Story Structure form

The “Story Structure Form” is designed to assist creators in mapping out the traditional stages of their narratives, ensuring a solid, engaging structure from beginning to end.

Following the established trend from the Story/Game form, this template plans to include external resources for each field to aid in the development process, with future intentions to compile and offer internal resources within the H-CAT site. This approach ensures creators are well-equipped to craft compelling stories that resonate with their audience.

Exposition

This is the beginning part of your story or game where you set the stage. It introduces the main characters, their backgrounds, the setting, and the initial situation or conflict. The exposition provides the necessary context and background information that your audience needs to understand the world you’ve created and the premise of your narrative.

Rising Action

Following the exposition, the rising action encompasses the series of events that lead up to the climax of the story. This is where the initial situations and conflicts introduced in the exposition begin to escalate. It’s typically where characters face challenges or obstacles that complicate the initial scenario, heightening the audience’s interest and anticipation.

Climax

The climax is the most intense and exciting part of the story, often considered the turning point. It’s the moment where the main conflict reaches its peak. The decisions and actions of your characters here have significant consequences and are crucial in determining the direction of the story. This is often the moment of highest tension and drama.

Falling Action

After the climax, the story enters the falling action, where events and complications begin to resolve. The conflicts introduced earlier in the narrative start to unravel and the characters may begin to find solutions to their problems. This part leads the audience towards the closure of the story, tying up loose ends.

Resolution

Also known as the denouement, the resolution is where the story concludes. Conflicts are fully resolved, and a sense of closure is provided. This is where the outcomes of the characters’ actions are revealed, and the story concludes. In games, this may also be where the player’s achievements or failures are highlighted, providing a satisfying end to the gameplay.