Fichtean Curve
This shape opens the story already in motion, with no lengthy setup, then rises through a series of escalating crises of increasing intensity toward a main climax, before easing into a brief falling action and resolution.
Opening / Inciting Crisis
Drop the reader directly into tension or conflict — skip backstory and exposition, and establish the protagonist's situation through action rather than explanation.
Rising Crisis 1
Introduce the first escalation: a complication that raises the stakes above where the story opened.
Rising Crisis 2
Raise the stakes again with a second, higher escalation that deepens the conflict and narrows the protagonist's options.
Rising Crisis 3
Push the protagonist near their breaking point with a third escalation, as options grow scarce. (Add more crisis beats as needed — the number is flexible.)
Climax
The peak crisis — the highest point of tension, where the central conflict comes to a head and is decided.
Falling Action
The brief unwinding after the climax, where immediate consequences play out.
Resolution
The new equilibrium — show how the protagonist and their world have changed.
