Quiz 2 Flashcards
(29 cards)
Plot
the detailed series of events that make up your story, including the order in which they occur and how they relate to each other
Tool: outline
Structure
the overall design or layout of your story
Tool: story map
THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Aristotle and Syd Field **
The model used in narrative fiction that divides a story into three parts
Act 1- setup: exposition and inciting incident - 25%
Act 2- Confrontation: rising action: 50%
Act 3- resolution: climax and conclusion: 25%
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
Gustav Freytag
Act 1
Exposition- 10% (setup)
Who is our protagonist? Who’s POV is this? Where are we? What is happening?
Inciting incident- “exciting force” that propels the story forward.
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
Gustav Freytag
Act 2
Complication- 45% (rising action or movement)
More detail about the complication.
Adding plot twists
More character development
All of the characters introduced by the end of Act 2
Longest part of the five-act structure
Obstacles- a thing that blocks one’s progress. Any resistance to the main character’s want or desire
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
Gustav Freytag
Act 3
Climax 5%
The turning point
The no-going-back
The Midpoint, or just after.
The briefest act- usually just one scene
Belongs to the protagonist
Not necessarily the most dramatic moment.
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
Gustav Freytag
Act 4
Resolution 35% (falling action)
Tragedy - plot pivots to a catastrophe
Comedy- everything that was going badly turns around (happy ending)
The Final Suspense- Juliet wakes up and discovers he is dead, then kills herself
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
Gustav Freytag
Act 5
Conclusion 5% (the denouement)
The end
Tie up loose ends
Bring narrative to a close
Freytag called the fifth act “the catastrophe,” the point in a tragedy where most of the characters die.
External conflict
Physical obstacles that exists in the world of the story and prevents a character from achieving a goal
Internal conflict
psychological barriers or doubts that exists inside the character’s head that also prevents them from comfortably achieving a goal.
Strong conflict:
Slowly rising conflict- grows naturally without obvious effort from the writer
Foreshadowing conflict- conflict can be hinted at, seeds can be dropped
Weak conflict:
Static conflict- no rising conflict, stays at 100 the whole time
Jumping conflict- a character that travels from one pole to another and does not grow at a steady rate.
Stakes
the risks, consequences, and rewards that a character faces as they pursue their goals
Stakes make the audience care about the story and want to see the character succeed.
The risks, consequences, and rewards that a character faces as they pursue their goals
Desire + Obstacle = stakes
Beat
a beat is a movement that propels the story forward and compels the viewer to take stock of what could happen next. Each scene may be comprised of several different beats. Some story beats are subtle, while others are obvious.
Scene
a section of the screenplay in a single location and continuous time made up of a series of shots, which are each a set of contiguous frames from individual cameras from varying angles.
Sequence
a sequence is a series of scenes in succession relating to each other that usually end in an act/ event, that is inside the plot.
Plot point 1
the point where the main character commits to the story goal or embarks on the journey. It’s the place where many feel the story actually begins, or perhaps “finally gets started.”
Plot point 2
is the crisis of the story
Pinch points
events that put more pressure (or pain) on your protagonist, remind the reader of what’s at stake in the story.
Big Beats: Realizations
moments where the character expresses a brief subtle moment of realizing what has happened
Big Beats: Events
when a character has to react accordingly to make sense of an event. They must express their views, desires, and feelings with the help of beats in such events. Think– funeral or a party.
Big Beats: Resolutions
these come up early in a story and tend to decide the plot line. Stem from a character’s internal desire to change their status to try something different.
Big Beats: Interactions
a character encounters antagonists and allies which add a new dimension and direction to the story. These interactions have the power to even change the outcome of the rest if the story.
Character vs. character
two characters want something and believe only one can have it
