CREATING A STORY ARC

Those of us who write fiction are faced with the arduous task of developing plots strong enough to sustain our readers' attention for the duration of a story. Some writers prepare detailed outlines depicting every scene, building a story brick by brick. Unfortunately, I'm not that patient. I prefer a quick, visual tool that shows on one page the major transitions and turning points. A seven-point story arc meets my needs in a number of ways:

· It helps identify the major external plot points, from opening situation to story resolution.

· It assists development of the corresponding internal plot, the characters' responses to the external events.

· It provides the basis of a balanced synopsis, free of unnecessary detail

The figure accompanying this article shows a story arc completed with a plot featuring a character named Sally. Examples from Sally's story will be used to illustrate each point of the arc.

Before using this tool, make sure you're acquainted with your main characters, and that you know the following:

· What they need and want within the context of the story

· Their motivations--why they need or want it

· The obstacles to achieving or obtaining what they want

To get started, draw an arch on a sheet of paper, slash seven lines through it, and number them (or click on one of these forms: Regular or Romance). The outer curve of the arch delineates the external plot; the inner curve describes the internal plot. Keep in mind that your story's turning points emerge from the depiction of the internal plot. A bullet through the window will snag the reader's attention; your character's resulting thoughts and emotions will keep him reading.

When you first use the story arc, you may want develop the external plot first, then repeat the steps to complete the corresponding internal plot. With practice, this process should become seamless, with the external and internal sides of the arc completed interdependently.

Step 1: The Defining Event

Your story should begin at a moment of tension or change. In the first quarter of your story, you must hook the reader, introduce your characters, put them in a situation, and raise questions or surprises to keep the reader reading.

External:

Open the door on a defining event, something the character cares about. Note this incident on the external side of the first point. Example: Sally, the protagonist, loans money to a desperate friend who says she's being stalked. Sally uses money set aside for her daughter's tuition to help her friend.

Internal:

On the internal side of the first point, note how the character feels about the situation you've placed her in. Briefly describe her emotions and reactions. Example: Sally is concerned about her friend, and curious and dismayed about the situation. She knows something is wrong, but doesn't know what to do. She wonders how she'll replace the tuition money.

Step 2: Raise the Stakes

This is an early transition point that calls your character to action. At this point, the character demonstrates an unwillingness to be drawn in, but may be experiencing inner turmoil.

External:

Build on your opening scene, escalating the situation and the tension. Make your reader ask, "What happens next?" Example: Sally's friend is found dead, and reported to be a blackmailer. Expressing disbelief, Sally tries to clear her friend's name.

Internal:

How will your character react to this new problem? Based on what you know about the character, jot down the emotions triggered by the events, and how he might escape or resolve the situation. Example: Sally is shocked at the revelation about her friend, denying the possibility that she could be a blackmailer. She begins having mixed feelings, however, and increasing concerns about her own secret.

Step 3: Rising Action

This point represents an important turning point that builds to a major complication, and includes the most important scene before the middle of your story. This is the beginning of a series of confrontations or obstacles that steadily draw the character into the action.

External:

At the third point, note the important event that spins your story in a new direction. Throw in a monkey wrench, and make it dramatic. Example: Sally becomes a murder suspect when the police find her check in the dead woman's safe and learn she was the last one to see the victim alive. Based on this evidence, an investigative reporter begins asking questions about her.

Internal:

Show your character beginning to change or grow, and the conflicting thoughts and feelings which result from the external event. Until now, the character has been trying to resist becoming involved in the situation; being drawn in should elicit a dramatic response. Example: Sally's world is being turned upside down. She feels trapped. Respect for the police becomes fear and avoidance, and she loses confidence in their ability to solve the crime. She's furious at the reporter's intrusion into her private life, and terrified that her secret will be exposed.

Step 4: No Turning Back

This point is at the top of the story arc, and is the major turning point of the entire story. The character can't get around the escalating situation and must try to resolve it. More obstacles are presented to the character, who should be getting better at dealing with them. This point also may represent the escalation of a moral dilemma.

