Story Arc 101: Why Writers Need It (Or Don’t)

Books, whether fantasy, romance, or thrillers, tend to follow a structure. It’s true for movies and series as well. It’s a rhythm that as a reader (or viewer) we expect to see. This structure is called the Story—or Narrative—Arc, and it is like the skeleton of the story.

And the same is true for the book you’re writing—it needs the story arc, that skeleton. Without this skeleton your story would be like a jellyfish—amorphous and lacking in substance. In other words (and unlike a jellyfish)—it would just become a series of events.

Story arcs ensure that the novel you’re writing follows a line that the reader can follow, creating pauses and advances that hold your reader’s attention.

The typical story arc consists of five stages: exposition, rising action, dilemma, falling action, and resolution. Let’s take a deeper dive into each stage.

The Exposition

This is where your readers first meet the main characters and get a feel for the setting they will be acting in.

If you’re writing a fantasy story, this is where the main heroes or villains are introduced, as well as where they reside—is it a fantasy or an ordinary world? What are the rules of the world? Does it include magic? What other creatures or races live in it? And how many of them are goblins?

The exposition is also where the overall atmosphere of your book is revealed. Is it dark, the people hardened by horrible past events with little hope for the future? Do they frolic merrily in the forest?

Your reader will absorb this information through the way people speak and interact, through mentions of main events and people in this world, through character’s thoughts and reactions. Descriptions too can set this stage, and what the writer chooses to describe—the weather, the colors, the choice of words.

The Rising Action

As the name suggests, this is the part of the novel where events start to ramp up and pick up pace. These events are caused by the Inciting Incident—the call to action that pushes the hero out of their comfort zone and into the adventure at the heart of the story.

Whether it’s finding a dragon egg (Aragorn), or hearing a prophecy from a mushroom in the forest, foretelling the arrival of the goblin-gods (book no-one wrote so far and probably shouldn’t), the main character’s life is shaken and they are forced to make a choice that could lead them in an entirely new direction.

But it’s not just the choice—the inciting action acts as an avalanche, setting a series of events into motion. This is where things get interesting.

The Dilemma

By this point the action has intensified—the war is raging, the evil mastermind is revealed, the mushroom people are rebelling, and the reader is captivated (hopefully).

But the hero is left with a choice: will they do the right thing? Will they surrender to evil? Would Frodo throw the ring into the fiery mountain or give in to its corruption?

The dilemma is the point of the story where the hero needs to make a difficult choice, and face the consequences.

The Falling Action

If the dilemma is the point where your readers hold their breath, the falling action is where they breathe a sigh of relief. Decisions were made, weapons went chop, someone won and someone lost, and all the questions (or most of them) were answered.

If during the exposition or the rising action the reader didn’t know what was going on—wondering about the source of the mysterious object giving the hero powers, the objectives of the villain, or what the mushroom people want—the falling action is where things settle and mysteries, as well as loose ends, are resolved.

I’ve seen versions of the Story Arc where the falling action is excluded, and instead the dilemma is broken down into two separate parts. From my perspective, those are two different ways to look at the same thing—the wave rises and then falls.

The Resolution

This is the part where the story concludes, and no critical questions should be left unanswered at this point (unless you’re planning to write a sequel, or like I did in Monsters and Heroes, decided that not all details are critical to the plot).

This is where the adventuring party disbands and each one goes their own way, where the epic war has ended and people decide what they do next, and where the heroes ride, sail, fly or otherwise journey into the sunset.

To Follow or Not To Follow

So now you know what the story arc is, but you might still be wondering why you should follow it. For me, the main reason to follow the story arc is because it’s a tried and proven method. It worked for millions of writers around the world, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for you, especially as a beginner writer.

At the same time, you might argue that there are writers out there who drew their story outside of the story-arc lines and got away with it.

In Monsters and Heroes—the first work I’ve published—the inciting incident happened before we’re introduced to the characters, and the readers find themselves in the midst of all the action. Why did I write it this way? Because it seemed more interesting.

Sometimes, it’s not a bad idea to bend the rules, but it’s good to know when and how.

So just to confuse you further, I’ve got some pros and cons for each approach in the next section.

Clarity and Coherence

Stories that follow the familiar pace of events are easy to follow and clear. If you’re worried that your story is too complicated, or you’ve received feedback from confused beta-readers, it could be that realigning your story around the story arc is a good idea. The story arc will make the novel you’re writing more approachable, digestible and clear.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story will become predictable or boring, it just won’t leave people wondering ‘WFT?’.

Audience Expectations

When you watch a romantic comedy you know what to expect—some event that leads two unlikely characters to meet, some conflict, a montage of events happening fast to upbeat music, and the happy ending.

If, all of a sudden, the happy montage led to a great tragedy, you might feel misled. It’s the same with books. If you divert from the arc too much, your readers might be disappointed, especially if you’re writing in a particular genre that has its own rules.

Experimentation and Innovation

Sometimes, people need to break the rules to create a new genre, like being the first man to distort the sound of the good-ol' guitar and become the forefather of an array of subgenres, all relying on said distortion.

If you’re trying to break the rules, create something new, and make people think—you might decide to veer away from the story arc and create something completely unique. It might ruffle some feathers, but it might also lead to a whole new perspective on writing.

Character Development

Characters are the reason people fall in love with stories. It’s their fates that we care most about, and what happens to them is the question that makes us follow them through the rises and falls of their story.

If, in order for your characters to evolve, learn, and get to where you want them to get, the arc needs to be altered—you might want to consider breaking the rules.

Conclusion

As the saying goes, you need to know the rules to break them (or follow them, the choice is yours). Try a little search of your own and you will find many examples of both great books that follow the story arc and ones that don’t.

Not following the arc doesn’t have to mean breaking all the rules and going avant-garde; it could mean small alterations that make your story work. At the same time, following it to the letter doesn’t mean being boring, but having the structure to write a captivating book that will be satisfying to read.

So close this tab (though, if you found this article helpful, consider subscribing), figure out what works best for your story, and get to writing!