Structure Vocabulary

4. the climactic ending
5. act tension the overarching conflict or tension that drives a story
6. fuels a single sequence
9. narrative is divided into three acts (beginning, middle, and end)
11. sequence tension the specific and immediate conflict or tension
12. in/act one turning point the point in the story where the character crosses the point of no return and becomes locked into the main conflict
13. a significant shift in the story or escalation of stakes at about the middle of the story
16. conflict the primary and overarching struggle where a character's greatest desire is met with equally strong external or internal challenges
17. a secondary storyline which runs alongside and supports the main plot

1. the highest point of tension, emotion, and conflict
2. of attack the exact moment a story begins
3. the character's external goal which motivates the plot
7. breaks the moment where one act ends and the next begins
8. the character's internal growth that must be met in order to meet their external goal(s)
10. act twist/2nd turning point the moment where all is lost, the character is defeated, and they are forced to give their all
11. incident the important moment or decision which interrupts the ordinary and sets the main plot in motion
14. act structure a standard type of story structure where
15. or ghost a moment/moments, typically traumatic, which haunt the character(s) and drive their actions