Creating a structure

organize events

Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of organizing a narrative. (connect ideas) You know a lot about narrative structure from reading books or watching films or TV. Many of the plot devices there — from foreshadowing to flashback — can be adapted to stories you write. But you need to plan ahead, know how much space you have to tell a story, and then connect the incidents in your narrative with transitional devices.

Consider a simple sequence. It’s a natural choice when one event follows another chronologically. Journals and diaries may have the most bare-bones sequential structures, with writers connecting one event to another by little more than a date.

Build toward a climax. Narratives become more complicated when you present a series of incidents that lead to a climax or an epiphany. Readers usually expect one or the other in a personal narrative. A climax is the moment when the action of a story peaks, takes an important turn, or is resolved: The criminal gets caught. An epiphany is a moment of revelation or insight when a writer or character suddenly sees events in a new way: The detective realizes that he’s not much different from the felon.

Narratives often have both a climax and an epiphany — it’s only logical for major events in life to trigger heightened awareness or illumination. To organize a story this way, decide what the pivotal event of the story will be and then figure out what elements lead up to or explain it. Delete all actions, characters, descriptions, or passages of dialogue that don’t contribute to that point, however much you love them. (revise and edit) Or refocus your narrative on a moment that you do love.