Very good article 🙂
Many new writers I encounter chafe at the idea of having to “fit their story into a structure”. “Why can’t I just write and see if it fits later?” they ask. That question shows a fundamental lack of understanding of what story structure really is. When editors, teachers, and other experts in the literary field talk about “structure” what they’re talking about isn’t some set of rules you have to comply with; they’re talking about the underpinnings of how stories function and have functioned since the earliest days of storytelling.
There are arguments about whether structures have three arcs or five arcs or more (or less). However, the foundations are the same, even if the numbers change. Overall, good storytelling has a specific rhythm of rising and falling action. It has to do with building tension and releasing it at key intervals to keep readers engaged. While the “three-act structure”…
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