Learn how different genres pose specific story questions, with examples from action, romance, and mystery genres. Explore the significance of global inciting incidents and climaxes in shaping the narrative. Discover how to craft a structural roadmap for your story by defining the central story question and genre.
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Central Question Drives The Story
A story's main plot thread raises one central question that readers expect answered by the end.
Identifying that question gives your story narrative drive and page-turning momentum.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Anchor Plot With Question And Answer
Figure out your story's central question and use it as a framework for the plot.
Treat the inciting incident and climax as the ask-and-answer anchors to build scenes between them.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Put The Inciting Incident Early
Place the global inciting incident around the 12% mark (midway through Act One).
Use it to raise the central question quickly so readers stay engaged and avoid long info dumps.
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In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to figure out the big-picture shape of your story. Here's a preview of what's included: . [02:45] Each genre asks a specific story question. For example, in an action story, the central story question is some version of, "Will the protagonist defeat the antagonist and survive the encounter?" (This article has the start and end points by genre) [03:45] The central story question helps you create a framework for your story. That's because these two "ask and answer questions" become the global inciting incident and the global climax of your story. [04:00] The global inciting incident is a scene that raises the central story question in the readers's mind. It's the question that the whole story will work to answer. [05:55] The global climax is a scene that answers the central story question. It's what helps you deliver a satisfying emotional experience to the reader. [07:15] If you're writing an action story... the global inciting incident is usually some kind of threat or attack from the antagonist. These stories end with the protagonist defeating the antagonist (or not). [08:20] If you're writing a romance... the global inciting incident is usually the first time the lovers meet or appear on the page together. These stories end with these two individuals either committing to a romantic relationship (or not). [09:25] If you're writing a mystery... the global inciting incident is usually the discovery of some kind of murder or crime. These stories end with revealing the identity of the murder/criminal and bringing them to justice (or not). [10:35] If you're writing a worldview (or coming of age) story... the global inciting incident is usually a challenge to the protagonist's black and white worldview. These stories end with the protagonist maturing or staying stuck. [12:15] If you're writing a story with both an external and an internal genre, you can identify these key moments to create a story that feels like a cohesive whole AND a story that has more impact. [13:25] Key points and a quick recap of the episode.
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