A narrative arc is simply the natural progression any story should follow. Of course there are several narrative arc examples, but one of the most basic narrative arc templates is exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Pretty simple, isn’t it? Let’s go a little more in-depth into what each of these terms mean:
Exposition: introduction of the story, characters, themes
Rising Action: a series of events that begin to create tension or problems for the central character
Climax: the peak of the tension, all of the rising action has led to this moment, and this marks the change to falling action
Falling action: release of tension
Resolution: the end of the story, typically where things wrap up, or the tension is resolved between characters
Now that you know the narrative arc definition, we can discuss what this will look like in various types of books.
YOU ARE READING
Writing Without Cliches
AléatoireIt's not enough to love our story ideas. We need to weigh their suitability as subjects for fiction, and then figure out how to go about making use of them. This means steering clear of cliché and its sappy cousin-melodrama.
