[MUSIC] Welcome to Module B on plot, the power of structure. In this module, we're going to learn what structure is and how by understanding structure, you can learn how to sequence the events in your plot to help maximize your own storytelling abilities. All stories are organized around a basic structure. In the last module, we talked about how plots can be best understood through Freytag's pyramid. Freytag created his pyramid by analyzing Greek tragedy and you can't talk about Greek tragedy without talking about Aristotle. Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who wrote a book called Poetics, where he argued plot or mythos was the most important element of drama. Aristotle is credited with inventing the three act structure. The beginning, this is where you set up your characters, their relationships, their wants and desires. The middle, this is where the plot reaches its climax. The end, this is where the plot is resolved. Today, modern screenplay writers use a three act structure when putting together scripts. The ancient Roman lyric poet Horace can be given credit for devising the five act structure. In a poem called Ars Poetica, Horace offers advice on how to write poetry and drama. Specifically, he argued that a play should not be longer or shorter than five acts. In talking about structure for novels and short stories, I also follow a five act structure, that while owing credit to Aristotle and Horace, is a lot more modern. Emma Mott is an American author who wrote a wonderful book on the craft of writing called Bird by Bird. In it, she describes a conversation that she had with the novelist, Alice Adams about a unique five act structure Alice uses called A B D C E. Now this is a structure I teach all of my students. And a structure I recommend highly for writers of all skill sets and abilities. Let's take a look at what each one of these letters stands for. A stands for action. Action is what draws the reader in. It's something specific and concrete. Lots of stories open up with a character thinking about something or doing something passive. That's not an action, an action is something physical that involves a character doing something. B is for background. Background is essentially context, or what was happening to these characters before the story started. This is the part of the story where we get essential and vital information that will help us determine the character's actions as we go through the story. Development, this is where the meat of your story is. This is where the plot of your story happens because it's in this area where your characters deal with the rising actions you throw their way. And it's up to the characters to develop themselves and their responses in either succeeding or failing to overcome the obstacles in their path. C stands for climax. Now, as I discussed in module one, the climax is where the biggest rising action happens in your story. This is the place where the key narrative twist in your story happens. And because of that twist, things are different for your main characters in a real and significant way. E is for your ending. This is where we learn that the characters we thought we knew have become someone else because of their journey. Now each of these sections can be of any length, though endings are usually short. Good stories are a circle or a spiral. They leave us back in the same place but changed in some way. If you were to diagram this spiral, you'll see that the tail end of the spiral goes out further than the spiral starting point. This means your main character wanted something but didn't get it, or they got it, but they were unexpected consequences. Now that we see how the structure works, let's try it out. Suppose you have a house cat, let's call your cat Bugens, a large orange and white tabby. One day your partner decides to leave you because Bugens is getting in the way of your relationship. This is your action. Remember, the action thaat kicks off of your story is usually dramatic. Now you have Bugens because your kid brother, who was a soldier that died in a war, gave him to you to take care of. This is your background. It's the context that offers vivid and crucial information that helps us determine our main character's action throughout the story. Now let's develop our story with Bugens. Bugens is indeed high maintenance. He has a chronic sneezing condition that causes him to expel thick green strands of snot on his food bowl, his water fountain, even on your face and in your mouth, if he times his sneezing just right. He's also developed diabetes, meaning he requires injections twice a day at exactly the same time. Meaning you can't stay out with your boy or girlfriend beyond a certain time, because you have to go back home and give Bugens his shots. You realize that your boy or girlfriend has a point about him being high maintenance, but Bugens has been with you for years and has helped you through many crises. And because of the promise you made to your dead brother, the war veteran, getting rid of Bugens isn't an option. Now remember, the development is where you outline what your characters want and what's standing in their way. Now it's time for the climax, this is the key narrative twist in your story. This is where you bring all the threads of your story together. You invite your boy, girlfriend back to your house and offer to cook a conciliatory dinner. While you're in the kitchen, Bugens attacks your boy, girlfriend, who then contracts rabies. You now have to make a decision. Lose your partner for good, or get rid of Bugens. The ending, now this is what happens to your characters after the climax. You decide to honor your commitment to your brother and keep Bugens. You never see your boy or girlfriend again, but you and Bugens, after several trips to the vet, live happily ever after. Now that we've discussed the five act structure, take a look in the next segment of what the structure looks like in stories that you're already familiar with. [MUSIC]
