~ Modern
Fiction Story Structures ~
PLOT ARC
- The events that happen while the characters
make other plans…
CHARACTER ARC
- The emotional roller-coater that the character
suffers in dealing with the Plot…
The PLOT ARC
If
it does not forward the plot - it does not belong
in the story.
When I set out to write a tale,
I begin by blocking out the plot, listing what
I want to happen:
Inciting Incident
Crisis
Reversal
Ordeal
Climax
Resolution
For a 100k novel that's 20
chapters at 5000 words each. I note what I want
to happen in each chapter and that's the frame
I work from. If I find a better way to twist the
plot great! But a detailed outline or block keeps
me from wandering all over the place and going
over my word count.
Blocking or outlining is not
the only way to build a story. It's just the easiest
way.
Steven King does not Block.
(Keep in mind - he is a master at his art.)
He writes his opening chapter, then his closing
chapter then writes almost pure stream of consciousness
to get from one to the other.
What he does is write a bunch
of character-based stories surrounding one event.
What makes his books so huge is the size of his
cast of characters. This is also why he ALWAYS
goes way-way-way over his word count. *grin* But
then, his publishers are not about to make him
conform, there are too many other publishers dying
for his work.
Plot &
Character Integration
To make a cohesive whole, every single event must
happen for a reason. Every single character must
have a reason to be there and EVERYTHING must
tie in together. Every scene in a story should
either illustrate Character (the
Character Arc)
or be an Event (the
Plot Arc).
The
CHARACTER ARC
The Stages of Grief:
Denial - Anger- Bargaining
- Despair -Acceptance
Why Grief?
-- Because STORY needs
ANGST to BE Story.
Stories are all about CHANGE;
about Adapting and Overcoming circumstancing that
should take them down. The hero and the villain
change and develop as the story progresses to
allow the hero a toehold chance - and no more
- to win. This is where dramatic tension is generated.
The difference between the
Hero and the Villain is the Villain's failure
to change. The Villain fails to face his fears,
which allows the hero to take him down. The rest
of the cast may or may not have personal growth,
but the hero and the villain must.
Changing takes suffering. Both
the hero and the villain should suffer emotionally
and physically to allow for their personal changes.
Think about how hard it is
for YOU to change your mind about liking or disliking
anyone. What would it take to change your mind?
That's the level of suffering - of Angst - you
need.
Plot
Arc is all about what HAPPENS.
Character Arc is all about
how the characters FEEL.
The Stage of Grief that character
happens to be going through dictates how that
character will React the event. If you plan it
just right, every event will work Against the
character's Stage of Grief.
The whole Idea being:
"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger."
- Nietzsche
The plot movements
combine both the Plot Arc
(Events/Actions)
and the Character Arc
(Emotions/Reactions).
Flash
Fiction / The Vignette
Under 2500 words
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The climactic moment
of a single event
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Movement:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ordeal
- Sacrifice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 character
1 POV character - First Person POV
|
The
Short Story
5000 to 19,000 words
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One Small Event
in the Hero's life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 major movements:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1- Crisis - Anger
2- Ordeal - Sacrifice
3- Climax - Acceptance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 chapters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 main characters: Protagonist / Antagonist
1 POV character - 1st Person or 3rd Person
Limited POV
|
The
Novelette
20,000 to 59,000
words
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A single event that
changes the Hero's life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 major movements:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act One
1-Inciting event - Denial
Act Two
2-Crisis - Anger
3-Reversal - Despair
4-Ordeal - Sacrifice
Act Three
5-Climax - Acceptance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 chapters (min)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 Main characters: Protagonist / Obstacle
Character */
Antagonist
1 or 2 POV characters - 1st Person or
3rd Person Limited
|
*Note:
The Obstacle
Character is the Nay-sayer that possesses
the opposing opinion. In a 3-character plot, the
Emotionally-driven
character tends to play opposition for
both the Antagonist (Motive-driven
character) and the Protagonist (Action-driven
character).
The
Novella
60,000 to 89,000
words
(Many publishers consider anything
over 60k a novel. In NY this is a Category
novel. Most ePubs will not print a book
under 80k.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A single that changes
all the Main Character's lives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7 major movements:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act One:
Set up - Something Bad has Happened
2- Inciting Incident -Denial
Act Two:
3-Crisis - Anger
4-Reversal - Despair
5-Ordeal - Sacrifice
Act Three:
6-Climax - Acceptance
7-Resolution - Acknowledgment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 chapters (min)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 Main characters:
Protagonist / Main Viewpoint Character
*/
Antagonist
2
Support characters:
Hero's Obstacle Character / Villain's
Obstacle Character
1
to 3 POV characters - 1st Person or 3rd
Person Limited
|
* Note - The
Main Viewpoint Character
is rarely the Protagonist
or the Antagonist.
In most stories, the Viewpoint Character is the
one caught in the middle, if not completely lost,
in the battle between the Protagonist and the
Antagonist. (Neo, in The Matrix was
the Viewpoint Character caught between Morpheus
and the Agents of the Matrix.)
The
Novel
90,000 to 125, 000
words
(Publishers
rarely take manuscripts higher than 125k.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
collection of events that lead to a single
Major Event that brings change in all
the (main) character's lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9 major movements:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act One:
1-Set up - Something
Bad has Happened
2- Introduction - Innocence
3- Inciting Incident -Denial
Act Two:
4-Challenge - Anger
5-Crisis - Betrayal
6-Reversal - Despair
7-Ordeal - Sacrifice
Act Three:
8-Climax - Acceptance
9-Resolution - Acknowledgment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20 chapters (min)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 Main characters*:
Protagonist / Main Viewpoint Character
/ Antagonist
3
Major Support characters:
Protagonist's Obstacle Character / Antagonist's
Obstacle Character / Viewpoint Character's
Obstacle Character
1
to 6 POV characters**
1st Person or 3rd Person Limited, or Omniscient
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
*Note: With
casts of Characters - Less is more
- ALL major character arcs must conclude to fulfill
resolution. The larger the cast, the longer the
story.
**Note:
With Viewpoint Characters
- LESS is definitely more.
Hopping from Viewpoint to Viewpoint can get very
frustrating to the reader who has to keep track
of each of those different story threads. And
then there's the Fatal Flaw of: Head
Hopping. Keep
in Mind: Each
POV character chosen, automatically becomes a
Main Character. Woe betide the author that
does not conclude all the issues raised with EACH
Viewpoint Character - in addition to the Main
Characters.
Tragedy
vs. Happily Ever After
The
difference between a Tragedy
and a Happily
Ever After seems to be that
in a Tragedy, the Protagonist FAILS at
his Crisis Point in Act Two. Act Three
is merely the death scene that fullfils
his failure to change.
To
make a Happily
Ever After the Protagonist
must Face his inner
demons and defeat them - making
a whole new (fourth) act.
|
Additional
Reading:
The
Internal Journey - Premise
Building
Developing
the Dark Moment
Who
Cares? Character Values and Conflict
Being,
Doing, Becoming:
The Heroic Strength, the Heroic Flaw, the Heroic
Journey
Starting
Small and Building Plot
External
Conflict Worksheet
(C) Morgan Hawke