External:

Choose an incident in your simmering plot that represents the peak of the action and tension and place it at the fourth point. This should be something the character can't ignore or wish away. Note the additional challenges that spring from the incident. Example: Sally receives a blackmail note written by her friend before her death, threatening to reveal the name of her child's father, a prominent politician. The amount requested to keep the information secret is the same amount Sally loaned her.

Internal:

Your character can't walk away. How does she feel about that? What are her responses to the mounting obstacles she faces? What choices are being thrust at her? How are her values and assumptions being challenged? Example: Sally's in serious trouble. Shaken by her friend's betrayal, she's becoming desperate. What if her secret's already been revealed? She realizes how bleak her situation is. Everything she holds dear is being threatened, and she has nowhere to turn. If she goes to the police, she'll be arrested; if she turns to the reporter, she'll be exposed.

Step 5: The Exceptional Event

The obstacles seem as though they're being overcome. This point represents the transition that builds to the dark moment in your story. All seems well, but things soon begin to unravel.

External:

Depict the scene where your character feels he's conquered his major challenge. He's done his best to reach a solution, then takes action. Example: Sally contacts her child's father, the famous politician, seeking assistance. He agrees to help her come up with options, and wants to see the blackmail letter.

Internal:

On the internal side, note the choices being thrust at your character, and the decisions she makes in response. How does she feel about these decisions--confident, nervous, desperate? Example: Sally doesn't know whom to trust, but knows she can't deal with the problem alone. She decides the politician is her best choice, because he shares her problem. She's extremely relieved when he agrees to see her, but nervous about their meeting.

Step 6: The Dark Moment

This point represents the most important scene before the end of your story. At the dark moment, all seems lost when insurmountable obstacles are encountered. The moral dilemma may appear unresolvable, yet demands a choice. This is another major turning point to spin your story in a new direction, and is the setup for the climax or final confrontation of your plot.

External:

Faced with disaster, the character takes extreme action to resolve his problem, fairly certain it will result in failure. This last-ditch effort brings on the climax of your story. Example: Meeting the politician puts Sally in serious danger. He pulls a gun, takes the blackmail letter, then calls the police and has her arrested. She realizes he's the killer. Charged with murder, she uses her one phone call to contact the reporter. She reaches his telephone answering machine and must leave a message.

Internal:

Your character hits rock-bottom with nothing left to lose. He makes a difficult decision or an extreme sacrifice, certain it will bring disaster or pain. This sacrifice ultimately makes the protagonist heroic. Example: Backed into the proverbial corner, Sally chooses to contact the reporter, the person who threatens her closely-guarded secret, hoping he will expose the politician as the killer. Devastated when she can't reach him, she's certain she will be convicted and the real killer will go free.

Step 7: Climax/Resolution

This is the final confrontation, whether it be against a villain or a personal challenge. The obstacle is finally overcome, the loose ends tied up. The character should demonstrate personal growth, although that growth may have been painful.

External:

This point may begin with a battle of wills, a physical struggle, a car chase, or a debate. By the end of the story, the obstacle should be resolved because of your character's last-ditch efforts. Example: The reporter gets Sally's message. He convinces the police to accompany him, tracks the politician to an event and confronts him. The truth is revealed, the politician arrested, and Sally is released from jail.

Internal:

In this final portion of the story, the character should have grown as a person and learned something from her experience. Show that the character's choice in the dark moment was the right one, even if it brings pain. Example: Taking a chance on the reporter saves Sally. She emerges from the experience a little less idealistic, but more willing to look beneath the surface to see a person's value.

After your first pass at the seven points, go back and fine tune. Make sure each point on the arc shows the external events and actions, and the internal emotions and motivations that make the next step on the arc necessary. Each section should flow into the next, and build upon the sections that came before it.

For purposes of illustration, the example shown here contains straightforward plot points. However, the story arc works for many kinds of tales, from human dramas set on the front porch to action-adventures and shoot-'em-ups. The key to writing a page-turner is in the characters and how you reveal them. By effectively peeling away the layers of motivation, conflict, deliberation, and emotion that make up your story people, you can convince your audience to suspend reality and follow you on an imaginary journey. If you do it well, your story becomes a trip they'll always remember.
© 1999-2004 Nancy Lynn
This article originally appeared in ByLine Magazine