Celebrate Africa Awards 2021

Building a Compelling Storyline

A good storyline has many facets, and some of the most important ones are: story arc, character arc, hook, tension, cliffhanger, climax, and resolution. We will talk about these here.

Story Arc - Universal to both fiction and nonfiction, the Story Arc (or Narrative Arc) refers to the structure, shape, and overall layout of a story. This arc is made up of the sequence of events in your plot, the peaks, and valleys that set the pace, how it is broken up into chapters and scenes, what events make up the conflict and climax, and what occurs in the final resolution. Basically, your story needs to start somewhere, go somewhere, and end somewhere.

Character Arc - Like the story arc, a character arc is the journey of a character over the course of a story. A compelling character arc has a character facing fears and overcoming challenges as the story unfolds, often resulting in the character's personal growth. Character arcs usually progress in tandem with the story arc.

Build It and They Will Come - When building a storyline, first identify your main character's role in the story and what they want (or don't want). You can then outline your story and decide where you want your character to start out and where they will end up. Here, you can also decide whether you give them what they want or not. Sometimes, it's better for the story to have your protagonist achieve a realization or epiphany rather than that "thing" they envisioned as their deepest desire. This realization may change nothing about the character's external life, but it will transform their perspective of themselves and the world around them, leaving them more capable of coping with their problems. Stories like these can be just as satisfying and thought-provoking as those where the character achieves their goal.

Hook - Simply stated, a hook in narrative writing is the technique of creating an enticing beginning — the very first line or opening of a story — designed to capture the reader's interest. Most hooks happen in the first chapter, and can be viewed as the promise we as writers make to our readers about what's in store for them should they decide to continue reading. It's a good idea to connect your hook in some way to the resolution of the story.

Here are a few tips for writing a great hook:

✽ Begin at a life-changing moment (a man engaged to be married learns his ex is pregnant with his child)

✽ Start in the middle of the action (an emergency room where a child is being treated for burns from an accident that happened while they were left alone)

✽ Use an unusual setting to create intrigue (a town has been blanketed in a mysterious fog for months, causing the residents to behave strangely)

✽ Draw readers in with a strong voice or character (a woman on the verge of being penniless wanders the city while she contemplates the meaning of life and death)

Tension - Tension and conflict are key elements to a well-paced, compelling story that keeps your readers wanting more, and one of the biggest challenges to adding tension is maintaining the right amount. You don't want to exhaust them or make them desperate for a reprieve. Some genres require more tension than others. For example, a reader of thriller novels will expect more tension, while a reader of humor may not even miss it.

A few ways to build tension in your novels are:

✽ Use your hook or inciting incident to create tension

✽ Put your character(s) under a timeline to accomplish something

✽ Withhold information at various points in the story

✽ Introduce a plot twist (make sure these are solidly worked into the plot)

✽ Incorporate conflict through interaction between your protagonist and the antagonist

✽ Create a complicated backstory for your character(s) and have these pieces come into play throughout the story

✽ Ramp up tension by adding cliffhangers

Cliffhanger - Similar yet different from tension, the cliffhanger is a plot device where part of the story is left unresolved, usually at the end of a chapter and usually in a surprising way, so that readers are compelled to keep turning pages. Perhaps some vital information is about to be revealed, or the protagonist comes face to face with their nemesis. It's important to sprinkle cliffhangers throughout your story, but don't feel like you have to end every chapter with one. Not every genre requires consistent cliffhangers, such as romance and humor. But you will want to include them if you're writing a mystery or action-packed thriller.

There are a number of ways to create a great cliffhanger. Here are just a few:

✽ Pose a question (perhaps to your protagonist)
✽ Introduce something or someone new
✽ Write a description of something that intrigues
✽ Create a mystery (perhaps your protagonist receives a strangely-shaped package)
✽ Share a revelation or surprise news
✽ Crack a joke

Climax - The climax is one of the most important literary devices in plot structure. It's the pivotal moment at the peak of the story arc that pits the protagonist against an opposing force in order to resolve the main conflict once and for all. It's the biggest battle for the hero, the shocking reveal of the killer, the answer to the question asked throughout the story. The climax usually occurs at around 90% through the story, and should leave your reader satisfied as they move on to the resolution.

Resolution - Every story needs a conclusion. After the climax, it's important to tie up any loose ends in a quick, concise, and satisfying manner. Here you need to make sure the main conflicts are resolved, the character arcs are complete, and lingering questions are answered. A strong, memorable resolution will also reinforce the theme of the story. And remember that a satisfying ending does not necessarily mean the hero saves the day or the adventurer finds the hidden treasure. Personal growth should happen throughout the narrative and give your protagonist the strength to move forward with a fresh perspective, regardless of the story's outcome. 

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We've got more great content coming your way. Next up, descriptive writing.