Plot more than telling a Good Yarn.

Reality often seems to have no rhyme or reason in fiction you can shape it, giving events patterns and meaning.

Classic Story Structure

Classic Story structure includes the beginning, the middle and an end.

Beginning

The beginning is where you introduce the audience to the setting, characters and the situation. It often ends with a something catchy to draw the reader in. A dramatic turning point, upsetting the routine everyday things (status quo) and sets the story in motion. The beginning of the crisis/dilemma or problem forces the characters to grow, changing direction and take action.

Middle

This is the longest part of the story.Characters pass through a series of events, complications or obstacles that increase the intensity. This causes tension to rise and fall building toward the BIG climax.

Climax happens after a dark point for the protagonist, pulling them self to triumph and employing what they have learnt, or it could be a downfall when they are feeling at the highest point.

The goal the hero is trying to reach could be irrelevant, and they may find the real goal is beyond what they first thought. E.g. The student may want to get past the bully and arrive at school. The ultimate goal could be to achieve at school but this isn't happening when you can't get to school safely. This realisation is the  mid point of the story not the moment of climax, a shift in direct creating more tension.

End

The end is a short section the pulls all the pieces after the climax to together, tying up lose ends.

Character Arcs

This is for more able writers, as they begin to show how a character grows through the story both emotionally and possibly physically (Grows from being 5 to 7 years of age). This change is called the character arc.

In the beginning of the story the character doesn't know things about himself. The character may think they are not strong, through events the character may realise to be strong doesn't mean you have to have muscles. The first turning point shakes up their beliefs helping the story and character to change course.

The middle of the story is the learning and growing section of the story for the character building to the climax. Where the character uses what they know and have learnt.

By the end the character has grown and changed their is a new equilibrium, way or the character could be defeated and completely disillusioned.

Of course the characters path should not be easy, they need to struggle toward the goal as each new challenge raises the stakes.