Theme is a way of making a series of events which are personal to the protagonist universally relatable to a wide audience. In other words, one doesn’t have to live in a cupboard and be descended from …
Memoir
Rising Action | Definitions, Examples, & Your Story Weapon
Rising action refers to the series of events that lead from a story’s inciting incident to the climax. In this article, we will examine Freytag’s pyramid of story structure, explore the importance of …
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Inciting Incident | Definition, Examples, & Your Story Weapon
With storytelling, if your reader isn’t engaged within the first few chapters, you run the risk of losing their attention. So, what needs to happen in the opening pages of your story to hold your …
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Falling Action | Definition, Examples & Your Story Weapon
What happens after a story’s climactic moment? What comes after the protagonist wins the girl, or defeats the bully, or triumphs over evil? The best stories keep the reader (or audience) guessing …
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Climax | Definitions, Examples & Your Story Weapon
The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for. They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling in love with your characters and becoming increasingly invested in your plot. …
Story: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Story is always a journey of self-discovery “The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Socrates Embarking on a creative endeavor, especially memoir writing, often brings forth a whirlwind of …
We Are All Connected
“No one is free until we are all free.”- Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for absolutes. Joe is a liar, while Helen is trustworthy. Abe is punctual, while Ruth is always late. …
Exploring the Dilemma
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma. It is not a question of whether or not your protagonist has a dilemma, but rather, how effectively you've explored it. By exploring your protagonist’s …
Never Give Up
I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart, and sometimes I placed near the front. It's a tough race, as it requires both speed and stamina. It is …
The Price of Joy is Grief
As human beings we tend to seek positive experiences, but as writers and storytellers we understand that the purpose of story is to reveal a transformation. Without suffering and ultimately surrender, …