This is an in-person workshop that takes place at Inprint House.

The Narrative Arc: Giving Your Story Direction and Purpose

Why is the arc or triangle—basically a shape with rising and falling slopes—a useful metaphor for story structure? Does every story need an arc? Does the arc tell us what should happen in a story?

This class is designed to answer questions, address confusions, and foster proficiency with the narrative arc, Freytag’s Pyramid, Three-Act Structure, or more generally, the concept of rising and falling action. We will investigate how a narrative arc can guide both plot and character development. We will discuss how it can shape the three distinct sections of a story—the beginning, the middle, and the end. We will explore why writers run into trouble with their story arcs.

Through examples from different genres of storytelling; close reading, analysis, and discussion; and generative exercises, students will do a deep dive into the basics of narrative arc that they can apply to their own writing. This class is multi-modal and interactive, engaging different parts of our brain and ways of learning. Take this class if you find that your stories tend to fizzle out or get too messy in the middle; if you want to learn more about plotting and story structure; or you want more dynamism and direction in your stories.