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Fleshing Out the Narrative: Media Inspiration

Wall-E

Ratatouille

Coco

Up

Soul

The Wild Robot

Lilo and Stitch

Over the Garden Wall

Infinity Train

Adventure Time

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I'm finding it incredibly difficult to maintain the intended tone for my piece. No matter which narrative path I explore, the story seems to consistently veer towards being very somber and depressing, leaving far too little room for any sense of enjoyment or lightness. I'm concerned that the overall impact will be overwhelmingly bleak, and I'm struggling to find the right balance to incorporate the moments of levity I envisioned.

My primary inspiration comes from student films like Orbit and Try Hard, which transform everyday mundanities into something engaging, visually striking, and entertaining. They're packed with dynamic scenes and tension. I aim to emulate this blend of lightheartedness and fun while still exploring the more serious themes in my own work. Try Hard particularly resonated with me. It tackles weighty subjects like failure, artistic comparison, and the frustrating reality that hard work doesn't always guarantee success. Despite this potentially depressing core, the animation itself is whimsical, light, and comedic. This is achieved through exaggerated expressions and a departure from realism, reimagining ordinary moments as action-packed sequences.

Shows like Adventure Time masterfully balance lighthearted comedy with more serious, introspective moments. They achieve this by starting playfully, then seamlessly transitioning into more thoughtful scenes. These later scenes are given space to unfold, sometimes relying on dialogue to allow the audience to fully engage with the ideas presented. This tonal shift effectively maintains the show's fun, lighthearted core while still prompting deeper reflection. The More You Moe, The Moe You Know exemplifies this. The episode explores the confusing nature of growing up, skillfully blending childlike visuals and plots with mature themes and metaphors. While much of the episode revolves around wacky antics and comedic storylines, it shifts to a contemplative tone when addressing these deeper concepts. Serene, visually appealing scenes provide the backdrop for BMO's exploration of what it means to grow up.

This is a common tactic I've observed with a lot of children's media that explore heavier themes. Lilo and Stitch, Wall-E, Up, and many more make use of these sudden tone shifts to balance the subject matter with a lighthearted story. Even going back to my initial inspiration, Try Hard, the pivotal scene where the two characters fight is much more grounded in reality in contrast to the rest of the film. The scene is allowed to unfold in a way that feels grounded and authentic. This approach gives both the characters and the audience the necessary space to breathe, to process the emotions of the moment, and to connect with the characters on a deeper level. The absence of distracting elements allows the raw emotion of the conflict to resonate more powerfully.

How do I construct more visually creative scenes? How do I create scenes with elements of exaggeration, surrealism, and magical realism without the tone feeling bleak?

With the way I've constructed my narrative, it appears I've inadvertently tied the exploration of character emotions and central themes to the level of surrealism within the story. As the story becomes more surreal, the protagonist is forced to confront her feelings, thus driving the central themes. This means the rising action is underscored by a growing departure from realism, culminating in a highly surreal pivotal scene. To achieve the desired tone, I may need to restructure the narrative entirely. This would involve grounding the emotionally charged moments in realism, thus creating a contrast with the more exaggerated, non-realistic scenes.

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Where Does the Protagonist Go?

Locations

I want to consolidate a rough list of locations that are featured throughout the animation, so as to make it easier to design and create the background art for the final piece. So far, I have a few locations in mind for the protagonist to go to:

Protagonist's room (at various times of the day)

The walk to and from school (in the early morning and the evening) - walking on the sidewalk of a busy street, crossing the street, walking along the rail tracks next to the sea

Her school: in the classroom

The place she goes to pick up lunch during her break

Walk to her friend's place (on her way to school maybe?) - walking along a dirt road through a more rural area. There's a paddy field/rubber tree field next to the road. Since its in a rural area, maybe she would have to cycle there?

Her friend's house: the front porch

Her friend's house: the kitchen and surrounding outside area, including a wetland bird sanctuary in the distance. Set in the evening.

Her friend's grave?

Flashback: Her in the hospital?

During act III: On one of the city roads during nighttime.

These are a few of the possible locations I explored as options, and most probably will only be using some of these in my final piece.

What Research can I conduct to explore locations for the film?

I plan to photograph the real-life locations in Sri Lanka that inspired the settings for my concept. I want to capture these places at various times of day to explore different lighting scenarios for my piece. Visiting these locations will be invaluable, not just for visualising their appearance but also for experiencing their atmosphere firsthand. I'll be paying close attention to the ambient sounds, which will help me develop ideas for the sound design in my animation. Finally, immersing myself in these environments will allow me to better understand the emotional journey my protagonist undertakes, informing my storytelling and character development.

Complementing my on-location research, I will also be conducting extensive research into the urban structures and planning of cities worldwide. This research will not only inform the overall layout and architecture of the city but also the smaller details, such as streetscapes, public spaces, and transportation systems, all of which contribute to the overall character and feel of a place. This broader perspective will help me craft a fictional setting that, while inspired by Sri Lanka, still feels unique and imaginative.

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Where is This Narrative Set?

In a fictional city resembling Sri Lanka, which is set in fictional world. I want to have the freedom to mold and shape the landscape to whatever I desire, while still taking inspiration from real world locations around me.

Furthermore, I wanted to take inspiration from other locations, cityscapes, and infrastructure from around the world. For example, I'm inspired by the city of Hội An, Vietnam, for its vibrant colours and seamless blend to traditional and modern elements.

I also take inspiration from biophilic cities, which incorporates nature into sleek modern design. I'm particularly interested in San Francisco's urban layout, planning, and rail system, as well as elements of Milwaukee. Colombo itself embodies biophilic principles, and by incorporating features from these cities, I aim to create a fictional setting that retains its distinctly Sri Lankan identity while also possessing a unique, imaginative quality. The goal is to create a setting that feels both familiar and fantastical, grounded in reality yet open to the possibilities of fiction.

Furthermore, I'm looking at pedestrian-friendly, walkable cities for inspiration. Hamburg, Germany, with its charming cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and strong maritime character, is an example. The city's emphasis on pedestrian zones and public spaces creates a vibrant and engaging urban experience. Kyoto, Japan, another city I want to study, offers further inspiration with its network of traditional cobblestone streets, serene gardens, and focus on walkability. The city's layout encourages exploration and discovery, fostering a sense of connection to the surrounding environment. This is crucial to me, as my character will be mainly traversing the city by foot.

Sources:

S, A. (2025) Biomimicry in architecture: Nature-inspired design, PA. Available at: https://parametric-architecture.com/nature-inspired-design-biomimicry-in-architecture/ (Accessed: 03 February 2025).

