Causal Chain Experience Redux
Inspired by Holly’s recent discussion on chapter breaks , I thought I’d revisit an old post I wrote a couple of years ago. The causal chain experience. Remember, narrative structure is a sequence of cause and effect. Stories are formed by an interlinked sequence: Event A causes Event B (and so on). One event, one decision triggers the next one, and the next one. To reinforce both action (external) and emotional (internal) plot movements, build tension, and create strong drama, a writer needs to be mindful of the story’s causal chain. Harrison Demchick ( The Writer's Ally ) offered a wonderful analogy on this concept. Think of plot as a twisted layout of dominoes, and every plot beat in your narrative is a single domino. The first domino is the inciting incident, and once tipped, it launches a succession of plot beats. This is the rising action. Over the course of the story, there are complications, subplots, and dramatic turns. This rising action reaches a peak,...
