Rising Tension Stories and Their Variations

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jjdebenedictis

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Laer, why don't you get a blog? AW is for conversation, not delivering lectures.
 

ConnieBDowell

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Years ago, as an undergrad, I had a professor explain why we kept seeing the confusing pyramid models. I never investigated this explanation further, but seems to make sense. Correct me, anyone, if I'm wrong and you know more about the history of the model.

Anyway, what this professor said boiled down to this: Climax used to mean a different part of the story. He said that while today the climax refers to the moment of greatest tension, which occurs just before the story's end, climax used to refer to what we call the midpoint today, a turning point in the middle of the story, quite literally the point of no return from the protagonist's point of view. As an example he referred to Hamlet's murder of Polonius. Up until that point, Hamlet's efforts have been passive aggressive, half-heartedly acting weird and trying to embarrass people with plays. When he kills Polonius, he can't hide behind that passive aggression any more. He can't go back. Thus, all action leading up to that moment is rising action, rising to that pivotal moment. All action afterward is falling action, all falling from, resulting from that one act.

That was the explanation. As I said, it's totally unresearched on my part and comes from a vague memory of almost ten years ago, so if anyone wants to chime in with more information, I'd appreciate it.
 

Laer Carroll

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Years ago, as an undergrad, I had a professor [say] that while today the climax refers to the moment of greatest tension, which occurs just before the story's end, climax used to refer to what we call the midpoint today, a turning point in the middle of the story, quite literally the point of no return from the protagonist's point of view.

Interesting. I’d probably say that this is simply a “pivot” or turning point in the plot.

In Hamlet or other works of similar length you may have time only for one pivot point. But in larger works you might have several.

Say, in a long World War II novel you might have a turning point when the U. S. entered the war. Another when the Nazis failed in their drive to win on the Russian front, and so on.
 

jjdebenedictis

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So, you want me to shut up about a topic that interests me, and about which I'd really like to get additional viewpoints?
No, as I implied, maybe you should speak freely on topics that interest you but in a more appropriate forum.

Your original post didn't give me any impression you wanted other people's viewpoints.
 

Laer Carroll

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Your original post didn't give me any impression you wanted other people's viewpoints.

To the contrary. I always try (as I did above) to see the big picture and say it. But often someone will make a comment that adds to my understanding.

As ConnieBDowell did in her post, about climaxes coming in the middle of a story. It made me realize that every time our MC or team of MCs struggle against another obstacle tension will rise during that fight. When s/he or they win the tension will drop off. This is a climax (or maybe a “mini-climax”).

Come to think of it, the MC or MCs may not always win. Maybe after several tries they fail (perhaps with wounds or casualties or other losses). Then they have to go around the obstacle. The defeat and following retreat or zig-zag away from their straightest path to final victory still counts as mini-climax because the tension will drop off while they re-gather their strength and travel to the next obstacle.

So the defeat becomes a pivot point in the plot. And raises the overall tension level more. Because the readers have been shown the MC can fail. Final victory is not assured and may be at great cost.
 

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Laer, why don't you get a blog? AW is for conversation, not delivering lectures.

So, you want me to shut up about a topic that interests me, and about which I'd really like to get additional viewpoints?

I can see jj's point, Laer. Your first post reads more like a lecture than the opening to a discussion. You didn't ask questions or do anything in your post which implied that you were interested in hearing anyone else's views.

Perhaps you could open up the discussion by asking some questions?
 

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Laer, why don't you get a blog? AW is for conversation, not delivering lectures.

Oddly enough, it is a post copied from his blog.

http://laercarroll.com/fiction-writing/rising-tension-model/

He also posted it in the SFFworld.com forums:
http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?41768-Rising-Tension-Stories-and-Their-Variations

I'd suggest reading some of the basic texts of literary criticism and the history of the novel would do someone more good; Mr. Carroll keeps getting his terms of art wrong.

I'd suggest starting with a good survey of the history of the novel, say Ian Watt's Rise of the Novel which is a standard undergraduate intro, but still quite useful, and then perhaps reading E. Forster's Aspects of the Novel.

Aristotle's Poetics forms a background for both of these, as well as Mr. Carroll's lecture.

Since Mr. Carroll is more interested in lecturing than engaging, he would do well to refrain from reposting his blog posts here in an attempt to drive traffic.

In any case, we're done here.
 
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