- Consider this plot in your learning log
Nigel Watts Eight point story arc
2.Trigger - Provides a catalyst to start the story moving away from what
is normal and fine towards a problem (something which is often beyond control)
3.Quest - Your trigger should result in a quest. This image should define
the goal of the story and add some tension
4.Surprise - Introduce turns in the story which show the elements which
might get in the way of the quest and your character's response. (These could
include pleasant events, obstacles, complications or trouble for your hero)
5.A critical choice/a reaction - The hero makes a crucial or critical
decision about how they will respond
6.The Climax - This image should be a penultimate cliffhanger before we
discover whether the quest has been a success
7.The Reversal - The goals have changed (the hero has been changed by the
experience and has transformed).
8.The Resolution - A return to a new status quo / everyday scenario.
I found studying this plot structure quite useful for
building my own stories as I'm looking to create a story for a character which I
developed during this unit named (at the moment) "Brushman". By developing my
storytelling skills will prove to be valuable in terms of creating a plot and
backstory for the different characters as well as setting a pace and creating tension that keeps the reader engaged.
Whilst considering this plot structure it made me aware of other story structures, as I started associating known stories, I realised that not all of them followed this pattern and therefore decided to investigate a bit further to study other structures.
The Monomyth
This structure was first shown in Joseph Campbell's "The Hero of Thousand Faces" as a model of which it may not be the solution for all stories but it certainly helps when a writer is facing a roadblock in terms of plot or the story is becoming too "cliched".
The Hero's Journey
It's probably the most used story structure, you can find this plot structure on a wide range of films and short stories, however it might be more suitable for the development of single characters rather than the story as a whole, at least in my view, a story that comes to mind is of Neo from “The Matrix”, where his character earlier in the story is seen as a hacker who’s ingrained in the normalcy of his life, until someone sends him a message to “follow the white rabbit” (call to adventure) and the rest of the story is in consonance with this structure. Although it is a structure that’s been used over and over, it’s proven to be effective and has endured since the early days of storytelling until our present time. 
How it might be useful for getting more from your own drawings?
I was only aware of a basic 3 act
structure and having this new found knowledge in terms of plot structure in mind will allow me to develop more confidently mini stories or perhaps make different unrelated stories for my character which could possibly be developed later in a graphic novel.
On that same topic, I've always been fascinated on the ability of some movie or tv series directors to create cliffhangers, some tv series particularly create that consistently well, that you start thinking that there must me an underlying structure by which they guide themselves upon.
Even for single illustrations it can be useful to create a context for the picture in case i'm out of ideas on where to go further with the drawing.
Can you find a story which already conforms to the structure?
Most of stories we read or see directly or indirectly have this underlying plot structure, like a song generally has a structure of the introduction, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, conclusion, something of that sort, the artist having this in mind, varies his creations according this structure. I chose these two different films and broke it down in simple parts to show that one directly and the other indirectly conform to this structure, they are:
The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan (A)
Dumb and Dumber by Peter and Bobby Farrelly (B)
1.Stasis
(A) Introduction to the characters on their everyday, the Joker robs a bank, the Batman sabotages a criminal transaction in a parking lot.
(B) Harry and Lloyd are two friends who have a really low IQ, one is a limo driver, the other is an operator for a mobile pet grooming service,
2.Trigger
(A) A wave of crimes start happening in Gotham with the Joker pulling the strings
(B) Harry meets a customer called Mary Swanson who he immediately falls in love with when dropping her at the airport , she leaves her briefcase at the terminal.
3.Quest
(A) Batman goes on a quest to capture the Joker and to understand his motivations.
(B) Harry and Lloyd go on a quest by travelling to Aspen, Colorado, to look for the whereabouts of Mary Swanson to return the briefcase and Lloyd gets to be with the love of his life.
4.Surprise
(A) When Joker is apparently captured by the police, he reveals to Batman that he’s holding hostage Harvey Dent (mayor of Gotham) and Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne/Batman’s “infatuation”
(B) Little did they know that the briefcase contained a large sum of cash and it was ransom money for Mary’s husband.
5.A critical choice/a reaction
(A) Batman has to choose who to save
(B) They chose to spend the money lavishly.
6.The Climax
(A) Batman chooses to save Rachel whilst Harvey Dent gets scarred and seeks revenge against Batman due to Rachel’s Death
(B) The Man behind the kidnapping plot comes to request the money at gunpoint but he gets arrested.
7.The Reversal
(A) After Batman kills Harvey Dent when he tries to kill a family, he takes the blame to save Harvey Dent’s image of saviour of Gotham, he transforms from a hero to a villain in the eyes of society
(B) To Lloyd’s dismay, he realises that Mary was married
8.The Resolution
(A) Batman becomes a fugitive from authorities due to Dent’s death.
(B) With no money nor Mary, Lloyd and Harry return home.
Links:
http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/Workshop-stuff/Joseph-Campbell-Hero-Journey.htm
https://nofilmschool.com/the-eight-point-arc (infograph)
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