Write Great Fiction--Plot & Structure Read Online Free PDF Page B

last part of the novel gives us the resolution of the big story.
He won.
The best endings ( and we’ll look at some examples in chapter six ) also:
Tie up all loose ends. Are there story threads that are left dangling? You must either resolve these in a way that does not distract from the main plot line or go back and snip them out. Readers have long memories.
Give a feeling of resonance. The best endings leave a sense of something beyond the confines of the book. What does the story
mean
in the larger sense?
What About Mythic Structure?
    Ever since
Star Wars
writer-director George Lucas credited Joseph Campbell for the mythic structure of the film, we’ve had a plethora of books and articles about the value of this template. And it is valuable because it is all about elements lining up — which is what structure means.
    Mythic structure, sometimes called “The Hero’s Journey” after the title of a book by Campbell, is an order of events. It comes in various forms, but usually follows a pattern similar to this:
Readers are introduced to the hero’s world.
A “call to adventure” or a disturbance interrupts the hero’s world.
The hero may ignore the call or the disturbance.
The hero “crosses the threshold” into a dark world.
A mentor may appear to teach the hero.
Various encounters occur with forces of darkness.
The hero has a dark moment within himself that he must overcome in order to continue.
A talisman aids in battle (e.g., the shield of Athena for Perseus; the sword, Excalibur, for King Arthur).
The final battle is fought.
The hero returns to his own world.
    Why does this work? Because it perfectly corresponds to the three-act structure:
ACT I
    [1] Readers are introduced to the hero’s world.
    [2] A “call to adventure” or a disturbance interrupts the hero’s world.
    [3] The hero may ignore the call or the disturbance.
    [4] The hero “crosses the threshold” into a dark world.
ACT II
    [5] A mentor may appear to teach the hero.
    [6] Various encounters occur with forces of darkness.
    [7] The hero has a dark moment within himself that he must overcome.
    [8] A talisman aids in battle.
ACT III
    [9] The final battle is fought.
    [10] The hero returns to his own world.
A DISTURBANCE AND TWO DOORWAYS
    I find more than a bit of confusion among writers over terms like
plot point
,
inciting incident
, and others commonly used by writing instructors, sometimes in contradictory ways.
    I want to stay away from these terms in this book, and instead try to describe what actually should happen at crucial points in the plot. It’s all really simple if you don’t get hung up on the technical jargon.
    I’ll refer here to a disturbance and two doorways. If you understand what happens with each, structuring your novel will be a breeze.
The Disturbance
    In the beginning of your novel, you start out by introducing a character who lives a certain life. That is his starting point or, in mythic terms, the hero’s
ordinary world
. And it’s the place he’ll stay unless something forces him to change. Unless he does change, we’re going to have a pretty boring story because only a threat or a challenge is of interest to readers.
    So very early in Act I something has to disturb the status quo. Just think about it from the reader’s standpoint — something’s got to happen to make us feel there’s some threat or challenge happening to the characters. Remember Hitchcock’s axiom. If something doesn’t happen soon, you’ve got a
dull part
.
    This disturbance does not have to be a major threat, however. It can be anything that disturbs the placid nature of the Lead’s ordinary life. Dean Koontz usually begins his novels with such a disturbance. Here’s the first line of
The Door to December
(written as Richard Paige):
    As soon as she finished dressing, Laura went to the front door, just in time to see the L.A. Police