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1. Freytag’s Pyramid
- Introduction. The status quo is established; an inciting incident occurs.
- Rise, or rising action. The protagonist actively pursues their goal. The stakes heighten.
- Climax. A point of no return, from which the protagonist can no longer go back to the status quo.
- Return, or fall. In the aftermath of the climax, tension builds, and the story heads inevitably towards...
- Catastrophe. The protagonist is brought to their lowest point. Their greatest fears have come true.
2. The Hero’s Journey
- The Ordinary World. The hero’s everyday life is established.
- The Call of Adventure. Otherwise known as the inciting incident.
- Refusal of the Call. For a moment, the hero is reluctant to take on the challenge.
- Meeting the Mentor. Our hero meets someone who prepares them for what lies ahead — perhaps a parental figure, a teacher, a wizard, or a wise hermit.
- Crossing the First Threshold. The hero steps out of their comfort zone and enters a ‘new world.’
- Tests, Allies, Enemies. Our protagonist faces new challenges — and maybe picks up some new friends. Think of Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road.
- Approach to the Inmost Cave. The hero gets close to their goal. Luke Skywalker reaches the Death Star.
- The Ordeal. The hero meets (and overcomes) their greatest challenge yet.
- Reward (Seizing the Sword). The hero obtains something important they were after, and victory is in sight.
- The Road Back. The hero realizes that achieving their goal is not the final hurdle. In fact, ‘seizing the sword’ may have made things worse for them.
- Resurrection. The hero faces their final challenge — a climactic test that hinges on everything they’ve learned over their journey.
- Return with the Elixir. Having triumphed, our protagonist returns to their old life. Dorothy returns to Kansas; Iron Man holds a press conference to blow his own trumpet.
- Act 1: Setup
- Exposition. The status quo or ‘ordinary world’ is established.
- Inciting Incident. An event that sets the story in motion.
- Plot Point One. The protagonist decides to tackle the challenge head-on. She ‘crosses the threshold,’ and the story is now truly moving.
- Act 2: Confrontation
- Rising Action. The story's true stakes become clear; our hero grows familiar with her ‘new world’ and has her first encounters with some enemies and allies. (see Tests, Allies, Enemies)
- Midpoint. An event that upends the protagonist’s mission. (Similar to the climax in Freytag’s pyramid)
- Plot Point Two. In the wake of the disorienting midpoint, the protagonist is tested — and fails. Her ability to succeed is now in doubt.
- Act 3: Resolution
- Pre Climax. The night is darkest before dawn. The protagonist must pull herself together and choose between decisive action and failure.
- Climax. She faces off against her antagonist one last time. Will she prevail?
- Denouement. All loose ends are tied up. The reader discovers the consequences of the climax. A new status quo is established.
4. Dan Harmon's Story Circle
- A character is in a zone of comfort... This is the establishment of the status quo.
- But they want something... This 'want' could be something long-standing and brought to the fore by an inciting incident.
- They enter an unfamiliar situation... The protagonist must do something new in their pursuit of the thing they want.
- Adapt to it... Faced with some challenges, they struggle and then begin to succeed.
- Get what they wanted... Usually a false victory.
- Pay a heavy price for it... They realize that what they 'wanted' wasn't what they 'needed'.
- Then return to their familiar situation... armed with a new truth.
- Having changed... For better or worse.
Fichtean Curve
- Rising Action
- Inciting incident. The novel begins with the line: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” Within the first three paragraphs, Marilyn realizes that her daughter Lydia is missing. Thus, readers are thrown straight into rising action as Marilyn anxiously searches all the usual places Lydia might be found.
- First crisis. Lydia’s family is informed her body was found in a nearby lake. From this first crisis's climax, the narrative flashes back to provide exposition and details of the family’s history.
- Second crisis. In flashbacks, we discover that, 11 years prior, Marilyn abandoned her family to resume her undergraduate studies. In her absence, the family begins to fall apart. Marilyn learns she is pregnant and is forced to return home. Having lost her opportunity for further education, she places the pressure of academic success on her children.
