I recently used this in a review and thought I'd expand on the idea a little to help some other people. Here goes nothing...
Ever find yourself asking the question, What next? Do you sometimes feel at a loss for...well, words? If so, then never fear, my young grasshopper; Uncle Knightley has just the thing to set you back on your feet and on your way down the writing road.
The Five Steps of Dramatic Structure:
Number One: Exposition: This is the very first part of the dramatic structure (also called the dramatic structure pyramid). Here, you give your reader background information about characters, places, "historical" events that may have occurred before your story takes place, etc. It's very important that you make the explanations in the exposition as flawless and natural as possible; if the reader feels like you're forcing descriptions down their throat, then you'll never achieve that crucial hook, the idea that attracts your reader and makes them want to find out what happens next.
Number Two: Rising Action: Rising action continues to develop and round out your characters' speech patterns, personalities, histories, etc, by creating some kind of conflict that they must resolve. Conflict can come in the form of one or more of these:
Man vs man (Example: Violence, conflict of beliefs, bullying)
Man vs himself (Example: alcoholism/drug abuse, insanity, suicide)
Man vs society (Example: diversity, prejudice, equality)
Man vs nature (Example: Nature fights back, global warming, extreme weather)
Man vs fate/supernatural (Example: Ghosts/aliens, destiny, God)
Number Three: Turning point: The turning point, more often known as the climax, is the time when the main character (the protagonist) has to make a decision in order to fix the conflict. The decision doesn't have to be good; it can be either good (+) or bad (-). You want this part to be the thickest in action and excitement; if you pull it off correctly, your readers will be on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what happens.
Number Four: Falling Action:This is the part in your story when you can see the results of the main character's choices. If the decision is a good one, then most, if not all, of the characters involved in the conflict will enjoy the outcome, or see the main character's choice (sometimes a sacrifice) as a good one. If the decision was a poor one, the characters involved will most likely suffer in some way, shape or form because of it.
Number Five: Denouement: This is a French word, meaning, "untying" (pronounced dey-noo-MAHN). This part in the dramatic structure occurs at the end of your story, when the entire plot has been unraveled. This focuses on the main character and what he or she learned, if anything, from all that happened to them throughout the course of events. This is the place where a theme (moral or lesson) becomes apparent, something that offers the readers an opportunity to think about what happened and apply it to real life.
And there you have it: The five steps to writing fiction. If you ever feel lost at a certain point in what you're writing, be it short story or novel, take a second to look over these and think, "Where am I now? What could I do to move on to the next step in the best way possible?" I'm sure you'll find your answer in no time.
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