Jaffar, F. (2024) Urban jungles: How cities can coexist with nature, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@hashtagfaizii/urban-jungles-how-cities-can-coexist-with-nature-4a26b754d3a5#:~:text=Conclusion:%20The%20Beauty%20of%20Coexistence,both%20humans%20and%20wildlife%20thrive. (Accessed: 03 February 2025).

Top 10 big cities for nature lovers (no date) Choice Hotels. Available at: https://www.choicehotels.com/explore/top-10-big-cities-for-nature-lovers (Accessed: 03 February 2025).

Biophilic Cities Network expands its global reach to South Korea (no date) University of Virginia, School of Architecture. Available at: https://www.arch.virginia.edu/news/biophilic-cities-network-expands-its-global-reach-to-south-korea#:~:text=The%20Biophilic%20Cities%20Network%20includes,and%20Colombo%20(Sri%20Lanka). (Accessed: 03 February 2025).

Bloom, L.B. (2024) Ranked: The 30 most walkable cities in the world, according to a new report, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2024/06/30/ranked-the-30-most-walkable-cities-in-the-world-according-to-a-new-report/ (Accessed: 03 February 2025).

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How to Write Narratives of Grief

How do you visually represent grief?

Often, art visualises grief through dark colors like black, muted palettes, grey, and sometimes red. Additionally, it uses imagery such as a dark figure or a photograph. Butterflies and moths symbolise the souls of those who have departed from the mortal world.

In real life, candles and light are used to symbolise the enduring memory of a loved one. Wreaths are also a common symbol. The circular nature of the wreath symbolises eternal existence and the circle of life, dating back to at least ancient Greece. They have been used at funerals and given as gifts to the bereaved to show solidarity and hope. White is meant to signify purity and rebirth and is a popular colour of mourning for many East and South Asian countries. 

Common flowers used t signify grief include: Lilies, roses and forget-me-nots. lilies represent purity and the soul’s return to peace. Red roses signify love and remembrance, while white roses represent reverence and innocence. Forget-me-nots are tokens of enduring memory.

I want to avoid generic imagery, but still be clear with my visual representation. One of these ways is by making the bird grow in size to depict the larger-than-life, overwhelming feeling of grief. Either I could have the bird grow in size over time to illustrate how these feelings only grow when the character keeps them bottled up. Or, conversely, I could have it fluctuate in size across the scenes to illustrate how enduring grief is, and how some days it feels harder to deal with than others.

I will, however, be making use of colour to elicit mood and reflect the character's feelings; starting out with darker, cooler colours and slowly transitioning to warmer, more saturated colours.

List of films about grief

I want to watch/read these pieces of media and analyze how they approach the theme of grief and what techniques they use to convey their message.

The Lovely Bones

Big Hero 6

Up

Tokyo Story (1953)

Bridge to Terabithia

Vinland Saga

Good Will Hunting

If Anything Happens I Love You

Guillermo Del Torro's Pinocchio

Grave of the Fireflies

Ride Your Wave

Lookback

Goodbye Eri

Sources

Guide to symbols of grief (2024) Aura Life. Available at: https://www.aura.life/articles/guide-to-symbols-of-grief#:~:text=Candles%20and%20light,legacy%20of%20those%20we%20mourn. (Accessed: 02 February 2025).

Richards, A.N. et al. (2022) Creating representations of dying, death, and grief: An innovative student assignment, End of Life Studies. Available at: http://endoflifestudies.academicblogs.co.uk/creating-representations-of-dying-death-and-grief-an-innovative-student-assignment/#:~:text=I%20used%20colours%20to%20represent,dad’s%20death%20%E2%80%93%20everything%20had%20stopped. (Accessed: 02 February 2025).

(No date) Colours of mourning around the world- craven funerals. Available at: https://www.cravens-funerals.com/blog/colours-of-mourning-around-the-world/ (Accessed: 02 February 2025).

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Descriptions of Specific Scenes

My writing process often kicks off with a vivid mental image, a fleeting snapshot of a scene, or a small, significant moment. I use this as a seed for building the world, plot, and characters around that initial spark, rather than pre-planning the entire story. Sometimes I even write that initial scene first before I even figure out what led to it or what will happen next. That part I flesh out afterwards. Since this is my typical approach to creative writing, I thought I'd try it here and see what I could develop.

For this concept I have a few scenes and ideas in mind. So, I'm hoping by writing it out I can better develop the story.

Scene 1

A damp, grey sky pressed down on the world, bathing everything in a soft, greyish-blue light. The air hung heavy and thick with the promise of rain. She walked the train tracks, a thin ribbon of hulking boulders separating her from the boisterous grey sea that churned restlessly beside her. On the other side of the tracks, the city sprawled, a jumble of buildings blurred by the misty air. Her school uniform, a grey skirt falling just below her knees, a plain white button-up shirt bearing the school crest on the pocket, white socks, and black shoes, seemed to blend into the muted landscape. Her backpack, a bulky shape resembling less a bag and more a turtle shell, was the only splash of individuality; a cluster of key charms, little trinkets she'd collected, danced and cavorted on the zipper.

Tink, tink, tink. The charms made a small, cheerful sound that was swallowed by the wind. The wind itself felt alive; a gnashing, howling presence that whipped at her ear, tugging at her clothes and hair, sending them swirling around her like frantic dancers.

This day, she walked home from school, her steps carrying a strange mix of conviction and melancholy. Suddenly, she stopped, her gaze lifting. And there it was, the very thing she had hoped to avoid, a stark silhouette against the grey backdrop, blocking her path. A great big heron, impossibly still, stood before her. A regal and imposing creature with piercing eyes that bore into hers. They stood there, locked in a silent standoff. The heron’s gaze was unwavering, intense. She felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, a bone-deep weariness that had nothing to do with the walk or the wind.

A train roared past, a blur of metal and noise, charging down the tracks like a furious beast. The ground vibrated beneath her feet. But neither she nor the heron moved. Their eyes remained locked, the silent conversation between them continuing, undisturbed by the train's thunderous passage. The heron just stared, and she just stared back, caught in its gaze, a prisoner of its silent message.

Scene 2

The room, a chaotic jumble of unmade bed and neglected creativity, became her sanctuary and her prison. Canvases leaned against the wall, their blank surfaces mocking her apathy. The easel stood sentinel, a silent judge, surrounded by a graveyard of paint tubes, brushes stiff with disuse. A large window dominated one wall, usually a gateway to the world, now a potential point of intrusion.

[Montage]

she paces the room, a restless ghost trapped within its four walls. Each step sounding like the ticking of a clock.

She lays on the unmade bed, staring at the ceiling, the blank expanse mirroring the emptiness inside her.

