Story Cycle 1 - Hero Arc

Can I ask for advice my dear?

Like, you know how you write fics and you have an idea of where you want it to go.

I have an exposition and an ending ready but how do you guys bridge that? Like there is a plot but also how do you connect and make sense of the whole thing? I dunno if it makes sense but I hope it does šŸ˜…

Sorry it took me so long to get to this - I was thinking about how best to answer!

From what I understand, you have a general plot and the ending of your story worked out? You know the rough beats and the main overarching 'this is what the story will be about'?

Since I'm not sure how much experience you have writing, I might cover some things you're already aware of - if so, sorry about that. I'm just going to bring in some of the basics.

So, while I believe there is no 'one way' to design and plan your plot, there are a few good structures you can use to help put your ideas in some semblance of order. I use both of these frequently when setting out a plot, or even when just planning out a scene. These story cycles are usually pretty scalable, which is great!

Story Cycle 1 - Hero Arc

Can I Ask For Advice My Dear?

This is a very basic explanation of the hero cycle. There are some more broken down versions that go into the in-between steps, but these are the main beats that I tend to drift towards, and this is a graphic I made that helps me remember the rough stages.

Now, I mainly use this cycle when it comes to longer, drawn out stories, like CS, or my own original novels. This is one of the most well known and most used in story writing.

I really encourage people to try and use this cycle. It is a very popular and strong way to structure a long story because it works.

Story Cycle 2 - Regular Arc

Can I Ask For Advice My Dear?

This second cycle is a favourite of mine because it's applicable for both a story as a whole and on a scene-by-scene basis. I've often used this model to craft specific scenes in my stories.

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Structuring a plot can be a very laborious and frustrating task, but where your story is short or long, I really do think these two cycles can help you.

Depending on the length of your story, take one of the models above (or heck, look up another if you think these aren't quite suited to your style), and start to categorise your ideas beneath the main titles.

Ask yourself questions like: 'where does this scene fit?', 'what is this scene accomplishing in the story, is it before or after the climax?', or 'how would it affect the flow if I put it *here*?', and go from there.

Remember that this outline isn't set in stone either. You can chop and change where you want ideas to come into your story as you write it.

This is how I go about linking my ideas up into a coherent plot. After you do it for long enough, you stop consciously realising that you even do this anymore. You pick up a natural feel for things. So long as you just start somewhere - whether it's a vague idea or the final scene in a story - you're already doing fantastic!

Hope this helps!

More Posts from 0-0malik and Others

1 year ago

"you have a responsibility to consider how your writing would affect other people" literally 50% of writing is manipulating the audience by setting tone and mood and drawing them in to fuck with their emotions. writers do NOTHING but consider how our writing is affecting other people and this is implying that our moral imperative is to make them feel warm and fuzzy which it is not

3 years ago

I just want my OTP to derrive meaning from each other in a way that would be incredibly unhealthy and codependent if two people did that in real life but is profoundly poetic and romantic within the context of a fictional piece of media in consuming.

1 year ago
This Is Like A Test Run On How I Would Make Mangas So There’s Like Little Sense In The Story. All I
This Is Like A Test Run On How I Would Make Mangas So There’s Like Little Sense In The Story. All I
This Is Like A Test Run On How I Would Make Mangas So There’s Like Little Sense In The Story. All I
This Is Like A Test Run On How I Would Make Mangas So There’s Like Little Sense In The Story. All I
This Is Like A Test Run On How I Would Make Mangas So There’s Like Little Sense In The Story. All I

This is like a test run on how I would make mangas so there’s like little sense in the story. All I knew was that I wanted to see Chuuya punching something then this happened.

FYI, this is set after Dazai’s defection from PM.

Hope you enjoy!


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3 years ago

Newsflash: Chuuya cares for Dazai

This can be sort of counted as a part two of my analysis talking about Dazai's care for Chuuya. In this post I will be focusing on Chuuya's feelings and care towards Dazai, hope you enjoy! :)

Chuuya Nakahara is a very expressive character, therefore, it is logical to believe that his feelings towards Dazai are easy to grasp, which is true. But just because we can understand Chuuya's feelings easier does not make them any less complex.

This is going to sound much harsher than I intend it to but Chuuya's hatred towards Dazai is defiently more genuine and prominent than Dazai's "hatred" towards Chuuya. Fellow Soukoku shipper reading this, I know this hurts but bare with me!

