based progression - what happened when.

**When to Use:**
- Narratives
- Historical accounts
- Process descriptions
- Development over time

**Diagram:**
```
Day 1 → Day 2 → Day 3 → Day 4 → Day 5
(or)
2010 → 2015 → 2020 → 2025
```

**Example Use Case:**
"How We Built the Product"
- Started with idea (2020)
- First prototype (2021)
- Beta launch (2022)
- Full release (2023)
- Today's state (2024)

**Strength:** Natural, easy to follow, creates narrative
**Weakness:** Can be predictable

---

### 3. Circular/Cyclical Structure

**Description:** Start in the middle of action, flash back to beginning, return to where you started.

**When to Use:**
- Want to hook readers immediately with dramatic moment
- Need to provide background context
- Have a journey or trip to describe
- Want to create momentum while providing necessary backstory

**Diagram:**
```
Start: Day 5 (action/drama)
    ↓
Flash back: Day 1 (context/setup)
    ↓
Continue: Day 2, 3, 4 (build-up)
    ↓
Return: Day 5 (resolution)
    ↓
Conclusion: Day 6+ (aftermath)
```

**Example Use Case:**
"The Product Launch"
- Open with launch day crisis
- Flash back to how we got here
- Build toward launch day
- Return to crisis and resolution

**McPhee Example:**
Started narrative on day 5 of a trip, continued to day 9, then flashed back to day 1 (told in past tense), back to day 5.

**Strength:** Immediate engagement, maintains momentum while providing context
**Weakness:** Requires careful handling of time shifts

---

### 4. Dual Profile Structure

**Description:** Main subject in center, perspectives/aspects radiating outward.

**When to Use:**
- Character profiles
- Examining one topic from multiple angles
- Multiple perspectives on same subject
- Comprehensive view of complex person/thing

**Diagram:**
```
        Perspective A
              |
Perspective D - X - Perspective B
              |
        Perspective C

X = central subject (person, topic, idea)
A,B,C,D = different viewpoints or aspects
```

**Example Use Case:**
"Profile of a CEO"
- X = The CEO
- A = Employees' perspective
- B = Board members' view
- C = Customers' experience
- D = Competitors' assessment

**Strength:** Comprehensive, multi-dimensional view
**Weakness:** Can feel fragmented if not well-executed

---

### 5. Triple Profile Structure

**Description:** Three connected dual profiles sharing a common protagonist.

**When to Use:**
- Complex character interacting with multiple contexts
- Three distinct settings or situations
- Want to show range and depth

**Diagram:**
```
Profile 1         Profile 2         Profile 3
  (X-A)      ←→     (X-B)      ←→     (X-C)
    ↓                 ↓                 ↓
Common protagonist X throughout
```

**McPhee Example:**
"Encounters with the Archdruid" - three profiles featuring Dave Brouwer (climber, environmentalist) as common protagonist, with three different foils.

**Example Use Case:**
"A Day in Three Lives: The Remote Worker"
- Profile 1: Morning (worker-family interaction)
- Profile 2: Midday (worker-colleagues interaction)
- Profile 3: Evening (worker-client interaction)
- X (worker) is constant, contexts change

**Strength:** Shows subject in multiple dimensions
**Weakness:** Complex to execute, requires strong unifying thread

---

### 6. Pyramid Structure (Inverted Pyramid)

**Description:** Most important information first, descending order of importance.

**When to Use:**
- News writing
- Executive summaries
- Busy readers who might not finish
- Want to frontload key information

**Diagram:**
```
▼
████████████  Most important
  ██████████  Very important
    ████████  Important
      ██████  Supporting
        ████  Details
          ██  Background
```

**Example Use Case:**
"Quarterly Results Announcement"
- Lead: Revenue up 30%, profit doubled
- Key metrics and comparisons
- Contributing factors
- Market context
- Detailed breakdowns
- Historical comparisons

**Strength:** Ensures readers get key information even if they don't finish
**Weakness:** Can feel front-loaded, lacks narrative tension

---

### 7. Parallel Narratives

**Description:** Multiple storylines running simultaneously, interwoven.

**When to Use:**
- Comparing/contrasting
- Multiple threads that connect
- Want to show simultaneity
- Complex, multi-faceted topics

**Diagram:**
```
Thread A: ────•────•────•────•
Thread B: ──•────•────•────•──
Thread C: •────•────•────•────•

(Threads alternate or intersect)
```

**Example Use Case:**
"Three Teams Building the Same Product"
- Thread A: Silicon Valley startup
- Thread B: Corporate enterprise team
- Thread C: Open-source community
- Alternate between threads, showing parallel progress

**Strength:** Shows multiple perspectives, creates richness
**Weakness:** Can confuse readers if not clearly signaled

---

### 8. Other McPhee Diagrams

**Horizontal Line with Loops:**
```
────○────○────────○──○─────
    ↓    ↓        ↓  ↓
  tangent tangent tangent
```
Main storyline with tangents above and below representing digressions.

