Sequence and Narrative part 4: Research - Story structures 4.3

Reading a simplified story structure for this exercise it "has a focus on Nigel Watt’s Eight Point Arc structure, which draws influence from Campbell’s earlier work to create a working format useful to writers and authors to create structure within their own stories."

• How might it be useful for getting more from your own drawings?

 

It can be useful by providing a structure I can easily follow and expand on depending on what I choose to use or how I want to give a drawing or character a new narrative, I can create a personality maybe that being a 'hero' . It shows me a simple way of understanding create a story too and I can use a drawing with no purpose and give it one.

 

• Can you find a story which already conforms to the structure?

 

I find most children’s books follow a similar structure, they are always quite simple and easy to follow, they introduce a bit of a climax or problem but there is always a solution at the end.

 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is the first book that comes to mind.

 

The statis - An egg hatches on a leaf and it is the caterpillar

 

The trigger - The caterpillar is hungry

 

Quest- It eats through many things for a whole week

 

Surprise - The hungry caterpillar eats too much and goes to bed with a bellyache

 

Critical Choice - It then eats one green leaf and feels better

 

Climax - Cocoon is built around the caterpillar and it stays there for 2 weeks

 

Reversal - breaks out of cocoon and it’s revealed the hungry caterpillar is now a beautiful butterfly

 

Resolution - Carries on its life as a butterfly