Story writer8/2/2023 By and large, commercial fiction, films, and television will see a protagonist overcome their obstacles to find some small measure of success. This structural model is less frequently used in modern storytelling, partly due to readers’ limited appetite for tragic narratives (although you can still spot a few tragic heroes in popular literature today). The protagonist is brought to their lowest point. In the aftermath of the climax, tension builds, and the story heads inevitably towards. A point of no return, from which the protagonist can no longer go back to the status quo. The protagonist actively pursues their goal. The status quo is established an inciting incident occurs. Named after a 19th-century German novelist and playwright, Freytag’s Pyramid is a five-point dramatic structure that’s based on the classical Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. Now that we’ve established the most essential components of story, let’s look at seven of the most popular story structures used by writers - and how they deploy these components. Seven story structures every writer should know Without these steps, there is no conflict and, therefore, no story - merely a series of events that will struggle to keep a reader interested. It can be easier to see these moments in genres with higher stakes (such as a military thriller), but you’ll find them in almost any type of story.Įven in something as seemingly mild as a rural romance, there will be rising action as our heroes tentatively fall in love and an all-is-lost moment where it seems like they will never get together (before they inevitably do). These are all common ‘ beats’ to most stories. The protagonist a) gets what they want, b) doesn’t get what they want, or c) doesn’t get what they want, but realizes that they have something that’s more important. The protagonist believes they have failed. The protagonist pursues their goal and is tested along the way. Sometimes called a catalyst, this is an event that sets the story in motion, forcing the protagonist out of their comfort zone. This is usually the first part of the story - but not always. The protagonist is living some kind of ‘normal life’ but has a greater desire or goal. When you boil them all down, all stories have certain shared elements. When people discuss different story structures, they’re often talking about the different frameworks used to analyze stories. Become a master of story structure, and you will have the world at your feet. Writing is an art, but if there’s one part of the craft that’s closer to science, this would be it. Writers can turn to story theory and narrative structure whenever their story just isn’t working when they feel that their writing is awkward, aimless, or - worst of all - boring. An account of a person who robs a bank can become an examination of greed, loyalty, or the failure of the American Dream. Structure helps writers draw connections between ‘things that happen’ and ‘things that matter.’ A tale about two vastly different people falling in love can also be about the value of compromise. In other words, structuring the plot well creates a satisfying narrative experience that accomplishes the author’s aims. Tightly controlled narrative structure results in all the reader’s questions being answered, provides a climax followed by resolution and information at the end of the story, furthers the characters’ development, and unravels any central conflicts. A story’s structure directly affects the way the plot unfolds and how its driving forces (characters, obstacles, setting, etc.) are introduced to the reader. Story structure, also known as narrative structure, is the order in which events are organized into a beginning, middle, and ending in a novel. This post will reveal seven distinct story structures that any writer can use to build a compelling narrative. While using a pre-existing blueprint might make you worry about ending up with a formulaic, predictable story, you can probably analyze most of your favorite books using various narrative structures that writers have been using for decades (if not centuries)! Nothing makes the challenging task of writing a novel feel more attainable than adopting a story structure to help you plot your narrative.
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