She picks up a brush, the familiar weight comforting for a moment. But the colours on the palette seemed dull, lifeless, unable to provide her the reprieve she's looking for. Frustration bubbles up, and she tosses the brush aside, the clatter a sharp punctuation mark to her apathy.

Close-up: Lying in bed, she groans, burying her face in the pillow. This inconvenience, this…thing…was consuming her. Boredom gnawed at her, a dull ache that amplified her sorrow.

Then, the window darkened. Not with the coming of night, but with the sudden, overwhelming shadow of it. The heron. It wasn't monstrous, not exactly. More… colossal. It loomed outside, its silhouette vast against the grey sky. One large, dark eye, not malicious, but intensely curious, scanned her room. She was lying on her bed, facing the window, pretending to be engrossed in the intricate patterns of the dust motes dancing in the faint light. When the heron's shadow fell, the room plunged into near-darkness. And in that dimness, a galaxy bloomed on her walls. Glow-in-the-dark stars, relics of a childhood bedroom, winked into existence, a whimsical, slightly absurd counterpoint to the giant bird outside. she rolls over, away from the window.

Scene 3

The girl's head turning into the heron's.

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Map of Story Beats

Act I

We are introduced to the main character

Establish a sense of place, and firmly ground the characters in a believable environment/world.

Inciting incident is the character noticing the bird for the first time, because its the first time she is called to confront her grief, but at this point does not even wish to acknowledge it.

Act II

Montage series of the character going about their daily life while trying to avoid the bird, but everywhere she goes it seems to be following close behind. We see her travelling across different locations of her world: school/university, lunch place, the walk home, etc.

OR

The montage would initially have the protagonist go from dismissive and avoidant of the bird to somewhat tolerant, to eventually beginning to warm up to it. Then, something happens that reminds our protagonist of how much they miss their friend. She runs from the bird

During the montage:

We are introduced to the friend's parent(s) - we see the protagonist deliver their lunch.

We even see her hiding in her room, trying to while away time as she spends hours in there. The bird, now as large as the house, uses one eye to peep through her window and scans the room for her.

We are introduced to their loved one who has passed through a flashback scene, or series of scenes. This could be portrayed the traditional way, or be shown through still paintings that the protagonist did of the two of them.

ACT III

This scene is abstract and surreal. We see her confront the bird somehow, who has now grown quite large. I'm not sure how to play this out and resolve and the central conflict.

OR

The scene is still abstract and surreal. The bird becomes sick, and starts spewing a physical manifestation of the protagonist's 'feelings'. What I'm currently imagining is a black tar-like substance. This mass of feelings form together to chase her down. She garbs the bird and runs from it until she finally decides face it head on. The moment her fingertips touch the mass, it bursts into bright sparks and vanishes.

the main character has been invited to their friend's house by their family to make Athirasa, signifying the end of their mourning period. The scene cuts between the meticulous process of making the sweet and the characters' lively interactions. (Do I need an establishing shot?)

Finally, we can see the character enjoying the sweet with her friend's family. They're sitting outside, and protagonist catches a glimpse of the bird.

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Research: Wetlands and the Bellanwila Attidiya Bird Sanctuary

Research the bird sanctuary because it is heavily featured in the piece. What does the sanctuary look and sound like? What do wetlands generally look like? I can use this to design my own wetlands for my animation. Furthermore, through researching the different birds found at the sanctuary, I can finally decide on what the bird for my final piece will be.

Initially I was leaning more towards the bird being a heron, but I'm worried this might be too similar to The Boy and the Heron which deals with the same themes.

Wetlands

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promote the development of characteristic wetland (hydric) soils.

Types of Wetlands

Wetlands vary widely because of regional and local differences in soils, topography, climate, hydrology, water chemistry, vegetation and other factors, including human disturbance. Two general categories of wetlands are recognized: coastal or tidal wetlands and inland or non-tidal wetlands.

Mangroves and Mangrove Forests

A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse due to convergent evolution in several plant families.

There are about 80 different species of mangrove trees. All of these trees grow in areas with low-oxygen soil, where slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate. Mangrove forests only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures.

Many mangrove forests can be recognized by their dense tangle of prop roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, which means that most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day. The roots also slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom.

The Bellanwila Attidiya Bird Sanctuary

Spanning 372 hectares, the Bellanwila Attidiya Bird sanctuary is a protected forested wetland under the Department of Wildlife Conservation. It includes mangrove and freshwater marshes.

According to a study done by the Society for Environmental Education, there are some 166 species of birds sighted in the area of which most are residential and around 40 migratory. The area also has a recorded 71 species of butterflies and 44 species of fish.

There have been reports of crocodiles inhabiting the canals now and then. There are also small mammals like the fishing cat here. Some have recorded sighting jackals too.

The place also has a good view of Siripada - also known as Adam’s Peak - in the distance.

Although the sanctuary is a natural water retention area, it has now failed to absorb the excess water and control floods due to illegal land filling and encroachments.

Bellanwila-Attidiya's marshy lands was declared as a sanctuary on July 25, 1990 but the Department of Wildlife Conservation's failure to protect it over the years has reduced the number of migrant and endemic birds.

Online Catalogue of Birds Spotted Here

Possible Bird Species for My Narrative

Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)

painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber)

Sources

https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland#:~:text=Wetlands%20are%20areas%20where%20water,including%20during%20the%20growing%20season.

(No date a) What is a wetland? and 8 other wetland facts | stories | WWF. Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-a-wetland-and-8-other-wetland-facts (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

US Department of Commerce, N.O. and A.A. (2009) What is a mangrove forest?, What is a ‘mangrove’ forest? Available at: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/mangroves.html (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Mangrove (2025) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Amazinglanka (2024) Bellanwila - Attidiya Bird Sanctuary, AmazingLanka.com | Exploring Sri Lanka. Available at: https://amazinglanka.com/wp/bellanwila-attidiya-sanctuary/ (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Attidiya Bird Sanctuary (no date) Lakpura LLC. Available at: https://lk.lakpura.com/pages/attidiya-bird-sanctuary (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

(No date) Single Tour. Available at: https://touristboard.wp.gov.lk/destination.php?destid=120 (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Kannangara, N. (2013) ‘Bellanwila Attidiya Sanctuary Under Threat’, The Sunday Leader, 13 January. Available at: https://lpr.adb.org/sites/default/files/event/1690/lka-ttt-2018-sessions-15-16-field-trip-bellanwila-attidiya-sanctuary-under-threat-sunday-leader.pdf (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Fishing cat (2021) Small Cat Advocacy and Research (SCAR). Available at: https://scar.lk/portfolio/fishing-cat/ (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

Bird list - attidiya bird sanctuary, Kesbewa, Colombo, Sri Lanka - ebird hotspot (no date) eBird. Available at: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L4842465/bird-list?yr=all (Accessed: 31 January 2025).

