Post by account_disabled on Dec 27, 2023 1:05:12 GMT -5
Does the application of the three-act structure (with inciting incident at 13%, midpoint at 50% and various twists) refer to the fabula or the plot? I rephrase: If in the fabula the midpoint is at 50% but then, with the non-linear assembly of the plot, I move it to 75% or elsewhere, should it still be considered midpoint because the reader will ultimately reassemble the puzzle with the linear fabula? Or is the midpoint simply 50% of the plot? Index of topics 3 act structure or 5? Fabula or plot? The inciting incident Where to place the midpoint? Writing is not mathematics The request comes from a reader and it's one of those headache-inducing requests. I had to read it several times and in the end, as requested by the reader himself, I preferred to respond with an article.
The title of which says it all: creative writing is not mathematics . I like to write following a structure, be it 3 or 5 acts, even though I have written many stories in one go without following any plot or asking myself many problems. But if I have to write a novel, I need the structure, which doesn't mean "following the outline otherwise I won't be Special Data able to write", but just having a guide at hand. To answer the reader's question – where to place the central moment of the story? – it is good to first review some concepts expressed in that question. 3 act structure or 5? I have long preferred the 5-act structure , which I believe is more functional for a novel, especially if complex, while for a short or medium-length story, or even for fairy tales and fables, the 3-act structure is fine.
The structure is defined, not surprisingly, as the dramatic arc of the story : the progress of the events narrated follows a curve that has its apex beyond its middle, where we find the moment of maximum tension, or climax. One of the questions was: “Does the application of the three-act structure refer to the fabula or the plot?”. But what really is the structure of the story ? The structure is the backbone of the story. There are no stories without structure. Life itself has a 3-act structure: birth, existence, death. School essays have a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. The articles follow the same structure. The structure only tells us that our story must have a beginning, to introduce readers to the events we are about to tell, a development, which includes a series of problems and resolutions for the characters, and finally... an end, precisely, when everything ends.
The title of which says it all: creative writing is not mathematics . I like to write following a structure, be it 3 or 5 acts, even though I have written many stories in one go without following any plot or asking myself many problems. But if I have to write a novel, I need the structure, which doesn't mean "following the outline otherwise I won't be Special Data able to write", but just having a guide at hand. To answer the reader's question – where to place the central moment of the story? – it is good to first review some concepts expressed in that question. 3 act structure or 5? I have long preferred the 5-act structure , which I believe is more functional for a novel, especially if complex, while for a short or medium-length story, or even for fairy tales and fables, the 3-act structure is fine.
The structure is defined, not surprisingly, as the dramatic arc of the story : the progress of the events narrated follows a curve that has its apex beyond its middle, where we find the moment of maximum tension, or climax. One of the questions was: “Does the application of the three-act structure refer to the fabula or the plot?”. But what really is the structure of the story ? The structure is the backbone of the story. There are no stories without structure. Life itself has a 3-act structure: birth, existence, death. School essays have a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. The articles follow the same structure. The structure only tells us that our story must have a beginning, to introduce readers to the events we are about to tell, a development, which includes a series of problems and resolutions for the characters, and finally... an end, precisely, when everything ends.