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About This Newsletter
Hi there. I'm stopping in the For Authors newsletter this week with a quick article about story arcs. I'd like to hear your comments! Drop me a line in the comment box at the end of the newsletter.
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Story Arcs ~ What are they?
Some of the elements of fiction are style, theme, character, setting and plot. I say 'some' because there are many opinions about the elements of fiction, how many there are and what they are. This newsletter is about one part of the structure of plot called the story arc. The reason it is called a story 'arc' is that if you draw a line representing the rising and fall of conflict in a story, the shape would be similar to a bell, or arc. Your characters move up and down the arc and keep the story moving. A story arc of epic proportions is called a saga.
On the left side of the bell shape is the introduction of the story and characters. This part of the line is smooth and fairly uncomplicated. Then the line rises, showing the middle of the story and rising conflict. There can be bumps in this part of the line showing tension in the story, each of these crises moving along the chapters or with the main characters. This tension (and your line) builds upward until you reach the climax of your story. (This would be the top of your arc shape.) Then there would be denouement, or the right side of your bell shape drawing. This represents the wrapping of plot toward the ending of your story. This side of the bell drawing is typically steeper and smoother.
When planning your story, keep your story arc in mind. Or draw it out on a sheet of paper and add all the important parts of your story to the drawing. Does it follow the bell shape? Does your plot build sufficiently before your climax and ending? Sometimes rearranging your chapters on your arc may help build stronger conflict and suspense. Give it a try.
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Excerpt: I saw her and felt the twist in my side. It was cold outside and I zipped up my jacket. The sky was an angry gray color and I knew a bad storm was coming. The rain had already started, light now but it would soon get worse. I couldn’t let her walk to her building. On the other hand, I didn’t know if I could see her. She began walking away. “Melissa,” I called after her.
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Excerpt: The doorbell rang and Betty opened the door. There stood a man holding a large potted plant. “Delivery for Elizabeth Mason.”
“I didn’t order a plant,” she said.
Excerpt: A Japanese Ghost Story
Excerpt: As the final hymn drew to a close, Pastor Marx moved from behind the pulpit to the center of the sanctuary. “Go in peace. Serve the Lord,” he declared.
“Thanks be to God,” the congregation intoned. The pastor began his recessional as the postlude commenced, completing his journey at the back door of the nave. That familiar cue prompted me to grab Amy’s little hand and shuffle out of the pew toward the center aisle, where we were swept up in the rest of the crowd filing toward the exit. The pastor greeted the parishioners as they made their exodus and prepared to go about the rest of their day, and before long, it was my turn.
Excerpt: Once upon a time, long, long ago there was peace in the world. There was laughter and love enough for all creatures, both human and animal. This is the tale of a very young rabbit by the name of Whiskers. Whiskers lived with his parents in a home they had created at the base of a huge oak tree. The oak tree made a sturdy and safe haven. The parents, Jonah and Molly Rabbit, had lots of room in their new home. They made a sturdy door to keep out the severe cold of winter and the heavy rains of spring. Their home was secure.
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Excerpt: I am driving on the wrong side of the road, head on toward blinding headlights, but not wincing. Wincing is what a coward would do, and I am fearless.
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Excerpt: She could scarcely believe it was her 100th birthday. She carefully, but unsteadily stood up from her desk chair. Hunched over just a bit, she walked to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. She saw her white hair and all of her wrinkles. She looked down at her gnarled fingers as she steadied herself by the sink. How many years had gone by?
Excerpt: Daddy, I'm pregnant, the letter read. I'm too scared to tell you to your face, so I'm writing this letter and leaving it where you can find it. Please don't be mad.
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Excerpt: Single and 31.
In the words of Brigham Young, I was a “menace to society”.
My search for an eternal companion was now in its 10th year. I’d seen most of my friends marry, many later divorced and on their second mate, but all of them enjoying some degree of wedded bliss.
My dating life was less than dead, resembling Virgil’s descent into the 12th ring of Hell, the only difference between the two of us being that at least Virgil’s trip had an end.
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Excerpt: Through the many hours of hard work we do each week, there is one important thing that we should not forget and that is to have fun. It is a release to our bodies and minds. And, sometimes life gets just a little too serious to take seriously. We need to look at the lighter side of things every now and then, just to keep our sanity.
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This issue's question: How do you use a story arc to improve your writing?
Some interactive stories you can take part in:
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For Authors: April 09, 2008 Issue [#2323]
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