Dazai's "hatred" for Chuuya is truly not as strong. Don't get me wrong, there are some aspects that Chuuya has that Dazai finds annoying, but he doesn't truly hate him. Chuuya is one of the first people that Dazai ever actually started to harvest genuine care for. Chuuya was also one of the reasons Dazai wanted to continue living in Fiftheen, not to mention how Chuuya was basically Dazai's drive to continue living and fighting in Stormbringer. I think that Dazai's reasoning to "hate" Chuuya is because of the sole reason that Chuuya was indirectly making Dazai bring out aspects of himself that he has never shown or even knew he had before. I believe that another reason Dazai could "hate" Chuuya is because of how loyal he is to the pm, which could be seen as ironic considering the fact that Chuuya's loyalty was exactly what drew Dazai in back when they were 15.

As much as I hate to admit it, Chuuya does "hate" Dazai. He even resents the idea of being associated with Dazai. The reason for this is simple: he hates what Dazai Osamu represents. Everyone in the port mafia saw Dazai as inhuman, even Dazai himself doesn't see himself as human, and Chuuya desperately wants to be seen as human. So he proyects his own anger and fear of not being human onto Dazai. Another reason Chuuya could hate Dazai is because of how Dazai, a biological human— rejects his own humanity. Something that Chuuya craves so bad.

The reason as to why I say that Chuuya's hate can be considered stronger than Dazai's is because both of these characters strive for one thing: Humanity.

Dazai sees Chuuya as a human. During Stormbringer he doesn't even doubts Chuuya's humanity even after Chuuya's sketchy background and orgins. Dazai even likes to drop small hints to Chuuya that he is human.

Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai
Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai

This pannel represents their view for each other very well. Dazai says "im human too, you know?" he says the word "too", emphazasing on the fact that he is also calling Chuuya human. And what is Chuuya's response to that? "Nobody would believe that shit." So... Is Chuuya talking about himself or about Dazai here? I would say both, on one side this can be seen as Chuuya insulting Dazai. But if we look at the bigger picture and also Dazai's choice of words, Chuuya is actually saying that its hard to believe that he himself is human. But at the end of the day, he is just proyecting his insecurities and anger towards Dazai like he always does, but this time it was an insult that hurts both of them.

Chuuya "hated" Dazai. Back when both of them were in the pm, Chuuya acted like he didn't give two shits about Dazai. During the times we've seen these two when they were in the pm, Dazai's care for Chuuya was 10x more evident than Chuuya's care for Dazai. Chuuya's behavior towards Dazai is much more crude and vulgar, but that does not mean that Chuuya doesn't care for Dazai, infact Chuuya cares a whole lot for him. Back then, Chuuya did not want to accept it. He did not want to accept that he cared for the person who he wanted to see as "inhuman" so badly.

Even though Chuuya "hated" him when they were in the pm, he felt close to Dazai, he felt so close to him to the point he truly trusts him with corruption and with battle strategies.

Chuuya defiently held a lot of care for Dazai in the pm but he never took the time to think or even realize his care. I would like to say that Chuuya's care was instincitve. Chuuya never hesitates to save Dazai, there was never an ulterior motive to save him, he just dives in without a question.

My favorite example to show when it comes to Chuuya's instinctive care will always be in stormbringer, code 4:

"So that's how it is..." Dazai said as he stared back at the black lump with a stern expression on his face.

Cracks appeared on the ground. Something that looked like the head of a reptile pooked out of the lump.

"Watch out!" Chuuya jumped to the side by manipulating gravity and grabbed Dazai, rolling over to the woods.

Chuuya did not even think twice of pulling Dazai away from harm. Chuuya didn't hesitate at all. The reason for that is simple, he cares. He just doesn't want to accept it nor acknowledge it.

Another perfect example of Chuuya's care when they were back in the pm is the whole microscope situation in the dragon head conflict. Its quite funny how a minute before realizing Dazai's plan, Chuuya told Mori how Dazai is better off dead, but the moment he realize that there was a chance to get Dazai and his own friends out of Shibusawa's mess, he did not overthink it at all and quickly goes over to help Dazai.

So my point is Chuuya was so focused on his own self-proyecting towards Dazai to even realize he cares for him. But that all changes the night Dazai leaves the pm.

The next think I will be discussing about is something that I have talked about on my last previous posts, so if you want a more detailed explanation about this you can go read them. (for some reason I can't link my own posts but they aren't hard to find!)

