A narrative arc, or story arc, is the backbone structure of a story. The narrative arc encompasses all plot points from beginning to end, following the natural progression of the story as it peaks and plateaus. Executing an effective narrative arc can make or break the story.
You’ve probably seen this bad boy if you’ve ever read a book on craft or taken a class on creative writing. You might have even seen it in high school. This is what a narrative arc looks like. It may look a little different depending on how it’s drawn (I’ve seen a lot of roller coaster-looking ones lately), but this is the classic one. I’m going to referring to the diagram throughout this blog, so sear it into your mind.
Fun fact, the concept was originally conceived by Gustav Freytag, a German novelist in the 19th century. Thanks, Gustav!
The narrative arc is separated into three basic section—the beginning, the middle, and the end—with five basic parts. Let’s talk about each one and how they’re structured.
Exposition
Exposition introduces your characters and your world. You’re setting up the characters, the situation, and the mood, so the reader has an idea of what’s going on. Keep in mind that exposition doesn’t mean information dump. You don’t want to give everything away too soon. You want to give just enough to hook the readers.
Rising action
The rising action begins with an inciting incident. This is the conflict that kickstarts the events of the book. The conflict may be internal or external. Having both external and internal conflict adds layers of depth to the story and the characters.
The rising action continues to build higher and higher. The conflict continues to develop. All this creates a sense of tension. The rising action is also meant to further develop characters, their relationships, and their motives.
Climax
The rising action hits a peak at last, coming to the climax of the story, the highest point of tension. The whole story has built up to this moment. The characters are waist-deep in conflict. Often, characters have to make important decisions that have lasting effects.
Note that the climax is toward the latter part of the middle section. It should come near the end of the story. Also note how brief the peak is. You can’t maintain that kind of tension for long without it losing its impact.
The climax is one of the most important points of the narrative arc. Having a bad or anticlimactic climax can easily make the reader feel cheated.
Falling action
You’ve hit your peak, and now you must come down. The story doesn’t just stop with the climax; that’s a guaranteed way to piss off your readers. Think Lord of the Rings; the last book doesn’t just end with the ring being destroyed. Action still must happen in the falling action as characters deal with the aftermath of the climax. Tension gradually decreases as we make our way toward the conclusion. This time is usually used to tie up loose ends.
Conclusion
Also known as the denouement or the resolution, the conclusion wraps the story up into a neat bow. The conflict is resolved. The characters have changed. Even if there’s going to be another book, there still needs to be a satisfying ending (for example, in romance, you get a happy-for-now, not a happily-ever-after). The ending doesn’t have to be happy, but it does need to feel like there’s closure.
Example of narrative arc
Let’s take Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (I once did a presentation on HP in high school; I loathe public speaking with every fiber of my being, but I went double the required time and bored everyone with my nerdy word-vomit. Oops.)
Exposition
The book starts off by introducing us to Harry’s aunt and uncle and then Harry himself.
Rising action
The inciting incident is Hagrid breaking down the door to the tiny shack on the sea and Harry finding out he’s a wizard. From there, Harry is introduced to the magical world, goes to Hogwarts, and makes friends (and enemies). The conflict is Snape’s dislike of Harry, and someone trying to steal the philosopher’s stone.
Climax
Harry, Ron, and Hermione go through the trap door guarded by Fluffy, and Harry confronts Quirrell, who turns out to be the villain instead of Snape, who was actually trying to protect Harry. Harry gets the stone, and Quill attempts to kill Harry to get it.
Falling action
Harry wakes up in the infirmary. He and Dumbledore chat, and he learns more about his past. The school has their end-of-the-year festivities.
Conclusion
Harry parts ways with his new friends and returns to his aunt and uncle’s home for the summer.
Inside of narrative arcs, you have character arcs, mini arcs, and subplots—all of which should contribute and build onto the main narrative arc with similar rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. These are the elements that add depth to the narrative arc.
Narrative arcs aren’t just for books but any kind of storytelling. Movies. Plays. D&D lore. If you’re stuck or need help, fit your idea into the narrative arc and see how it shapes up.
When you’re writing, you probably aren’t thinking about the narrative arc and how yours fits into it, but it’s always a good idea to know the foundations and craft theories, even if they’re not consciously used.
If you found this informative or interesting, consider sharing it with your friends. Consider subscribing so you never miss a post!
Have any thoughts or questions about narrative arcs?
Last week’s post: Narrative Tenses
Trackbacks/Pingbacks