Examples

Here's a quick example of how the nine sentence synopsis works.

1. The trouble starts when.....  Linda wants ice cream.
2. The protagonist makes a plan to cope by... going to the freezer.
3. The trouble gets worse when...there is no ice cream there!
4. The protagonist regroups and presses on harder by...checking her purse for money
5. The protagonist reaches the point of no return when...she gets in her car to go to the store.
6. The protagonist is pushed to the brink when...all the lights are red on the way to the store.
7. She appears to have lost when...there is no Coconut Bliss!
8. She fights on by...looking behind all the other ice cream containers.
9. Everything is on the line and only one will win when...she stands up on tiptoe, drags the last container out by the tips of her fingers, and barely avoids pulling over the display!

Even this little silly story about ice cream has rising and falling action. It also describes my GMC and how it changes. For example:

Goal: Get ice cream (what I want)
Motivation: Hungry (because)
Conflict: None in the freezer (but)

My goal and motivation remain the same, but the conflict changes as the story goes on. In a more complicated story, the protagonist examines if her goal is worth what she thought it was. In a tragedy, the story would go like this:

1. The trouble starts when.....Linda wants ice cream
2. The protagonist makes a plan to cope by...going to the freezer
3. The trouble gets worse when...there is no ice cream !
4. The protagonist regroups and presses on harder by...looking her purse for change
5. The protagonist reaches the point of no return when...she is out of money!
6. The protagonist is pushed to the brink when...she ransacks the sofa cushions for change
7. She appears to have lost when...there is nothing there either.
8. She fights on by...checking her bank account
9. Everything is on the line and only one will win when...she can't afford the ice cream.

This little tool tells you how you want to run your story, and what needs to happen between each section. The writer can add the setting by talking about how blisteringly hot it is out, by what her house looks like, what kind of ice cream is haunting her.

Story Basics, Part III: A quick and dirty introduction to story structure

Some writers love outlines - sailing from island to island in an archipelago to reach the mainland. Some like to sail into the fog, boldly striking out on their own to find their story.

Both ways are correct. Both will make fabulous stories.

For those of us who run aground at the slightest notice, story structure helps keep the boat on track. I love to use this little tool called the nine sentence synopsis. This will help you figure out the turning points of your story, where your characters are going, and what needs to happen next in order for everything to make sense to your reader.

The Nine Sentence Synopsis 

1. The trouble starts when.....
2. The protagonist makes a plan to cope by...
3. The trouble gets worse when...
4. The protagonist regroups and presses on harder by...
5. The protagonist reaches the point of no return when...
6. The protagonist is pushed to the brink when...
7. She appears to have lost when...
8. She fights on by...
9. Everything is on the line and only one will win when...

I know I got this from a genius writer, but I can't find the original handout to give credit. Damn! I'll keep trying to find that.

This quick and dirty tool helps you shape the rising and falling tension of your story. I'll go more into explanations next time!