"Story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story."
The framework of a story, including the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Plot: The events that make up a story, including the rising action, climax, and resolution.
Character: The people or creatures that inhabit the story, their motivations, and how they change over time.
Setting: The time, place, and physical environment in which the story takes place.
Conflict: The central driving force of the story that creates tension and drives the action forward.
Theme: The underlying message or lesson that the story conveys.
Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told, including first-person, second-person, and third-person narrative.
Structure: The overall arrangement of the story, including the beginning, middle, and end.
Dialogue: The spoken words of the characters and how they are used to advance the story.
Tone: The mood or atmosphere of the story, created through language, imagery, and other elements.
Foreshadowing: The use of hints or clues to suggest what may happen later in the story.
Flashback: A technique where the narrative jumps backward in time to a previous event.
Symbolism: The use of objects, images, or actions to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Irony: A literary device where the intended meaning is opposite of the literal meaning.
Plot Twist: A surprise development that changes the direction of the story.
Climax: The highest point of tension or conflict in the story.
Resolution: The conclusion of the story that ties up loose ends and provides a sense of closure.
Inciting Incident: The event that sets the story in motion and initiates the main conflict.
Rising Action: The series of events that build tension and lead up to the climax.
Falling Action: The events that occur after the climax that lead to the resolution.
Denouement: The final scene or series of scenes that wrap up the story and provide a sense of closure for the reader or audience.
The Three-Act Structure: The three-act structure is a classic way of dividing a story into three parts: the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution.
The Hero's Journey: The hero's journey is a classic story structure that follows the journey of a hero as they set out on a quest.
The Five-Act Structure: The five-act structure is a way of dividing a story into five parts: the exposition, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
The Freytag's Pyramid: Freytag's pyramid is a structure commonly used in literature, which marks the maximum tension and resolution of the conflict in the third act.
The Inverted Pyramid: The inverted pyramid is a structure often used in news articles. In this structure, the most important information is presented first, followed by supporting details.
The Kishotenketsu Structure: Kishotenketsu is a story structure popular in Asian cultures, such as Japan and China. It has four parts: ki, sho, ten, and ketsu.
The Epistolary Structure: The epistolary structure is a structure in which a story is told through letters, emails, or other forms of written correspondence.
The Stream-of-Consciousness Structure: The stream-of-consciousness structure is a structure in which the story is told from the perspective of a character's thoughts and feelings, as they play out in their mind.
The Modular Structure: The modular structure is a non-linear structure in which the story is told in sections that can be rearranged in any order.
The Circular Structure: The circular structure is a structure in which the story comes full circle, returning to where it began.
"In television, the use of the story arc is common in sitcoms, and even more so in soap operas."
"In a traditional Hollywood film, the story arc usually follows a three-act structure."
"Webcomics are more likely to use story arcs than newspaper comics, as most webcomics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the strip can read in order to understand what is going on."
"One of the first appearances of the term was in 1973 by Time Magazine..."
"Many American comic book series are now written in four- or six-issue arcs, within a continuing series."
"Short story arcs are easier to package as trade paperbacks for resale, and more accessible to the casual reader than the never-ending continuity that once characterized US comics."
"A corollary to the absence of continuity, however, is that... no growth can take place."
"Thus, storylines repeat over time in a loop."
"...each episode following a dramatic arc."
"...television, comic books, comic strips, board games, video games, and films..."
"...the use of the story arc is common in sitcoms, and even more so in soap operas."
"...most webcomics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the strip can read in order to understand what is going on."
"Short story arcs are... more accessible to the casual reader than the never-ending continuity that once characterized US comics."
"Many American comic book series are now written in four- or six-issue arcs, within a continuing series."
"No permanent change to characters or situations occurs, meaning no growth can take place."
"He accomplishes this with no sacrifice to the pacing of his action sequences or the suspenseful development of his story's arc."
"Short story arcs are easier to package as trade paperbacks for resale..."
"...and more accessible to the casual reader than the never-ending continuity that once characterized US comics."
"Thus, storylines repeat over time in a loop."