The structure of a story

It’s a whale in reverse, someone once explained – tail, peduncle, body and head.

The opening, a short steep hill of sticky intrigue to capture the readers attention, is followed by character buildup and added complexity. These are the pages where we learn to hate, fear and love.

The plot thickens and tensions grow as we reach the point of no return, that literary singularity from whence no hero can escape but is instead catapulted forward to the blowhole, the climax where good faces evil and only the brave and the pure of heart survive.

Finally the gentle, sloping fadeout.