What’s a foolproof way to structure a story?
Jul 18, 2021 · 2 mins read
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Stories are like cakes. They can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors – but they’re usually made from the same basic ingredients: characters, plot, structure, and conflict.
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Ever since Aristotle argued that a play should be a cohesive whole split into two parts (a complication and its unraveling), this idea of dramatic structure has seen all sorts of variations: Freytag’s Pyramid, the Fichtean Curve, In Media Res, The Hero’s Journey, etc.
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These narrative trajectories are all variations of the same thing: a clear but compelling path for the reader to follow. Let’s take a closer look at the basic components of story structure…
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Stories start with exposition: you establish context by explaining the setting and characters. Think of the way every Star Wars film begins with a scrolling text that brings you up to speed.
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Once the story has been set up, there will be an inciting event, i.e. something happens and things will never be the same. This is called rising action: the complications that add tension and steer us towards a climax.
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The climax is the turning point in the story: the moment everything has been building towards. Every audience is expecting this, of course, but (ideally) they’re not sure how it will play out.
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Falling action is the aftermath of a story’s climax: the consequences (or rewards) of that pivotal moment. It’s an important stepping stone towards the final resolution. Without it, the story will feel incomplete and unsatisfying.
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The story’s resolution represents the new normal. Often there’s been a transformation or a lesson learned that contrasts sharply with how things were at the beginning. Some uncertainty may remain, but the narrative ends on a conclusive note.
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Leaving out one of these components (even in a true story) risks creating confusion or disinterest. Telling a story without a backbone will only leave your audience with questions.
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Ultimately, story structure is just a recipe – and pretty much any recipe can be customized. You can experiment with the steps and get creative with the ingredients, but having a reliable framework is the foundation of any compelling narrative.
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