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Research: Cultural Practices in Sri Lanka After Death

I wanted to give some context for the more cultural aspects of my narrative that I wish to sprinkle into the piece. Although I don't prescribe to the beliefs of these cultural practices, participating in the traditions and rituals has allowed me to feel a closer to my family and my community, which is why I wanted to include them in my piece.

Athirasa (අතිරස) translates to 'extra sweet.' It is the sweet from Sri Lankan cuisine that me and my family made when my grandmother passed. It is a traditional sweet-cake made with a combination of rice flour, roasted rice, coconut treacle, coconut oil, and cardamom. This is of course the sweet that our protagonist will be frying with their friend's family in the third act.

They are traditionally prepared for festive occasions as well on the 6th day after someone in the family has passed. There are several reasons for this practice being a life cycle ritual. Firstly, it is used as a way to signify the end of the mourning period. Secondly, after making the sweet-cake in the morning, a Bana is held right afterwards and a Daane the following day. Both of these events are expected to be treated by the deceased individual as something that they did, so that they might gain some good karma. Third, when someone in the family dies, you are not allowed to fry food in the house until the 6th day, where you break this 'fast' by frying the sweet-cakes. As a result of these things, the making of athirasa is treated as a happy occasion.

Some more rituals when someone dies in the family include; no cooking while you're still in the mourning period (neighbors and loved ones will bring you food during this time) and keeping doors and windows open until the Bana. To show this, I could have a shot during the midpoint/montage of the story where we see the protagonist bring lunch for their deceased friend's family.

In terms of dresswear, people are expected to wear white (or at least light shades), so during that last scene all the characters would most probably be wearing all white.

Here is the recipe that me and my family use to make it:

Make rice flour and sieve

Take some of the broken rice pieces left in the sieve. These must be lightly roasted to make 'kappi'

Roast some fennel seeds as well

Make a small amount of caramel with sugar

Add water and boil while stirring

Add a bit of salt

Caramel must fall like an unbroken string hen poured off a spoon.

Put half of this aside for later. Mix coconut treacle and boil well.

Mix in the 'kappi' and roasted fennel.

Mix in the rice flour bit by bit while stirring. Start mixing in the caramel kept aside earlier if needed to get the right consistency.

Right consistency is when you poke the mix with your finger and the mixture doesn't stick.

Take the mixture off the stove and place on a board.

Make a little indent in the middle and pour a little coconut oil on it. Use this oil to make your hand non-sticky while you make little balls of the mixture and flatten them to thick biscuit-like discs.

Deep fry in coconut oil. When the kavum is put in the oil, it will sink to the bottom. When done, it will inflate and rise to the top.

Do not put another one into the oil until the previous one has risen.

Place the athirasa on a banana leaf in a vattiya.

Sources

The postcolonial identity of Sri lankan English (no date) Google Books. Available at: https://books.google.lk/books?id=hsplAAAAMAAJ&q=athiraha&redir_esc=y (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

Life cycle rituals among the Sinhalese (no date) Google Books. Available at: https://books.google.lk/books?id=OFFuAAAAMAAJ&q=athiraha&redir_esc=y (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

Traditional Foods & cookery down the ages (no date) Google Books. Available at: https://books.google.lk/books?id=ga3gAAAAMAAJ&q=athirasa&redir_esc=y (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

Temples of the setu and rameswaram (no date) Google Books. Available at: https://books.google.lk/books?id=eurVAAAAMAAJ&q=athirasa&redir_esc=y (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

Athirasa / Hendi / Pethi Kawum (කැවුම්) (no date) Lakpura LLC. Available at: https://lk.lakpura.com/pages/kavum (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

TasteAtlas (2019) Athirasa: Traditional sweet pastry from Sri Lanka: Tasteatlas, World Food Atlas: Discover 17089 Local Dishes & Ingredients. Available at: https://www.tasteatlas.com/athirasa (Accessed: 30 January 2025).

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Brighton Animation: The Unnatural World 2023

The Egret River (2022) by Wan-Ling Liu is an animation with a similar premise to mine, and I thought maybe I could use it as a source of reference and inspiration for my own piece.

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Sound Design

I am still unsure of what to do for my sound design, as I still have not landed on a concrete tone for my piece, which makes it difficult for me to imagine what kind of music I would want to use as a soundtrack.

Additionally, I still don't know if the piece will involve dialogue of not. If the piece does not involve dialogue it would have to be more fast paced to make up for this, otherwise I'm worried that character interactions and pacing might feel awkward. If I do include dialogue, I have the freedom to stretch out my scenes more and take the narrative at a slower pace. Although I am not new to writing dialogue and scripts, I have never written one for an animation before, so it would pose a unique challenge to me.

Maybe I could have all the dialogue as a first person narration? This way, finding voice actors would also be easy, since I would only be looking to voice one character.

In terms of sound effects, I'm hoping to do as much of my own foley sounds as possible.

Technical considerations:

I would need recording equipment for both my foley sounds and voice actors.

I would also need find participants willing to voice act for my piece - how would I do that?

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Colour

For colour I was inspired by a CalArts student film titled "Orbit", where the student had the colours change throughout the run of the animation; slowly making it turn from day to night.

For my animation I want to do something similar, where the colours will transition from cool, muted colours to bright, saturated, and warm colours. This is to show the character's slow transition of growth throughout the story, and how their emotional wellbeing improves after they've learned to accept their feelings.

The last scene especially I want to be bathed in a bright warm evening light. For this I was mainly inspired by the Gobelins short film "Golden Hour" as well as how my own home and surrounding bird sanctuary looks at twilight.

As for the cool toned colours, I'm heavily inspired by the use of colour in Bee and Puppycat.

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Core Themes and Recurring Motifs

Themes

Grief/Loss

Community

Importance of fully feeling and processing your emotions

The piece explores the way loss can change you as a person, especially if you experience it at a young age. It explores the multifaceted nature of grief, focusing on its initial manifestation as denial and the subsequent struggle to confront the reality of loss. It examines how this process of mourning can be transformative, forcing the protagonist to navigate the complex emotions associated with death and ultimately find a path toward acceptance.

This story delves into the complex and often enduring nature of grief, moving beyond the simplistic notion of "getting over" loss. Rather than promising a resolution or erasure of pain, I want to explore the challenging but vital process of acknowledging and accepting difficult emotions. The narrative emphasises that coping with grief is not about making it disappear, but about learning to integrate it into your own life. Furthermore, it underscores the crucial role of community and support systems in navigating loss, highlighting the importance of reaching out for connection and shared experience during times of struggle.

Recurring Motifs

Birds

The Sea

Any gestures?