**Circle with Radiating Lines:**
```
      ↗  ↑  ↖
   →  ● ← (center point)
      ↙  ↓  ↘
```
Central moment with different narrative pathways shooting out.

**Custom Diagrams:**
McPhee creates completely idiosyncratic diagrams that "look like the late-stage wall sketches of a hermit stuck in a cave" - but they work for the specific piece.

---

## Creating Your Own Structure Diagram

### Step 1: Gather Your Material

Before diagramming:
- Research completely
- Take all notes
- Understand all aspects
- Know more than you'll use

**McPhee's principle:** You must know your material inside out before you can structure it.

### Step 2: Identify the Organizing Principle

Ask:
- What is this piece really about? (core idea)
- What's the natural order? (time, space, importance, causality)
- What does the reader need to know when?
- Where's the drama or tension?
- What's the through-line?

Common organizing principles:
- **Chronological:** When things happened
- **Spatial:** Where things are
- **Causal:** What led to what
- **Importance:** Most to least significant
- **Comparison:** Similarities and differences
- **Problem-solution:** Issue then resolution
- **Question-answer:** Inquiry then discovery

### Step 3: Sketch 3 Options

**Why 3?**
- Forces you to think beyond the obvious
- Lets you compare approaches
- Often the second or third option is best
- Shows you what doesn't work

**For each option:**
1. Draw the basic structure (list, circle, timeline, etc.)
2. Place your major points/moments
3. Map the flow/progression
4. Note transitions
5. Annotate with gold-coin placement (see below)

### Step 4: Test Each Structure

Ask:
- Does it serve the material naturally?
- Will readers follow easily?
- Does it create appropriate momentum?
- Are key moments well-placed?
- Does it feel inevitable or forced?

### Step 5: Select and Refine

Choose the structure that:
- Best serves the content
- Creates natural flow
- Places key moments strategically
- Feels right intuitively

Then refine:
- Adjust proportions (how much space for each section)
- Fine-tune transitions
- Map gold-coin placement
- Annotate key moments

---

## Gold-Coin Placement Strategy

Once you have your structure, map where you'll place rewards for readers.

### What Are Gold Coins?

Roy Peter Clark's metaphor: rewards that keep readers moving forward.

Gold coins include:
- Surprising facts
- Vivid anecdotes
- Good quotes
- Humor
- Beautiful metaphors
- Insights
- Examples
- Intriguing details

### Placement Strategy

**Beginning:** Open with a gold coin (hook readers)

**Middle:** Most important! Place gold coins throughout to combat the "saggy middle"

**End:** Strong gold coin for satisfying conclusion

**Avoid:** Front-loading all your best material in the opening

### Example Placement on Structure

```
List Structure with Gold Coins:

Introduction [Gold coin: surprising fact]
    ↓
Point 1 [Technique]
    ↓
Point 2 [Technique] [Gold coin: vivid example]
    ↓
Point 3 [Technique]
    ↓
Point 4 [Technique] [Gold coin: humor or insight]
    ↓
Point 5 [Technique]
    ↓
Conclusion [Gold coin: memorable anecdote]
```

Distribute evenly - don't cluster them all in one section.

---

## Structure Selection Criteria

### Match Structure to Material

| Material Type | Best Structure |
|--------------|----------------|
| Personal narrative | Chronological or Circular |
| Profile/character piece | Dual/Triple Profile |
| How-to guide | List |
| News/announcement | Pyramid |
| Complex multi-threaded story | Parallel Narratives |
| Journey/trip | Circular (start mid-journey) |
| Historical account | Chronological |
| Argument/persuasion | Problem-solution or Pyramid |
| Comparison piece | Parallel Narratives |

### Consider Your Readers

- **Busy readers:** Pyramid (frontload key info)
- **Engaged readers:** Circular or Parallel (build complexity)
- **Unfamiliar with topic:** Chronological (easy to follow)
- **Expert readers:** Dual/Triple Profile (sophisticated)

