Story Structure as a Fractal
Each quarter should have a climb, hit a peak, and then have some falling action (which is usually made up of the character’s reaction to what happened at the peak). That peak is a turning point.
For example, in Act I of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the rising action is Harry dealing with the Dursleys and then trying to get the mysterious letter. It hits its peak when Hagrid arrives and reveals “Yer a wizard, Harry.” That’s the major turning point the beginning has been building toward. Notice it shifts Harry’s goal: Now he wants to go to Hogwarts to learn magic (which will take us into Act II).
Commonly, act-level turning points are called “plot points,” so you may have heard of them referred to as “Plot Point 1,” “Plot Point 2,” or the “Midpoint.”
However, in other approaches, they may go by different names. For example, Save the Cat! breaks down like this:
Each one is the major “climactic” plot turn of that quarter.
But this shape goes even smaller.
Inside of acts, we have scenes.
Most scenes should also have the rising action of conflict, the peak of a turning point, and the falling action of the character’s reaction.
Most scenes should also have an antagonist and goal.
The difference is that these things will be even smaller and less pronounced–because they fit inside acts.
For example, in Harry Potter, we have the scene where Harry is trying to find Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross–that’s his goal. But he’s met with obstacles: he can’t find the platform, he can’t find anyone to help him, he has to run at a barrier. The turn is Harry successfully getting through that barrier; notice it shifts his goal–because he achieved his scene-level desire. The falling action is him reacting to and taking in the platform.
This basic shape can go even smaller, fitting within passages of scenes, or it can be expanded into something bigger, creating a nice structure for a book series.
This basic shape permeates just about everything.
The post Story Structure as a Fractal appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.
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Source: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2024/08/story-structure-as-a-fractal/
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