Story Arc: What Is It, and How Do I Get It?

You've probably heard of story arc, if you've been writing for long. Maybe you've even gotten a rejection back from an editor, saying something like "nice writing, but it needs a stronger story arc". So what is story arc?

Put simply, a story arc is the 'story' part of a manuscript. It's the beginning, middle, and end that turns a collection of words into a story. It's also a very difficult thing for beginners --and some more experienced authors--to learn.

A classic pattern for a story arc is problem- conflict-resolution. Most short stories follow this pattern. The protagonist has a problem; he spends the story trying to solve the problem; in the end, the problem is either solved, or it isn't.

The problem-conflict-resolution pattern works well for everything from low-key relationship stories to high fantasy with epic battles and knights in shining armor.

Start by asking yourself what kind of problems your characters can face. Or, if you start with a world first, ask yourself what kind of problems can happen to what kind of characters in your world. Next, think about things the character can do to resolve the problem. Ideally, there shouldn't be an easy fix. In real life, problems are messy and hard to deal with. Your fictional character's problems should be the same way, or you risk boring your reader. Complicate the issue. Throw your character in at the deep end, and keep him swimming for his life until the resolution.

Finally, how does the story resolve? Does he fix his problem? Does she learn something that puts the problem in perspective? A story's resolution should flow naturally from what came before. Even the surprise or "twist" ending should leave the reader thinking "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I didn't see that coming!" rather than "Huh? Where in the world did that come from?

Be sure when looking at your story that the problem you resolve at the end is the same one you introduce at the beginning. If the story's resolution is introduced halfway through the story...then you should consider cutting the first half of the story, no matter how brilliantly written.

A good short story is a natural progression, from beginning to middle to end. That progression, that story arc, is the heart of the story.