The Infographic Guide to Standout Plots, with Lori Puma

If you’ve ever wished someone could take all those slippery, hard-to-explain storytelling principles and turn them into something you could actually see, this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by book coach and editor Lori Puma, and we dive into a topic that is both delightfully nerdy and wildly useful: story structure infographics.

Lori came to this work in a fascinating way. With a PhD in epidemiology and a background as a Story Grid editor, she brings both analytical precision and deep story knowledge to the table. 

After working with writers and realizing that many of their biggest questions weren’t fully answered by the craft systems already out there, Lori set out to build visual tools that could help writers better understand what’s happening in a story—and how to manage multiple story elements at once.

And truly, that’s what makes this conversation so valuable.

We start with Lori’s action story diagram, which she explains is designed for any story where a hero must defeat a villain and save a victim. That includes action-adventure, crime thrillers, fantasy quests, and high-stakes “save the world” stories. 

Lori walks us through the eight major panels of this structure, from the moment harm is done, through complications, failed plans, rising stakes, and finally the one-on-one climax. Along the way, she introduces a set of “thermometers” that measure different types of danger—physical, social, environmental, and institutional—and explains how tracking those threats can help writers create stories that feel dynamic and escalating.

What I especially loved is how practical Lori makes all of this. She talks about time pressure, resources, allies, and even compares the flow of an action novel to a video game, which honestly makes so much sense. Using examples from The Hunger Games, Killing Floor, and The Martian, she shows how structure isn’t about formula for formula’s sake—it’s about helping the reader feel tension, momentum, and emotional investment.

From there, we shift into the investigation rhythm, which I found especially juicy as someone working on a historical mystery. Lori introduces the idea of “lenses”—different ways an investigator might interpret clues, suspects, motives, or locations. She explains how mystery plots move through discovery, narrowing, stalls, plot-twisting clues, resets, and eventual solution. 

One of the most helpful takeaways here is her insight that a real plot twist should actually change the diagram. If the way the clues fit together doesn’t fundamentally shift, it’s probably not a true twist.

We also touch on romance structure, including attraction, adhesion, connection, and the emotional vulnerability required for a satisfying happily-ever-after. Lori’s concept of “adhesion”—the force that keeps love interests in each other’s orbit even when things get hard—is especially smart and useful.

This is such a rich episode for writers who love craft, structure, and understanding why stories work. If you enjoy seeing the bones beneath the book, you’re going to love this one.

***TAKE LORI'S BREAKOUT NOVEL QUIZ HERE!