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dduane · 8 months

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youtube

Kurt Vonnegut tells you most of what you need to know about story arcs in just over four minutes. 😀

ETA: A longer, slightly different version of this presentation—with subtitles in Spanish— is here.

#Kurt Vonnegut #story #story arcs #the Shape(s) of Story #Youtube

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helpful-writing-tips · 10 months

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The Back Story haunts the central character.

The Catalyst gets the character moving. It's part of the story's setup.

The Big Event changes the character's life.

The Midpoint is the point of no return or a moment of deep motivation.

The Crisis is the low point, or an event that forces the key decision that leads to your story's end.

The Climax or Showdown is the final face-off between your central character and the opposition.

The Realization occurs when your character and/or the audience sees that the character has changed or have realized something.

#7 act structure #arcs #story arcs #story building #writing tips #advice

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em-dash-press · 1 year

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Story Arcs: 5 Types to Consider

Stories take readers on a journey. The details along the way differ, but many stories share similar arcs. You can study them specifically to improve your plot creation and development skills. Check out the five story arcs to consider whenever you get inspired.

1. Protagonist In a Hole

Readers often pick up books specifically because they want to read about a character who reaches rock bottom and finds their way out. It’s a story arc full of hope and encouragement. You can recreate that type of plot with the Protagonist In a Hole arc.

The protagonist should start in a happy place in their life. Things start to slowly unravel after your inciting incident. Maybe they make a series of bad choices or struggle with a lack of control over their life. After reaching their personal rock bottom, they have a heroic arc where their choices and efforts start making their life better.

At the end of this story arc, your protagonist will be in a happy place again or in a better situation than where they started.

Longer stories can also repeat the up-and-down arc, depending on how much you want to put your protagonist through for the sake of your theme.

Example: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (things always get much worse on the quest for clues before Sherlock puts them together and overcomes the mystery/antagonist)

2. Riches to Rags

Some readers also love story arcs where the protagonist starts in a moderately happy place and ends the book at their rock bottom moment. It often leads into a sequel or serves as a warning for readers that aligns with the story’s theme.

Note, this doesn’t always have to be about rich people losing their wealth. The “riches” can be a metaphor for whatever your protagonist values and ultimately loses.

Example: Cinderella, but without Prince Charming. If her story ended at midnight striking and Cinderella barely getting home in time, she would have lost her one chance at rising from her station in life.

3. Rags to Riches

Stories can also have a singular rising arc as well. It begins with the protagonist in a situation they don’t want to be in and focuses on what they do to reach their idea of happiness. Some conflicts will happen along the way, but ultimately they accomplish their goal.

Again, this doesn’t have to be about accumulating wealth. “Riches” is whatever your protagonist defines as happiness or their life goal.

Example: Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy end up married, so she gets the true love she wanted and happens to also achieve financial security for her family. She didn’t have to marry without love to provide for her family, ultimately achieving her biggest life goal.

4. Hero Storyline

Much like Rags to Riches, the Hero storyline starts in a low place for the protagonist. They’re fighting a losing battle or stuck in a place they don’t enjoy. A plot device helps them out of that place, but their ultimate weakness or a big mistake makes them crash back down again.

By embracing their most heroic action (usually involving selflessness or sacrifice), the protagonist ends up happier and better off than at the start of the story.

Example: Aladdin. He meets Genie and wins Jasmine over while gaining wealth that lifts him out of poverty. However, she finds out he’s been lying about his identity, so Aladdin loses everything. By focusing on his friends’ needs instead of his own, he reaches his ultimate happiness again to complete his hero’s arc.

5. Tragedy Always Strikes

The fall-rise-fall arc can be a bigger cautionary tale than Riches to Rags. It starts with the protagonist in a place where they’re unhappy. Things continue to worsen until hope appears. Maybe a new character or plot point makes life better for them. The protagonist experiences personal growth and gets so close to the freedom, redemption, or happiness they desire. Then a plot twist makes it come crashing down. The protagonist ends in a worse place than they started.

Example: Gone Girl. Nick Dunne is in an unhappy marriage. His wife goes missing and he’s the primary suspect for it. That’s his low point, but when the narrative switches and Amy Dunne is revealed to be doing everything on purpose, Nick gets a rising arc with the reader. They’re on his side against her scheming, but the story ends in an even worse place for him. She comes back and gains complete manipulative control over the relationship. He’s trapped with someone he hates and fears instead of someone he just dislikes.

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Sometimes it’s easier to write a great story by picking a story arc before you start writing. Consider the various arcs listed here to match them with a character or storyline you feel inspired to write. You’ll have built-in plot directions that make planning much easier.

