Goals – Driving the Narrative
As with every story element described in this series, the goal relates directly back to the idea of conflict. To reiterate, in its most basic form, conflict is when someone wants something and another person doesn’t want them to have it. More specifically, narrative conflict is typically when one character proactively pursues a goal, which […]
The Trigger – More Than An Inciting Incident
While even the non-writer will recognize that the climax is the character’s final battle, the end of the story, fewer know what to call the start of the story. Remember, there is no story without conflict. Therefore the story starts with a clear conflict. Writers will know the Inciting Incident or Inciting Event is often […]
More than the Antagonist: The Seven Opposition Types
The logline is, at its core, a description of the central conflict in a story. The central conflict will be defined through the struggle between the main character and their opposition. No opposition, no conflict. No conflict, no story. Understanding how the different types of opposition are used in a story will be necessary to […]
More Than The Protagonist: The Six Main Character Types
At the heart of any compelling story is conflict. One character wants something, another character (or force) doesn’t want them to have it. The characters locked in conflict are commonly referred to as the protagonist and antagonist. While this is technically correct, it is dramatically incomplete. In the days of the Greek theater, the protagonist […]
9 Components Of The Perfect Logline (Part 2)
4) Triggering Event In the logline, a triggering event describes the change in circumstances that creates the conflict to be resolved in the climax. Some call it the inciting incident or inciting event, others call it a catalyst. Whether a specific event, or the final straw in a sequence of compounding events, the trigger […]
