Writing Tips

Building Your Story and Arcs

Arcs are (typically episodic) periods of the storyline determined by an important event in the story and last the duration of that specific event. Character arcs are when a character goes through changes, physically or mentally. These are required to move the story along. They can be short or long depending on its importance to the story. A story can also have only one arc, and the characters will develop within that single arc.

Each arc in your story should be structured the same way as the entire story as a whole:

Exposition, or introduction, to set the scene. Describe the setting and the necessary background information. What year are the characters in? Where are the characters? How did they get there? What are their jobs? What are their personalities like? What do they look like?

Conflict, or the problem(s) that need to be solved. Who, or what, are the bad guys? How does this problem affect the characters? Why does this problem need to be solved? How will they solve the problem?

Rising Action, everything that happens after the conflict is introduced that leads to the climax. What are the protagonists doing to solve the given issue(s)? What are the setbacks? How are the characters overcoming those obstacles? How are the protagonists being affected by all of this? And how are the antagonists trying to keep their power over the protagonists? What are their secret motives? How are they getting stronger/weaker? This should be the longest part of your arc/story.

Climax, the turning point in the arc. This is where the protagonists are at their lowest. Describe how the protagonists feel. Do they feel defeated, or are they holding onto their resolve? And how do the antagonists feel? Do they feel guilty, or do they feel proud/accomplished? Will they change their minds or does this increase their resolve?

Falling Action, what happens after the climax. How do the protagonists plan to get back up on their feet to defeat the antagonists? Does the antagonists' plan backfire? This is generally short.

Resolution, the end, where all the loose ends are tied. How is the problem solved? What happens to the antagonists? What happens to the protagonists? How do the characters feel? Will they return to their normal lives or will things never be the same again? Will there be more to the story afterwards, or is this the end of the story? This is where your characters can enter another arc, where you can end the story as a whole, or where you can tease a second book.