Leitmotif - I want to make use of leitmotifs for the characters. Especially for the main character to distinguish between how they sed to be and how they are now.

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Fleshing Out the Narrative: The End

What is the climax?

The climactic scene takes the story from light magical realism to full on abstract and surrealism. However, I am unsure of exactly how to show this. What would her confronting the bird look like? I know I want the bird to become gigantic again to reflect her current emotions. But I feel lost on how to play out this story beat.

In terms of the other idea where her and the bird must work together, I'm not sure what exactly they could work against. Maybe the bird becomes sick, and starts spewing a physical manifestation of the protagonist's 'feelings'. This mass of feelings form together to chase her down. She must take the bird to a crucial location that allows her to quite literally face her emotions. This location needs to be emotionally significant to her.

Conversely, we could have her run from it until she finally realises that she must face it head on. The moment her fingertips touch the mass, it bursts into a bright spark and vanishes. For this idea I took visual inspiration from Satoshi Kon's Paprika, and Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo.

Although I like this idea, it still feels somber instead of the lighthearted tone I wanted to go for. Additionally, animating something like this would be incredibly difficult and time consuming.

What is the falling action?

The final scene could still be the same, but this time the main character is invited to their friend's house by their family to carry out the practice of frying those sweets. Additionally, instead of the protagonist being the one who lives next to a bird sanctuary it could their friend instead. This further emphasizes that the bird represents her friend in a way, as it could almost feel like the bird came from that same sanctuary and ties it to this location. The protagonist grew up seeing this same species of bird whenever she came over to her friend's house as a child.

In real Sinhala culture, the tradition of frying these sweets takes place six days after the person's death. This act signifies the end of the mourning period, among other things. However this timeline is too short, so in my story's world maybe the time period is longer or maybe the family did not feel that they were ready to stop mourning yet, and so they kept putting it off until now.

This section of the story could also include a brief scene where the audience gets to see the process of the sweet being made. Cutting between we get to see shots of the characters interacting. To highlight the emotional core of this moment, I envision a scene that cuts between the meticulous process of making the sweet and the characters' lively interactions. Inspired by my own family's experience, which was a a whirlwind of laughter, confusion, and inevitable kitchen mishaps, I aim to capture the messy joy and sense of community that blossomed amidst a challenging period.

Finally, we can see the character enjoying the sweet with her friend's family and look out to catch a glimpse of the bird waiting outside. She and the bird could exchange glances before the bird flies off in the wetlands.

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Fleshing Out the Narrative: The Middle

During my research on story structure, causality was a very important quality that kept getting brought up. How do I include causality in all the events that take place in my story? I'm currently having a hard time sewing together the disconnected set of story beats and scene concepts I have in mind. I'm hoping to gain more clarity on how I can help them flow better by exploring and evolving the story here.

I'm leaning more towards the protagonist losing their friend instead of losing their grandmother, just because I think this provides me with more freedom to explore new character dynamics instead of only drawing from my experiences.

For the midpoint I borrowed from the Three Act Structure and the 7-Point Story structure, where the protagonist faces a few 'pinch points' until the eventual climax in the third act. These pinch points could include a series of the character going about their daily life while trying to avoid the bird, but everywhere she goes it seems to be following close behind. We could have a montage of sorts where we see her travelling across different locations of her world: school/university, lunch place, the walk home (which could include walking through the city, along the city beach, suburban areas, etc.).

We could even see her hiding in her room, trying to while away time as she spends hours in there. This scene could even be an opportunity to serve as a representation of the debilitating effects of grief, as it can very often cause depression or symptoms of depression, where the effected person might feel too depressed to even leave their room/bed.

I want the bird to constantly be changing in size to further emphasize the sense of magical realism and also to illustrate how larger-than-life grief can feel. I could have certain scenes where the bird is gigantic. for e.g. the scene where she is hiding in her room could have the large bird's eye peering through her large windows at her. For this, I was inspired by this scene from Dandadan, where a yokai spirit is haunting one of the main characters and trying to get them to look out the window.

Or perhaps I could borrow from the Save the Cat story beats: All is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, and Break into Three. Here we would initially have the protagonist go from dismissive and avoidant of the bird to somewhat tolerant, to eventually beginning to warm up to it. This would portray the progression of their acceptance of their loved one's passing and their their slow willingness to embrace their emotions. However, progression is not linear, and even the smallest things can sometimes set off your grief. I can express this by then moving into the All is Lost story beat; wherein something happens that reminds our protagonist of how much they miss their friend. All of their suppressed emotions bubble to the surface and for a moment the character regresses back to how they were at the beginning of the narrative. This kicks off the magical realism scene where she starts to run from the bird (or the situation?). This would serve as the Break into Three story beat.

Perhaps I could also include a flashback scene. We could see what her relationship with her friend was like. I could also use the scenes of to contrast the protagonist with how they are now vs the kind of person they used to be. I could also link those scenes back to the present day; allowing me to provide more context for certain aspects of the story. We could maybe see how much she relied on her friend, or even get an explanation on how they died. I think transitioning between these highly emotional flashback scenes and the All is Lost moment of the present day will better place the audience in the protagonists shoes, allowing them to be more emotionally invested in her and her struggles.

What kind of person did she used to be and how did she change? Maybe she was overly reliant on her friend? Or perhaps she was protective of her friend? I think being the withdrawn character that she is, she might fall more into the former character dynamic. However, I think I can better answer this question after I've established what kind of person her friend was.

How can I portray these flashbacks? In tandem with some actual flashback scenes, I thought it would be interesting to make the protagonist an artist, and we could see stills of her drawings of her and her friend, almost serving as a still flashback of her old life. This could even be contrasted with the present day, where we see a shot of her untouched art supplies to convey how she has lost her enjoyment in art.

Conversely, I could lean more into the magical realism of the story and have the girl and the bird work together to resolve the conflict somehow. Here, I think the conflict should take on some sort of concrete physical form. This concept would take a more lighthearted approach to the narrative while still dealing with heavier themes. I'm leaning more towards this idea because if it, but I am currently unsure of how to play it out.

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Fleshing Out the Narrative: The Beginning

I felt that many of the story structure guides I looked at lent themselves well to epic, action filled tales, but wasn't very suitable for structuring my particular narrative. Because of this, I decided to follow the more general concrete qualities of story structure ( having a beginning, middle, and end), while borrowing elements from the various different story structures and applying them where it is relevant.

For the beginning, I want the audience to be introduced to the protagonist, their loved one who has passed, the bird that is haunting them, and perhaps the protagonist's family members as well. Furthermore, I want to establish a sense of place, and firmly ground the characters in a believable environment/world.

While researching it's mentioned that you must keep in mind what change you want your protagonist to undergo, and what series of events will make that change possible.

