The 8-point story arc

See: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to- … point-arc/

How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc
By Ali Hale

1.    Stasis – The “everyday life” in which the story is set.
2.    Trigger – Something beyond the control of the protagonist.
3.    The quest — The trigger results in a quest.
4.    Surprise – Pleasant events, but more often means obstacles, complications, conflict and trouble for the protagonist.
5.    Critical Choice — A decision by the character to take a particular path – not just something that happens by chance.
6.    Climax – The highest peak of tension in story.
7.    Reversal – The reversal should be the consequence of the critical choice and the climax
8.    Resolution –  Return to a fresh stasis.

I give my example here. The Rape of Cassandra

  http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/posting … ndra-22216

which is an example that is stripped down of description and “characterization” and other frills that make interesting reading, but any such story that exists with all the frills and a “plot” -- he said, she said, this happened, and that happend -- and no story arc is in kind to hack-writing for episodic TV and pornography.

The Rape of Cassandra set in the context of a larger work provides a subplot intended to give characterization to Cassandra and Marco and makes a point on its own but without being distracting by being long and meandering off the main plot.

Some novels spin around in too long a Stasis point or have no sensible balance between advancing a plot, characterization, and back-story, all of which can been within that first stage. Worse than that, are the novels that have nothing with which to begin other than out-context dialog and action, no Stasis stage at all.

I also would like to add that there are not always discrete separations between 2,3, 4, and 5 and are blended to some extent. In the Rape of Cassandra I believe I have discrete stages except 4 and 5.