But anyways, Chuuya has lost so many significant people in his life, he's either been betrayed by them or they die. Dazai has been such a constant person in Chuuya's life and I believe that Chuuya didn't really acknowledge that, maybe he did realize in some sort of subconcious level, hence why he always is instinctively protective over Dazai when he's in real danger.

It was actually Dazai's departure when it hit Chuuya that he indeed does care for Dazai. It was the moment when he realized how wierd it feels to have that one person who stuck with you since you first entered the pm to suddendly disappear.

I think everyone in this fandom can agree that Chuuya was hurt by Dazai leaving without any explanation, even Asagiri confirmed this in the afterwards of stormbringer by saying that Chuuya's feelings towards Dazai leaving the pm haven't been fully revealed yet, and I think its pretty evident by Chuuya's expression when he mentions Dazai's departure, he wasn't happy about it at all.

Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai

It was Dazai's departure that wierdly enough strenghtened Soukoku's bond from Chuuya's end. Sure, Chuuya holds a lot of grudge and resentment towards Dazai for leaving, but Dazai has also been the only person in his life who was able to leave and come back, and not only just "come back" but both of them also managed to mantain the same partnership and bond they've shared for years.

When they see each other in the basement, Chuuya chooses to let him go. He could've restrained him to give Dazai a harder time, especially if we consider the fact that Dazai literally "betrayed" the pm– betraying Chuuya to an extension. But Chuuya lets him go, because he doesn't want him to actually die.

Chuuya could've also shown a way stronger resolve when it came to fighting Dazai in the basement, but he doesn't. He lets Dazai "harass" him back. He even goes as far as to humilate himself to make Dazai laugh.

Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai

There was literally no reason whatsoever for Chuuya to do this. It was just a sublte bonding moment between the two.

In the lovecraft battle, Chuuya was being so open about his trust for Dazai. These two always have this "actions speaks louder than words" thing going on but I think that Dazai really needed that reassurence, Dazai needed that reassurence that Chuuya still trusts him even after leaving him, he needed that reassurence that Chuuya trusts him.

Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai

Back when both were in the pm days, Chuuya would've never said this outloud. Ever. But now that he actually realized how important Dazai is to him so he can't help but say it out loud, to show that vulnerable side of him. Even when he believes that theres a posibility Dazai doesn't care back.

Newsflash: Chuuya Cares For Dazai

I literally love this "light punch to the chest" gesture, its so subtle yet so sweet. Showing us how although they both are in opossing sides now, they will always find a way to keep their partnership and bond. This little punch screams "I still see you as a partner and that's not changing you idiot" and I love that so much.

And then of course, we can talk about Dead Apple and how much trust Chuuya puts into Dazai and his strategies. We even have Chuuya admiting to trusting his vitality and craftiness. Chuuya trusts Dazai so much to the point he used corruption with the faith that Dazai will nullify it, even when everyone deemed Dazai dead.

These two truly treasure each other and especially their feelings towards each other. It's so intimate, it's so familiar and it's so bittersweet.

1 year ago
In The Midst Of Drawing... I Just Had The Urge

in the midst of drawing... i just had the urge

sorry

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.

.

not >:^D


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3 years ago

Soukoku is probably the only ship that gives me immense happiness and pain at the same time.

3 years ago

Apparently asshole cannot be removed from anywhere

Greek Mythology: Unfortunately, Zeus was horny.

Norse Mythology: Unfortunately, Loki was bored.

Egyptian Mythology: Unfortunately, Set was envious.

Japanese Mythology: Unfortunately, Susanoo was rude.

3 years ago
Seriously, Curse Me For Always Not Finishing My Pieces. =_=;

Seriously, curse me for always not finishing my pieces. =_=;


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5 years ago

Some Tsukasa Theories

So earlier today, @sissaf and I got into a conversation about the current arc in the comments of Chapter 41 Part 1, and the topic of my theories about Tsukasa came up. I couldn’t explain all of this fully in a comment so I made an entire obsessive post about it instead… ĀÆ\_(惄)_/ĀÆĀ Ā 

Just be aware these are just my own personal interpretations and opinions of what I’ve read up until now, and I could be entirely wrong, and no one has any obligation to read all this or agree with me^^

ā€ Theories after the jump–>Ā  [Spoilers up to Ch. 45]Ā 

*Edited to include info from a comment on 08/30/2018~Ā 

Keep reading

3 years ago
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules
Fanfiction Club: The Rules

Fanfiction Club: The Rules

This idea came to me when I woke up first thing this morning.

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0-0malik - Mal
Mal

A place where I express all my obsession through art. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST any of my works.

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