Firstly, I must establish who my character is. I know that she would be female. I could have her be a teenager, thus giving explanation as to why she lives with her family. It gives me concrete locations for her to travel to (e.g.: to school, nearby shop for lunch etc.). However, I could just as well make her a young adult such as myself and the locations would simply change from school to university. The matter of her living with her family would make sense in this context, as is it not uncommon to live with your parents in adulthood in South Asian families. I think I was mostly drawn to making the character a teenager because experiencing grief early on in life, especially at such a pivotal time, has sharper and more long term effects on the person affected.

I think as a teenager also, the character would feel more inclined to withdraw into themselves instead of seeking out support from their family. This would be because teenagers often distance themselves from their family as a part of their normal developmental process where they start trying to establish their own sense of identity. This would provide a compelling conflict where the narrative could end with the character finding solace within their family. But again, this narrative would still be possible with a character in their 20s. I think my hesitancy just comes from not wanting the character to be a 1:1 of me, and instead be their own fleshed out person.

Next, I started to consider what changes my character will undergo. I have already explored this somewhat in an earlier post, and established that the main changes would be twofold: the first change happens before the story starts, and its when the character is faced with the loss of their loved one and starts experiencing grief. The second change (the one that most story structures are referring to) is when she learns to sit with her feelings, confront her grief, and find community in her family during this time. Although her grief is still very present, these changes allow her to deal with it in a more healthy manner and teaches her how to sit with her emotions and feel them fully.

I'm worried there might be too many lessons for this character to learn in such a short runtime, and maybe I should just narrow it down to one way the character has changed. I can see the story taking two avenues in this regard; the character learning to lean on their community, or the character learning to confront difficult feelings. Both of these avenues would end in the character feeling some sense of solace despite their grief still being very present.

Third, I need to decide the relation my protagonist had to the person that they lost, as I feel this would have a significant impact on the way the story will unfold, and even the climactic scene of the narrative.

If I am making it more similar to my own life, then the loved one could be her grandmother, who could have died from old age. With this direction, I think the focus of the story would be centered more on family and familial bonds/support. This would make my planned final scene more cohesive to the story, as it end with the protagonist affirming their love for their family, and managing their grief through the support of their community. This would also be consistent with the very Sri Lankan setting and characters, as Sri Lanka is a very collectivist culture, so this conclusion to my piece could reflect that aspect of my culture.

Conversely, I could make the protagonist's loved one their own friend and peer. This would change the final ending scene, but I'm not sure what to change it to. I also have to consider how their friend died, as I feel this would also have a huge impact on the direction and nature of the story.

Finally, I must create a clear inciting incident. Here, I also have to take into consideration how the audience will be introduced to the bird, and the protagonists relationship to it at this point in the story. Is she already acquainted with the bird when we start the story, or does she witness it for the first time at the same time the audience does? How would she react if she were seeing it for the first time? I think considering how withdrawn her character is, she would be initially shocked, but then almost immediately attempt to ignore the situation. She might pretend not to see the bird or just convince herself that she was imagining things. Later she might become more desperate and start running from it. I think this also works very well with the metaphor the bird serves as. It could either be seen as the character's loved one almost 'haunting' them in death or simply as a physical manifestation of their feelings. Either way, the bird represents the character's grief.

Therefore, it might make sense to make the inciting incident the character noticing the bird for the first time, because its the first time she is called to confront her grief, but at this point does not even wish to acknowledge it. This would make this scene somewhat similar to the Call of Adventure and Refusal to Answer story beats of the Hero's Journey story structure.

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Research: Narrative Structure

Different Story Structure Guides

Freytag's Pyramid

Named after 19th-century German novelist and playwright, Gustav Freytag, Freytag’s Pyramid is a five-point dramatic structure that’s based on the classical Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes.

Structure

Introduction - The status quo is established; an inciting incident occurs.

Rise, or rising action - The protagonist actively pursues their goal. The stakes heighten.

Climax - A point of no return, from which the protagonist can no longer go back to the status quo.

Falling action - In the aftermath of the climax, tension builds, and the story heads inevitably towards...

Catastrophe - The protagonist is brought to their lowest point. Their greatest fears have come true.

This structural model is less frequently used in modern storytelling, partly due to readers’ limited appetite for tragic narratives. Nowadays the structure has been adapted to end with resolution instead of catastrophe, where all of the conflicts are resolved.

Freytag’s Pyramid works well for dramatic storytelling, where the protagonist faces significant obstacles and must overcome challenges to reach their goal. However, it’s also used in other types of story genres and has seen evolved iterations that include more descriptive seven stages of the story pyramid.

The Hero's Journey

Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s concept of the monomyth — a storytelling pattern that recurs in mythology all over the world — The Hero’s Journey is today’s best-known story structure. 

Campbell’s original structure uses terminology that lends itself well to epic tales of bravery and triumph — with plot points like “Belly of the Whale,” “Woman as the Temptress,” and “The Magic Flight.” To make The Hero’s Journey more accessible, Disney executive Christopher Vogler created a simplified version that has become popular amongst mainstream storytellers. It typically consists of three distinct stages: departure, initiation, and return.

Structure

The Ordinary World - The hero’s everyday life is established.

The Call of Adventure - Otherwise known as the inciting incident.

Refusal of the Call - For a moment, the hero is reluctant to take on the challenge.

Meeting the Mentor - Our hero meets someone who prepares them for what lies ahead — perhaps a parental figure, a teacher, a wizard, or a wise hermit.

Crossing the Threshold - The hero steps out of their comfort zone and enters a ‘new world.’

Tests, Allies, Enemies - Our protagonist faces new challenges — and maybe picks up some new friends.

Approach to the Inmost Cave - The hero gets close to their goal.

The Ordeal - The hero meets (and overcomes) their greatest challenge yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) - The hero obtains something important they were after, and victory is in sight.

The Road Back - The hero realizes that achieving their goal is not the final hurdle. In fact, ‘seizing the sword’ may have made things worse for them.

Resurrection/Atonement - The hero faces their final challenge — a climactic test that hinges on everything they’ve learned over their journey.

Return - Having triumphed, our protagonist returns to their old life. 

While Vogler’s simplified steps still retain some of Campbell’s mythological language with its references to swords and elixirs, the framework can be applied to almost any genre of fiction. 

Three Act Structure

This popular structure splits a story’s components into three distinct acts: Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution. In many ways, the three-act structure reworks The Hero’s Journey, with slightly less exciting labels.

Structure

Act 1: Setup - This act sets the stage by introducing the main character, their relationships, the world they live in, and the initial conflict. 

Exposition - The status quo or ‘ordinary world’ is established.

Inciting Incident - An event that sets the story in motion.

