Tuesday's Writer's Tips _ Story Pattern in General #MFRWauthor #amwriting #Story

In general, the story has three parts. Beginning, Middle and End. When all the parts work and are connected, the story is successful. If one goes awry, then there is a problem. A story has a duration and that is the distance between the opening when the threat or change is evident until the end when the problem is resolved.

In the beginning, tension is built. The characters are introduces. One of these characters becomes the one who can gain or lose the most. Sometimes this become separated when one character can be the one who gains the most and the other the one who stands to lose the most. The beginning aslo brings in the general and specific settings. All this must be done while showing how the danger (large or small) will change the character.

The middle is the place where the character acts and reacts to various segments of the danger. Here the tension must build and the character needs time to digest what is happening. There can be gentle of sharp rises and falls in the material shown to occur but the tension in each new scene must build to a higher level.

The end is the resolution. The character either obtains his goal, realizes the goal he thought he wanted isn't what he really needs or loses the battle for the goal. Once this happens, the story should end.