> [!cite]- Metadata > 2025-05-13 22:04 > Status: > Tags: [[5 - Atlas/Tags/Character]] [[Fiction]] [[5 - Atlas/Tags/Voice]] [[Technique]] [[Language]] [[Story]] [[5 - Atlas/Tags/Narrative]] `Read Time: 2m 45s` >**Narrative shape** and the concept of a "tension graph" are central to engaging storytelling. The classic structure you outlined-hook, exposition, rising action, climax, and denouement-maps directly onto widely used narrative models like the Fichtean Curve and Story Mountain. Here’s how these elements connect, along with further resources and notes for deeper study. **Narrative Shape and Tension Graph** - **Hook**: Open with a spike of tension to grab attention (e.g., “First there was nothing; then there was everything.”) - **Exposition**: Introduce the world and characters, but keep this phase brief to avoid a flat start - **Rising Action**: This forms the bulk of the story, with tension escalating through a series of crises or complications. Each crisis increases stakes and deepens conflict, keeping the reader engaged. - **Climax**: The peak of tension-where the ultimate choice or confrontation occurs. This is the story’s tipping point. - **Denouement (Resolution)**: The aftermath, showing how characters and the world have changed, and tying up loose ends. ### Further Notes and Linked Articles **Fichtean Curve** - Focuses on minimizing exposition and maximizing rising action, punctuated by multiple crises leading to a single, dramatic climax. - The structure is visually represented as a graph with tension steadily rising, peaking at the climax, and then falling off in the resolution. - The rhythm of crises and reflection keeps readers emotionally invested and prevents narrative stagnation. **Story Mountain / Narrative Arc** - A simplified visual: tension rises from the inciting incident, peaks at the climax, and falls during the resolution. - Useful for mapping out the emotional journey and ensuring each part of the story serves the overall tension arc. **Three-Act Structure and Tension** - Tension is generated not just by goals (what characters want) but by consequences (what they fear losing or failing to achieve). - The differential between goal and consequence is a key driver of narrative strain, especially in the final act. ### Additional Resources - **16 Narrative Structures**: Explore a variety of plotting methods beyond the classic arc, including circular, modular, and experimental forms. - **Visual Charts**: Reddit and other platforms feature user-created charts that visually map tension and narrative beats for reference. - **Storytelling with Data**: For business or nonfiction, adapting narrative tension models can help structure compelling presentations and reports. ### Summary Table: Narrative Structure Elements & Tension |Stage|Purpose|Tension Level|Notes/Resources| |---|---|---|---| |Hook|Grab attention with immediate stakes|High spike|[6](https://www.scribd.com/document/735602351/Eswar-S-Prasad-The-Future-of-Money)[8](https://www.scribd.com/document/783720236/Eswar-S-Prasad-The-Future-of-Money-How-the-Digital-Revolution-is-Transforming-Currencies-and-Finance-Harvard-University-Press-2021)| |Exposition|Set up world and characters|Brief dip|[1](https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve/)[5](https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2020/5/21/the-structures-of-story)| |Rising Action|Escalate conflict, deepen stakes|Steady rise, peaks|[1](https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve/)[3](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict/)[5](https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2020/5/21/the-structures-of-story)| |Climax|Ultimate confrontation/decision|Highest point|[1](https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve/)[3](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict/)| |Denouement|Resolve, show change|Falling, resolution|[3](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict/)[5](https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2020/5/21/the-structures-of-story)| ### Why Use a Tension Graph? - Maintains reader interest by continually raising stakes. - Helps with pacing, avoiding slow or uneventful sections. - Creates emotional engagement and investment in characters. - Provides a clear framework for plot and character development. - Emphasizes conflict as the engine of story. For a deeper dive, see articles on the Fichtean Curve[1](https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve/)[3](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict/), narrative structures[2](https://www.campfirewriting.com/learn/narrative-structure), and tension in storytelling[5](https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2020/5/21/the-structures-of-story)[7](https://narrativefirst.com/articles/generating-dramatic-tension-within-each-act-of-your-story-part-three). These resources offer both theoretical frameworks and practical examples for shaping your narrative and its tension graph. --- ### **References** [The Fichtean Curve: Examples of This Basic Plot Structure](https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve/) [16 Narrative Structures to Plot a Book With](https://www.campfirewriting.com/learn/narrative-structure) [The Fichtean Curve: How to Escalate Tension and Conflict | The Novlr Reading Room](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict/) [The greatest chart on narrative structure that you'll probably see today, but who really knows? : r/Screenwriting](https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/p5o3g1/the_greatest_chart_on_narrative_structure_that/) [the structure(s) of story — storytelling with data](https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2020/5/21/the-structures-of-story) [Eswar S. Prasad - The Future of Money | PDF | Central Banks | Money](https://www.scribd.com/document/735602351/Eswar-S-Prasad-The-Future-of-Money) [Generating Dramatic Tension Within Each Act Of Your Story: Part Three - Articles - Narrative First](https://narrativefirst.com/articles/generating-dramatic-tension-within-each-act-of-your-story-part-three) [Eswar S. Prasad - The Future of Money - How The Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance-Harvard University Press (2021) | PDF | Central Banks | Money](https://www.scribd.com/document/783720236/Eswar-S-Prasad-The-Future-of-Money-How-the-Digital-Revolution-is-Transforming-Currencies-and-Finance-Harvard-University-Press-2021) [[The Engines of Fiction]] [[The Three Collisions That Give Stories Their Tension]] [[Building a Character Onion]] [[Sculpting Voice with Register & Syntax]] [[Writing Vivid Description & Animism]] [[Dialogue as Performance]]