Plot Point One - The protagonist decides to tackle the challenge head-on. they ‘cross the threshold,’ and the story is now truly moving.

Act 2: Confrontation - As the heart of the story, this act is a turning point that involves the main character encountering increasing challenges and obstacles as they work to resolve climactic challenges. 

Rising Action - The story's true stakes become clear; our hero grows familiar with their ‘new world’ and has her first encounters with some enemies and allies.

Midpoint - An event that upends the protagonist’s mission.

Plot Point Two - In the wake of the disorienting midpoint, the protagonist is tested — and fails. Her ability to succeed is now in doubt.

Act 3: Resolution - This final act brings the story to a close, resolving the conflict and tying up loose ends. The third act reveals the consequences and outcomes of the character’s actions.

Pre Climax - The protagonist must pull themselves together and choose between decisive action and failure.

Climax - they face off against their antagonist one last time.

Denouement - All loose ends are tied up. The viewer discovers the consequences of the climax. A new status quo is established.

Fichtean Curve

Fleshed out in John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction, the Fichtean Curve is a narrative structure that puts our main characters through a series of many obstacles on their way to achieving their overarching goals. Resembling Freytag’s Pyramid, it encourages authors to write narratives packed with tension and mini-crises that keep readers eager to reach the climax.

Structure

Bypassing the “ordinary world” setup of many other structures, the Fichtean Curve starts with the inciting incident and goes straight into the rising action. Multiple crises occur, each of which contributes to the viewers' overall understanding of the narrative — replacing the need for the initial exposition.

Save the Cat

Another variation of the three-act structure, this framework created by Hollywood screenwriter Blake Snyder, has been widely championed by storytellers across many media forms.

While many structures are reluctant to prescribe exactly when in a story the various beats should take place, Snyder and Save the Cat have no such qualms. The number in the square brackets below refers to the page that the beat should take place — assuming you’re writing a 110-page screenplay.

Structure

Opening Image [1] -  The first shot of the film. If you’re starting a story, this would be an opening paragraph or scene that sucks readers into the world of your story.

Set-up [1-10] - Establishing the ‘ordinary world’ of your protagonist. What does he want? What is he missing out on?

Theme Stated [5] - During the setup, hint at what your story is really about — the truth that your protagonist will discover by the end.

Catalyst [12] - The inciting incident

Debate [12-25] - The hero refuses the call to adventure. He tries to avoid the conflict before they are forced into action.

Break into Two [25] - The protagonist makes an active choice and the journey begins in earnest.

B Story [30] - A subplot kicks in. Often romantic in nature, the protagonist’s subplot should serve to highlight the theme.

The Promise of the Premise [30-55] - Often called the ‘fun and games’ stage, this is usually a highly entertaining section where the writer delivers the meat of the story.

Midpoint [55] - A plot twist occurs that ups the stakes and makes the hero’s goal harder to achieve — or makes them focus on a new, more important goal.

Bad Guys Close In [55-75] - The tension ratchets up. The hero’s obstacles become greater, his plan falls apart, and he is on the back foot.

All is Lost [75] - The hero hits rock bottom. He loses everything he’s gained so far, and things are looking bleak.

Dark Night of the Soul [75-85-ish] - Having just lost everything, the hero wallows in their defeat before discovering some “new information” that reveals exactly what he needs to do if he wants to take another crack at success. (This new information is often delivered through the B-Story)

Break into Three [85] - Armed with this new information, our protagonist decides to try once more.

Finale [85-110] - The hero confronts the antagonist or whatever the source of the primary conflict is. The truth that eluded him at the start of the story (established in step three and accentuated by the B Story) is now clear, allowing him to resolve their story.

Final Image [110] - A final moment or scene that crystallizes how the character has changed. It’s a reflection, in some way, of the opening image.

Seven-Point Story Structure

A slightly less detailed adaptation of The Hero’s Journey, the Seven-Point Story Structure focuses specifically on the highs and lows of a narrative arc.

According to author Dan Wells, who developed the Seven-Point Story Structure, writers are encouraged to start at the end, with the resolution, and work their way back to the starting point: the hook. With the ending in mind, they can have their protagonist and plot begin in a state that best contrasts the finale — since this structure is all about dramatic changes from beginning to end.

Structure

The Hook - Draw viewers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the story should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the story.

Plot Point 1 - Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else — there should be a "Call to Adventure" of sorts that sets the narrative and character development in motion.

Pinch Point 1 - Something should go wrong here that applies pressure to the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.

Midpoint - A “Turning Point” wherein the main character changes from a passive force to an active force in the story. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on.

Pinch Point 2 - The second pinch point involves another blow to the protagonist — things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. This might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.

Plot Point 2 - After the calamity of Pinch Point 2, the protagonist learns that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.

Resolution - The story’s primary conflict is resolved — and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform them from who they were at the start of the novel.

The snowflake method

The Snowflake Method is a ten-step writing process designed to help writers expand upon ideas into a complete story. Developed by author Randy Ingermanson, the Snowflake Method guides a story’s structure and direction before actually beginning the writing process.

The Snowflake Method builds outwards from a small story seed. Starting with a single sentence, the author can then build outwards into a complete story draft with all the crucial elements of a compelling plot. The process of exploration will naturally lead you there.

Structure

Start by writing a single-sentence summary of the story’s overarching premise.

Elaborate that single sentence into a full paragraph that describes the story in greater detail. This is where you come up with “story setup,” or exposition, conflict, and a resolution. Ingerman suggests that if you’re going for a 3 Act Structure, you can come up with “three disasters” for your character to go through, and each one is the central point of that act.

Expand the paragraph into a one-page story synopsis.

Construct a character chart of the story’s main characters and their roles. Here’s where we want to decide on their names, storylines, motivations and goals, conflict, and their epiphany (what they’ll learn at the end of the story). Write a half page for other minor (but still important) characters.

Write a single sentence that describes each scene of the story.

For each scene sentence, compose a paragraph that adds greater detail about the scene’s events.

Write a complete 'chapter' for each significant scene.

Complete a full draft of the story.

Revise the story’s draft as needed.

Edit the story and its structure, and organize the flow to be most engaging.

Sources:

Team, R.E. (2023) Story structure: 7 types all writers should know, Reedsy. Available at: https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/ (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

Parris, A. (2023) What is story structure? definition, types, and elements, Blurb Blog. Available at: https://www.blurb.com/blog/what-is-story-structure/ (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

Pletzers, L. (2023) Mastering plot structure:, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@threeand10/mastering-plot-structure-1d1acf083ac1 (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

How to structure a story: Understanding narrative structure - 2025 (no date) MasterClass. Available at: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-structure-a-story#7B1sfy95sbGipetcI9jxwC (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

Save the cat beat sheet: Unveiling story structure secrets (2023) ShinyWords. Available at: https://shinywords.com/save-the-cat-beat-sheet/ (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

Bookfox (2022) 9 story structures to plot your next novel, Bookfox. Available at: https://thejohnfox.com/2021/01/9-story-structures-to-plot-your-next-novel/ (Accessed: 29 January 2025).

