"Writing nonfiction under the guidance of a plot arc" by Ren Daniel
A craft article
Plot arcs might seem irrelevant when writing reports or essays, but they enhance every type of writing. Tailored for the human psyche, the classic plot structure excels at hooking our attention: fiction achieves this by captivating our emotional investment through characters and struggles, while nonfiction achieves this by hooking our intellectual investment through concepts and arguments. Let’s explore this a little deeper.
First, you’ll start with a setup or an inciting incident (or both!). The setup is a simple introduction to your topic and prepares your reader for the dive. The inciting incident details the purpose of your paper in the form of your argument, thesis, or key question. Even if your piece is educational and contains no argument, goading the reader with a question—with a call to intellectual action—is key in hooking their interest.
Next is the rising action. The rising action provides your reader the crucial information they need to understand your topic and argument. By the end of the rising action, your reader should comprehend the basics and be forming an opinion on, or interest in, your argument.
The midpoint is the middle. Here, you’ll reveal unexpected information that either supports your argument or, better yet, counters it. This revelation builds tension and challenges your reader, which is key in retaining their intellectual investment and attention.
The rising tension follows that revelation. You’ll share more complicated information to support or challenge the midpoint, and using constant questions—or obstacles—will engage your readers, locking them to the page.
The tension cumulates into the crisis-climax, which is best described as the final fight to persuade your reader. Bolstering your facts, you’ll battle the toughest arguments against your theory—and, given your reader is now familiar with your topic, you don’t have to hold back the complexity of your information. By the end of the climax, the outcome of your original argument or question should be clear.
Once the crisis-climax is over, the denouement debuts. The denouement is a reflection, a “what now?”, and this means you shouldn’t have to add information or explain your results; it provides you the opportunity to point your reader in a new direction.
How will you know if the structure was effective? Your reader is the proof: they’ve been on the hero’s journey, a journey of change, aimed at educating them or challenging their views. Ideally, this change means they accept your result, but it’s still a breakthrough if they’re more educated (or passionate!) with their arguments.
About the author:
Ren Daniel is a Canadian illustrator and writer-editor who's driven by an obsession with the art of storytelling and a love for psychology. If you enjoy exploring the world through creation and art, you can read his graphic novels for free on his website.