These are all common ‘ beats’ to most stories. It can be easier to see these moments in genres with higher stakes (such as a military thriller), but you’ll find them in almost any type of story. In this subgenre of thriller, the plot revolves around a crime that must be stopped, or a criminal that must be apprehended by law enforcement, military, or some kind of vigilante.

Rising Action. The story's true stakes become clear; our hero grows familiar with her ‘new world’ and has her first encounters with some enemies and allies. (see Tests, Allies, Enemies) A subset of high fantasy, this subgenre focuses on sword-wielding heroes as well as magic or witchcraft. Events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is non-existent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon earth with some additions. Characters in S&S stories are, in general, morally ambiguous. This subgenre of romance features a teenage protagonist, a central love story, and an emotionally satisfying ending. The content of this genre is geared toward readers aged 12 – 18, and varies in depictions of sex, use of violence, gore, and profanity based on its intended target audience.This subgenre of horror is focused on a fear of the unknowable based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, his Cthulu mythos, and other works that have since been absorbed into it. Unknowable, unidentifiable, and non-euclidean, are all words used to describe this type of horror. Nihilism and cosmicism are common themes. Guiding comprehension, recalling, and retelling by using the major elements in a story—“story grammar” Speculative fiction is a very broad category encompassing supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements that exist outside the realm of realism. Horror Interactive fiction has an intimate relationship with video games, and it flourishes when composed using digital tools. But writers and artists have been collaborating with their audiences since long before the computer age. There’s Yoko Ono’s 1964 experimental art book Grapefruit , which offers its participant readership instructions they may perform: “Draw a map to get lost,” for example. And in the early 1940s, Jorge Luis Borges imagined a labyrinthine novel containing endless scenes and outcomes in his short story “ The Garden of Forking Paths .” While using a pre-existing blueprint might make you worry about ending up with a formulaic, predictable story, you can probably analyze most of your favorite books using various narrative structures that writers have been using for decades (if not centuries)!

This subgenre of horror focuses on a protagonist or an antagonist that utilizes telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, or some other form of mind-driven power to create tension or perpetrate horrific acts. Theme Stated [5]. During the setup, hint at what your story is really about — the truth that your protagonist will discover by the end. Historical Fiction–stories set in the past that portray character and events that actually did or possibly could have occurred. Plot and character are developed within an authentic historical setting. The purpose of the comedy genre is mainly to entertain and offer levity. Comedy isn’t always humorous, though that is a staple of the more modern version of the genre. Classically, a “comedy” simply has a happy ending. Since then, the genre has expanded to include all manner of tropes, themes, and plot devices. A subgenre of western fiction set during the California gold rush during the first half of the 19th century.Named after a 19th-century German novelist and playwright, Freytag’s Pyramid is a five-point dramatic structure that’s based on the classical Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. Structure As you navigate the world of interactive fiction, I hope you’ll carry with you my offerings on structure. Comparing visuals of different Twine constructions will help you critically consider the shape of yours. None of this, of course, is a rule. Many mature interactive fictions combine these structures, using nodes, looping, and maps to create an engaging experience imbued with variety, challenge, and mystery. And some games use other structures, unique constructions of their own.