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Research: Narrative Structure

Even though I've been writing for years, I noticed that I had never actually taken the time to fully understand and study narrative structure. I learned my own sense of narrative structure through the media I consumed and through practice. While this has served me well enough for my recreational writing, I realise that because of this, I was missing a lot of the fundamentals. In order for me to create a cohesive story that would translate well into the medium of animation, I decided that it was important that I first understood how story structure worked, and how I can apply it into my own writing.

What is story structure?

Story structure is framework on which you order the events of your story. This includes not just the chronological events that happen within the story but also how you organise them within the text. Structure gives the events of you story narrative meaning by organising them into a cohesive narrative. Its also the concrete framework that allows for the more abstract or internal aspects of your story - such as themes, character arcs, etc. - to develop. In short, story structure serves as the framework that connects the different events within your story and give them narrative meaning in order to create an overall narrative.

Types of story structure

Linear Plot Structure - In a story with a linear plot structure, events are presented in chronological order. This doesn’t mean characters can’t recall the past—for instance, the main character might go through a flashback—but any non-chronological elements are clearly identified as such. The majority of stories use a linear plot structure.

Nonlinear Plot Structure - In this story structure, plot events will be introduced outside their chronological sequence. The first scene of a nonlinear story might actually be the last thing that happens chronologically. Stories told out of order can confuse an audience at first, but they can be quite rewarding when the story reaches its denouement, and plot threads are tied together. An example of this is Small Island by Andrea Levy.

Parallel Plot Structure - In a parallel plot structure, multiple storylines unfold concurrently. Sometimes they intersect and sometimes they do not. An example of this could be Louis Sachar's Holes and Jordan Peele's Nope.

Circular Plot Structure - In this structure, the story ends where it began, as events eventually lead back to the imagery, event, or actual scene that begins the tale. An example of this is David Fincher's Gone Girl.

Good vs Bad story structure

Poor story structure is illogical, uneven, or confusing. The events are not meaningfully connected, thus not contributing to the building sense of an overall narrative. The pacing may be way too slow, way too fast, or uneven; sometimes rushing through certain parts while dragging through others, skimming over aspects of the story that should be seen more in depth, or mulling over sections of the story where nothing is really happening. The connection between events might be unclear, illogical, or just not present at all. Which results in a bunch of scenes that are not connected to form an overall narrative.

Good structure is of course the opposite. The events are logically and meaningfully connected, so as we read through the story the events build upon the developing narrative in order to create escalating tension and stakes. The pacing is appropriate to the events that are taking place.

What are the different elements of story structure?

There are concrete elements of story structure and more abstract elements of story structure. The concrete qualities are the specific narrative beats that most stories have and that you'll see in some iteration in most story structures. whereas the abstract elements are the qualities that a well structured story has.

The first important abstract quality of a well structured story is causality. This means that the events have meaningful connections. Rather than just having standalone events that don't connect to each other, there's a causal effect between the different scenes of your story. What happens in one scene causes what happens in a later scene, and this snowball effects runs throughout the entirety of the story.

The next important abstract quality is logic, so the connection between the events makes sense and fits within the logic of your story. Different stories play with logic in different ways; if you're writing a very realistic, grounded story then you are working within the realism and logic of your own world. If you're writing something more bizarre and strange, then the logic becomes a bit more warped. Therefore, 'logic' does not necessarily mean logic as it applies to in real life, but logic as it applies to your story.

The third important abstract quality is that there needs to be narrative purpose. The different events and themes that are taking place build to create an overall narrative, and each scene contributes some sort of narrative purpose.

The next abstract quality is pacing. This is the speed at which the story moves. There is no 'correct' pacing, it purely depends on your story. Some are meant to have slower pacing, while some other genres for example expect quicker pacing. But in general you want the pacing to be appropriate for the events that are taking place. Therefore, the right amount of time is being spent on the appropriate events.

The fifth abstract quality is motion. This is the developing sense that the story is moving and progressing.

Lastly, we have tension. Tension is a very important element of story overall, but its importance within narrative is that the way you order and structure the events is creating tension. This might be how you can play with the chronology or just the way in which events play off each other. This could all be used to contribute to the building sense of tension.

With the concrete elements of structure, its much more general and basic. These qualities are not universal, but because it is so general, most stories are going to fall into this very general framework.

Most stories are defined by having a beginning, middle, and end. Within the beginning, we have an introduction where we are introduced to the characters, the world, and shortly after that, an inciting incident. The inciting incident is perhaps the most important structural beat in a story structure. Outside of the inciting incident, there's a lot of variation in how stories are structured and how concepts of story structure are applied, but the inciting incident is essentially the event that kick-starts the story; it takes the character from a place of status-quo and moves them into a place of narrative development.

After the beginning, most stories have a middle section. What happens in this middle section depends a lot on how you in particular decide to structure your story. There are plot beats that happen throughout the middle, such as the midpoint turning beat, but this beat is not something as vital to the story as the inciting incident. The reason the inciting incident is so important is because it signals that a story has actually begun. Something like a midpoint in helpful, but it is not necessarily a required component of a story.

and finally, we have an ending. Within the ending of the story, theres going to be the climax. This is the opposite pull to the inciting incident within a story. The inciting incident began a series of conflict and causally related events, whereas the climax is going to end a series of causally related events and provide some sort of resolution to the core conflict of the story.

These the the very general structural beats that you see in most stories and can be expanded upon in different ways in different story structures.

Using story structure guides

There are so many different story structures; from more specific ones such as The Hero's Journey or Save the Cat, to more general ones such as Freytag's Pyramid or the Three Act Structure. Ultimately, most story structures are expressing the same thing, which is a story that has a beginning, middle, and end, with an inciting incident and a climax at either end of it. Most story structures are really just a different way of guiding you through that same general structure. They just manifest in slightly different ways and so people can choose which story sturcture resonates with them more based on which ones make the most sense for them and fits their story. Its very important to think of these story structures as templates and not as a set of rules. Story structures are certainly very helpful guides, but there is no universal way to structure a story and the most important thing is to do what your story requires more than following a plot structure exactly.

Things to consider when developing story structure

What is the protagonist’s character arc? 

Think about what change you want your protagonist to undergo, and what series of events will make that change possible. Most readers and viewers care foremost about character development; this element needs to be strong before you get to the mechanics of how your story will be told.