#story arcs #plot development #writing plot #writing characters #character development #rags to riches #heroes journey #writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing inspiration #writers of tumblr

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loveandlucky · 1 year

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#fairy tail #story arcs

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cyberwombathero · 11 hours

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Wild 6 Story Arcs 1-5

Mystic search: six stuffed animals must band together after discovering ancient magical powers in a deep cave to defeat an immensely powerful enemy from destroying the earth who've escaped his mystical imprisonment

Team of the world: five months after saving both humanity and stuffed/magical kind from Ezra the dreadful yokai the wild 6 are forced to rise again when a new threat in the form of a species enters town with plans for a invasion.

Rebound: after getting overwhelmed by the dragavons our heroes retreat to Jack's grandparents house in North Hampton in order to rest and recover while planning to take back their home

New future: following weeks after reclaiming newstora from the dragavons which ushers in a state of peace the team is pulled into the future of newstora where they must work hard in order to get home all the while a certain member questions his role on the team

City of war: newstora's state of peace is slowly corrupted by the threat of a returning enemy who was to seemingly vanished after the dragavons invasion

Wild 6 Story Arcs 1-3

Blood of Ezra: six years have passed since the war and the wild 6 have become well known at the age of twenty throughout all three worlds human, stuffed, and magical, now the team comes into conflict with the threat of a supernatural cult who wants to bring back their most deadly enemy

Monster Invasion: the team's first Halloween is put on hold with the arrival of history's famous monsters!

Samurai world: following months after the monster Invasion the wild six is summoned to another dimension inhabited by stuffed and anthropomorphic animals alike where they must team up with a famous Ronin helps them get home.

When universes collide: a year after the events of samurai world the TMNT arrive in their dimension and the gang must help them get home while dealing with a multiverse shattering event

@indieyuugure @fabuloustrash05 @my-name-is-bunnyfoxy @myrling-art thank you all so much for the inspiration throughout the TMNT community so I've decided to make a post regarding the wild 6 as a whole about the storylines and adventures they go on

#cyber's wild 6 #bailey the hyena #vivian the african dog #kyra the polar bear #jack the snow fox #milo the african dog #lyra the black wolf #story arcs #c.w.6

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windwhisperer-windy · 3 months

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Aquarian – Chapter 2

Silence arrives as those blue eyes observe an almost lifeless Avian. “ Enough, enough I need his help.” Flow through clenched teeth in knowing that the winged male deserves the punishment for deeds. She shoots a gaze up to the skies as the salvation words are spoken. “ Lower celestial, you are beckoned to collect him. Carry him to the coastal Fae. Be his breath into wellness.” The lower celestial…

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#Aeros Solar System #Aquarian #Story Arc #Avian Species #Cardinalis #Cardinalis Species #Dwarf Species #Fae Species #Merfolk Species #Mortals #Neos #Story Arcs

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babystepsofficial · 10 months

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#baby steps #casual affection au #story arcs #bb fic #poll #mod pom

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hereandthere-if-archived · 1 year

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How long will this IF be? Just curious!!

Oh I have No Idea LMAO

I'm trying to make at least 3 arcs, one focused on the Dream Realm, another on Faerie and another on the Human world, just so we can explore all of those places. So probably around uuuhhh 20~30 chapters?

How long the chapters will be will vary on how much stuff is happening in each of them. But in general, I'm just going with the natural flow of the story, not worrying too much about the format. And I'm 99% sure it is only going to be "one book", in the sense that I won't have Between Here And There 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Thanks for asking!

#answered #chapters #story arcs

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theplottingapp · 2 years

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If you want to give characters redemption arcs first you must make them pathetic or there is no point.

#writeblr #writing #am writing #this might be about vegas theerapanyakul #redemption arcs #evil character #writing evil characters #character building #character arcs #story arcs

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taiwantalk · 9 months

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ok, i confess. i've been binge watching black mirror. and the writers are AMAZING. i pray that they're not written by ai. lol

the productions are great of course but the scripts and story lines have not disappointed me once.

i've actually intentionally averted watching any of black mirror episodes until now and in a weird way, i think i was right to age them.

should i have waited more like a couple more years? not sure. i'll revisit this blog in the future. for now, i'll just assume no and now is the right time to watch them.

#taiwantalk #black mirror #writers #great scripts #story arcs #ai #digital apocalypse

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ponyluvesonic09 · 11 months

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Pac-Man nooo

For some reason or another, Skeebo was able to turn himself into a giant, and now he’s trying to kill Pac-Man after a long chase to Sir C’s lab, Skeebo just caught him in his clutches, Pacster can’t fight cause he’s squeezing him to tight, someone has to stop him, and save Pactser

#pacman and the ghostly adventures #pmatga #story arcs #skeebo #pac man and the ghostly adventures

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nightxmare99 · 1 year

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DRAGON BALL

Explore the world of Dragon Ball - the iconic manga and anime created by Akira Toriyama. We delve into its epic story arcs, beloved characters, thrill Read More....