This week: Creating a Story Arc Edited by: Lilli 🧿 ☕  
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“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
~ Jack Kerouac
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
~ Robert Frost
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
~ Margaret Atwood
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~ Truman Capote
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
~ Anaïs Nin |
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No matter how effortless some authors make story-telling seem, there is a method and a formula that must be followed to reach success. This week we will discuss the steps to creating a "Story Arc".
Your first question may be, "Well, what in the heck is a 'story arc'?"
A story arc, also known as a narrative arc or dramatic arc, is the structure of a story that guides readers through the story. You may be more familiar with these terms:
Exposition: Introduces the characters, setting, and conflict
Rising action: The characters grow and change as they try to resolve the conflict
Climax: The conflict escalates to its peak
Falling action: The conflict gives way to resolution, and loose ends are tied up
Resolution: The story ends
Those are the concrete steps, no doubt about it. But sometimes we get stuck on how to actually make that magic happen. And that is what we are going to talk about this week.
When thinking about the exposition, establish some normality by creating a baseline of everyday reality for the protagonist and their world. We need to engage the reader quickly, no matter how we start a story. Perhaps create some intrigue about the protagonists’ life by showing something odd about their everyday life.
What is ‘rising action’? Think of it as a trigger, perhaps. It’s something that breaks the status quo in the character’s life. It could be a killing/murder, an explosion, car accident, etc. However, it can also be something that may seem insignificant, such as a secret leaked out over coffee. Don’t get hung up on creating something negative as your rising action, though. They can be positive too. The key to remember is that this starts the actual story going.
Now that a trigger has been established, the protagonist embarks on their quest to restore calm to their peaceful existence. But what happens when the antagonist tries to prevent that? Or perhaps the quest continues to evolve, and the journey transforms the protagonist. The quest may be something as simple as personal goals or evolve into something even broader, like a social goal that impacts many people.
Critical choices often happen during the “rising action” stage of the story. These decisions are significant and essential. For example, they may be something like pressing on or pausing to help another along the way. Whatever decisions are made, they should be consistent with the character of the protagonist; although they may be transformational, too. The choices made at this time help build the story.
Finally, the ‘climax’ of the story! You’ve taken the reader on a journey of tough decisions and a few surprises leading to the grand climax near the end. This is the highest point of tension in your storyline, and often the point at which all the different subplots and characters converge. Typically, the climax requires the main character to face the truth or make an important choice.
The falling action happens because of the protagonist’s decision. During the falling action, the conflict gives way to resolution. The resolution of the conflict leads to the tying up of loose ends and the dissipation of tension. This would be a good time to think about how your protagonist has changed after all they’ve been through. Have they kept their original charm, sense of humor, or personality? Or has the experience left them hopeless, angry, or dejected? No one battles ‘monsters’ and stays the same person. Whatever the change in your protagonist, it should make the reader nod in agreement of the transformation.
Finally, the resolution of the story. This is where a new normal is established as all tensions are resolved. The ending of a story is seldom, if ever, like the beginning because characters have learned and grown. Who knows, maybe this ending will catapult you into another adventure. |
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In my last For Authors newsletter, I asked the question, "When writing fiction, how 'real' do your characters become to you? Do they guide you while you write?". Here are some of the replies that were received:
Olivia: it's NaNo-Time
37873  said...
"Honestly? Yes, they guide me. Facilitated it gets because loads of Italians are involved, and food/cooking is not only a great fiction/character driver, but sometimes a character in itself.
But initially, they were just "there", popping into my consciousness, and taking me by the hand while letting me in on their stories... along with something yum–
Man! 
Guess it's because it's dinner time here soon."
Milhaud - Tab B  said...
"Any well-written character should appear real. For example, I sometimes ask myself when a character is faced with a choice, what would Charlie do? The answer should feel seamless with your character. The character does become your guide."
NaNotatoGo!  said...
"
Well sometimes they become a little too real. That was my experience with writing Bother. Jeanie and Simeon were supposed to get together at the end of the book. Instead they let the stress of the situation get to them and ended up failing their relationship while still agreeing to go on one last date when they got back from the Bermuda Triangle.
Bother was supposed to be a Sci-Fi book but then Simeon decided to make it a teen romantic-tragedy!
Hopefully this year's novel will be different and the characters won't twist the genre on me."
Humble Poet PNG  said...
"
My characters are real. I'm just a caricature."
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For Authors: October 16, 2024 Issue [#12795]
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