![]() What I love best about this structure is the ease with which you can create setups in the first half that pay off in the second half. This structure is an eight-step circular framing. I’ll list a few that I’ve written about, and you can choose the best one to guide you through the plotting process:ĭan Harmon’s Story Circle: If anyone knows how to pump out stories quickly, it’s veteran TV showrunner Dan Harmon. Those are the basics of plot, but there are a lot of techniques created by some seasoned writers that go into more depth. ![]() Usually, the character has undergone an internal change, but we’ll talk about that later. The Resolution: The character wins back their ordinary life, or even a better version. The Climax: The characters now attack their conflict head-on, and while this final confrontation isn’t easy, the protagonist usually comes out on top (unless you’re writing a tragedy). However, out of that failure, the character will find something-a weapon, moral resolve, inner strength-that will push them to the final confrontation. ![]() Not only will the character fail, but they will probably suffer the loss of something important. The Midpoint: This is a massive moment where the character tries something drastic to overcome their conflict. This event can be different depending on the genre and the story you want to tell.Ī Reactive Phase: The author will introduce the story’s central conflict, and the hero will react to that conflict by trying and failing to overcome it in different ways. The Inciting Event: After the exposition, the author creates an event that will shatter the protagonist’s ordinary life. Readers get to know who the character is and what kind of life they lead, setting the stage for what’s to come. Before we get into all the various structure options, let’s discuss the story beats that almost every plot structure shares:Įxposition: Most writers will begin a story with their protagonistliving an ordinary life. Everyone learns about basic plot structure as early as elementary school.īut, what you may not know about plot structure is how many different variations there are to choose from. Ok, maybe I’m getting a little carried away with my analogy because plot structure isn’t some grand mystery. ![]() The first sleight of hand we’ll discuss is plot structure.ĥ Storytelling Skills You’ll Want to Learn #1 Plot Structure: With all that said, let’s get into the five practical skills every storyteller needs. Today, we will talk about five tips that first-time writers can use to transform the art of storytelling from mystical and magical to practical and practiced. #amwriting Click To TweetĪnd, like the art of illusion, storytelling has a set of skills that any writer can learn, use, and refine with practice. Writing a good story is simply about mastering those parts. Like any good magic trick, a story has its moving parts. A hero will feel like your dearest friend thanks to the author’s consistent effort to put you in that character’s mind. A good story will feel both familiar and completely original as the author utilizes classic plot structure to play to and subvert a reader’s expectations. Readers will subconsciously register dropped hints of a coming plot twist yet still be surprised when a turn of fate occurs. But, like any good magic trick, a story has its moving parts-the hidden motion that happens behind the curtains.Ī good author will use their story like a sleight of hand that obscures all the mechanics of their plot. To me, a great author was like a magician. I run a blog called The Art of Narrative, and one thing I love writing about, reading about, and thinking about is the way we tell stories.īefore I started writing about storytelling, I thought it was a mystical art form that couldn’t be understood unless you were born with the innate ability to write and tell stories. 2 5 Storytelling Skills You’ll Want to Learn.
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