- Third crisis. Back in the present, Lydia’s father, James, is cheating on Marilyn. The police decide to close the investigation, ruling Lydia’s death a suicide. This results in a massive argument between her parents, and James leaves to stay with the “other woman.”
- Fourth crisis. Flashback to the day Lydia died. From her perspective, we see that she’s misunderstood by her parents. She mourns her brother’s impending departure from college, leaving her as the sole focus of her parents’ pressure. Isolated, she tries to seduce a friend — who rejects her advances and explains he’s in love with her brother.
- Climax
- Lydia takes a boat into the lake in the middle of the night — determined to overcome her fear of water and reclaim control of her life. Lydia jumps off the boat, into the water, and out of this life. As in a classical tragedy, this moment is both devastating and inevitable.
- Falling Action
- Some level of resolution is achieved, and readers get to at least glimpse the “new norm” for the characters. Lydia’s family lean on one another in their grief. While they may never be able to make their amends with Lydia, they can learn from her death. Not all of the loose ends are tied off, but readers infer the family is on the long road to recovery.
6. Save the Cat Beat Sheet
- Opening Image [1]. The first shot of the film. If you’re starting a novel, this would be an opening paragraph or scene that sucks readers into the world of your story.
- Set-up [1-10]. Establishing the ‘ordinary world’ of your protagonist. What does he want? What is he missing out on?
- Theme Stated [5]. During the setup, hint at what your story is really about — the truth that your protagonist will discover by the end.
- Catalyst [12]. The inciting incident!
- Debate [12-25]. The hero refuses the call to adventure. He tries to avoid the conflict before they are forced into action.
- Break into Two [25]. The protagonist makes an active choice and the journey begins in earnest.
- B Story [30]. A subplot kicks in. Often romantic in nature, the protagonist’s subplot should serve to highlight the theme.
- The Promise of the Premise [30-55]. Often called the ‘fun and games’ stage, this is usually a highly entertaining section where the writer delivers the goods. If you promised an exciting detective story, we’d see the detective in action. If you promised a goofy story of people falling in love, let’s go on some charmingly awkward dates.
- Midpoint [55]. A plot twist occurs that ups the stakes and makes the hero’s goal harder to achieve — or makes them focus on a new, more important goal.
- Bad Guys Close In [55-75]. The tension ratchets up. The hero’s obstacles become greater, his plan falls apart, and he is on the back foot.
- All is Lost [75]. The hero hits rock bottom. He loses everything he’s gained so far, and things are looking bleak. The hero is overpowered by the villain; a mentor dies; our lovebirds have an argument and break up.
- Dark Night of the Soul [75-85-ish]. Having just lost everything, the hero shambles around the city in a minor-key musical montage before discovering some “new information” that reveals exactly what he needs to do if he wants to take another crack at success. (This new information is often delivered through the B-Story)
- Break into Three [85]. Armed with this new information, our protagonist decides to try once more!
- Finale [85-110]. The hero confronts the antagonist or whatever the source of the primary conflict is. The truth that eluded him at the start of the story (established in step three and accentuated by the B Story) is now clear, allowing him to resolve their story.
- Final Image [110]. A final moment or scene that crystallizes how the character has changed. It’s a reflection, in some way, of the opening image.
7. Seven-Point Story Structure
- The Hook. Draw readers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the novel should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the novel.
- Plot Point 1. Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else — there should be a "Call to Adventure" of sorts that sets the narrative and character development in motion.
- Pinch Point 1. Things can’t be all sunshine and roses for your protagonist. Something should go wrong here that applies pressure to the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.
- Midpoint. A “Turning Point” wherein the main character changes from a passive force to an active force in the story. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on.
- Pinch Point 2. The second pinch point involves another blow to the protagonist — things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. This might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.
- Plot Point 2. After the calamity of Pinch Point 2, the protagonist learns that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.
- Resolution. The story’s primary conflict is resolved — and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform from who they were at the start of the novel.
References
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