new series: STORY STRUCTURE part one: Introduction
Hello, everyone! I've been meaning to do a bit more blogging on here, so I thought I'd start with something I think every aspiring writer needs to know: story structure!
Now, you might be thinking, I know this already! or, (hopefully not), this is going to be boring.
If you are the first one, you might know some things about story structure, like exposition, climax, and ending, etc. If you are in the second camp, I assure you, it will not be boring! I make it my life's mission to not be boring. This series will not only dive deeper into story structure, but it will also be fun!
Disclaimer: I am no expert in writing. I have not finished a book yet. This is simply what I understand of plotting, learned from the literature classes I've taken. This is how I have plotted my work in progress, and it seems to work pretty well for me so far! It helps to keep all the components of the story straight.
This is part one of the series: Introduction. I'm going to do a sort of overview of everything we writers need to cover in our stories, and then in the next parts, I will be diving deeper into each part!
Here's a basic visual representation of a story I whipped up! (Don't judge my graphic design skills--I did this with my fingers in, like, five minutes ;D) She may not be the prettiest, but she'll do! This story chart has all the key components of a story.
Here are brief explanations of the major players in a story, which you may already know of:
Exposition
Exposition is one of the most important parts of a story. Exposition is what sets up the story, introduces the characters, and begins the plot. It sets the tone and theme for the rest of the story.
Inciting Incident
The inciting incident is that moment in the book which sets the plot in motion. Y'know, that part of the story where things start to get rough.
Rising Action
Rising action is what takes us to the climax. These steps keep us interested with their own little conflicts and happenings! This tends to be the middle of the story--as well as the longest part of the story.
Climax
The climax! The best, most interesting part of the story! The part where good faces evil, hero faces villain, conflict comes to a peak.
Denouement
Oh, the beautiful French word for "the unraveling." This is precisely what it sounds like: when the story begins to unravel. Things calm down! This is directly after the climax, leading the reader to the end of the story.
Conclusion
The end of the story. The conclusion should leave the reader satisfied with what they have read--a feeling that the conflict has come to an end (or, in the case of a series, simply paused for now ;)) It should also leave the reader with a clear idea of the story's message.
Whew! That's a lot, right? Well, lucky for you, there's more! (Just hold on a bit longer for me!)
Before we can even begin on these things, we must know some other key component of a story, like...
Conflict
In order to even begin a story, I think you need the general idea/plot, and conflict. Conflict is whatever is going wrong. If you have a general idea of what you want to happen in the story, you can then fill in the blanks above!
Characters
I know what you're thinking. This is so obvious! Well, yes, it is, but I'm just making sure I cover all the bases. The characters of a story, in my brief experience, come jointly with the conflict. Without plot, there are no characters. Without characters, there is no plot.
Theme
Theme is basically what you are trying to tell your reader. What do you want to leave your reader with at the end of the story? What message are you trying to give?
Setting
Setting is kind of important, right? If we don't know where the story is taking place, how can we move any further? Setting is both time and geographical setting, which helps to further the plot and put the story and characters in perspective.
Alright, that about wraps up the overview! If you're overwhelmed, don't be. If you're not, great! I'll dive a bit deeper into these in the next few posts! Stay tuned!
Now, you might be thinking, I know this already! or, (hopefully not), this is going to be boring.
If you are the first one, you might know some things about story structure, like exposition, climax, and ending, etc. If you are in the second camp, I assure you, it will not be boring! I make it my life's mission to not be boring. This series will not only dive deeper into story structure, but it will also be fun!
Disclaimer: I am no expert in writing. I have not finished a book yet. This is simply what I understand of plotting, learned from the literature classes I've taken. This is how I have plotted my work in progress, and it seems to work pretty well for me so far! It helps to keep all the components of the story straight.
This is part one of the series: Introduction. I'm going to do a sort of overview of everything we writers need to cover in our stories, and then in the next parts, I will be diving deeper into each part!
Here's a basic visual representation of a story I whipped up! (Don't judge my graphic design skills--I did this with my fingers in, like, five minutes ;D) She may not be the prettiest, but she'll do! This story chart has all the key components of a story.
Exposition
Exposition is one of the most important parts of a story. Exposition is what sets up the story, introduces the characters, and begins the plot. It sets the tone and theme for the rest of the story.
Inciting Incident
The inciting incident is that moment in the book which sets the plot in motion. Y'know, that part of the story where things start to get rough.
Rising Action
Rising action is what takes us to the climax. These steps keep us interested with their own little conflicts and happenings! This tends to be the middle of the story--as well as the longest part of the story.
Climax
The climax! The best, most interesting part of the story! The part where good faces evil, hero faces villain, conflict comes to a peak.
Denouement
Oh, the beautiful French word for "the unraveling." This is precisely what it sounds like: when the story begins to unravel. Things calm down! This is directly after the climax, leading the reader to the end of the story.
Conclusion
The end of the story. The conclusion should leave the reader satisfied with what they have read--a feeling that the conflict has come to an end (or, in the case of a series, simply paused for now ;)) It should also leave the reader with a clear idea of the story's message.
Whew! That's a lot, right? Well, lucky for you, there's more! (Just hold on a bit longer for me!)
Before we can even begin on these things, we must know some other key component of a story, like...
Conflict
In order to even begin a story, I think you need the general idea/plot, and conflict. Conflict is whatever is going wrong. If you have a general idea of what you want to happen in the story, you can then fill in the blanks above!
Characters
I know what you're thinking. This is so obvious! Well, yes, it is, but I'm just making sure I cover all the bases. The characters of a story, in my brief experience, come jointly with the conflict. Without plot, there are no characters. Without characters, there is no plot.
Theme
Theme is basically what you are trying to tell your reader. What do you want to leave your reader with at the end of the story? What message are you trying to give?
Setting
Setting is kind of important, right? If we don't know where the story is taking place, how can we move any further? Setting is both time and geographical setting, which helps to further the plot and put the story and characters in perspective.
Alright, that about wraps up the overview! If you're overwhelmed, don't be. If you're not, great! I'll dive a bit deeper into these in the next few posts! Stay tuned!
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