Everything you’ve read about Freytag’s Pyramid is WRONG! Okay not everything, and it’s possible you have read correct information, but as I delved into this story structure I was immediately confused, because it seemed to be exactly like the Classic Roller Coaster. Freytag’s Pyramid is a character focused structure for tragic narratives. While it has some similarities in visual depiction to the Roller Coaster, it is clear that the timeline shifts.

My biggest reason for suggesting an outline is to get the thoughts out of your head. By creating an outline (no matter how detailed) you can focus on the task at hand (like writing this scene) rather than continuing to be distracted by all the other scenes and ideas you want to write. You can have the basic idea down somewhere, so you don’t have to worry about remembering it.

I realized these key elements easily fall into the 5 W’s which we often discuss in non-fiction writing (particularly journalism.) Turns out they are just as important in fiction! What a big surprise… So we’ve got the who (character), what (plot), when & where (setting), how (POV) and a double serving of why (conflict and theme.)

We’re heading back to school with this one. I’m sure we all remember the graphic of a roller coaster with the words inciting incident, rising and falling action, climax, etc, but do you remember what it actually all means? Ready for a refresher before we dive into some more detailed story structures? Good! Jump to the video instead Introduction to the Classic “Roller Coaster” Structure This is usually referred to as the classic structure, but I always think of that handout we