There are many definitions for narrative, but I prefer this one: “narrative consists of a set of events which are experienced by characters in a specific time and place”.
This definition determines four main concepts in every narrative which altogether are the five forms of design in a narrative in films, plays, novels, and short stories and alike. Before starting the main discussion, I’d like to emphasize that every form of design is not devoid of other elements of the narrative. For instance, it cannot be true that in plot-based design, there are no characters, time or place, but, in this type of design, the emphasis is on the plot.
There are many definitions for narrative, but I prefer this one: “narrative consists of a set of events which are experienced by characters in a specific time and place”.
This definition determines four main concepts in every narrative which altogether are the five forms of design in a narrative in films, plays, novels, and short stories and alike. Before starting the main discussion, I’d like to emphasize that every form of design is not devoid of other elements of the narrative. For instance, it cannot be true that in plot-based design, there are no characters, time or place, but, in this type of design, the emphasis is on the plot.
Plot-based Design
This form of design is based on events. The plot in a story has three main functions. The first function shows how events take place. Then, it determines the timing, in other words, it determines the sequence of events. Last and most important one is to determine the cause of events, which is the rationale of the story, in other words, every event in the same story should sound rationale to the reader.
In this form of design (the best example of it can be found in mystery fiction), everything depends on the ending. When the big question is asked like “Who is the murderer?” or “Who kidnapped the child?” in the first place, the author must know the answer and how it happens. And as the answer is revealed at the end of the story, the author so to speak performs reverse engineering. In other words, the author narrates the story for himself from the end to the beginning to fulfill all the three functions of the plot (how, timing and causality) completely and flawlessly.
Character-based Design
Every character has desires to fulfill, and there are some obstacles in fulfilling those. In a plot-based story, these obstacles are mostly external and as a result, much of the story revolves around the hero’s actions like Sherlock Holmes in detective stories. In a character-based story, these obstacles are internal and within the characters, as a result, most of the story revolves around internal struggles. Usually, the characters in this type of design perform nothing or perform something drastic (such as Crimes and Punishment and The Stranger) and the rest of story takes place inside the characters’ minds. Due to the contrast between this form of design and the previous form, the former is called miniplot. In this form, the author focuses on the characters’ internal obstacles and desires.
Mood-based Design
To capture a specific time and place in playwriting is called scene-setting. However, I prefer the term mood. In this form of design, the main aim is to represent the mood of the story rather than the plot or the character. For instance, in horror stories, the author tries mostly to represent fear. As a result, even if an irrational event happens or characters lack any specific mindsets and internal struggles, it won’t be of any importance. This is also true about some literary styles such as magic realism in Latin America in the second half of the 20th century or German Expressionism Cinema before the second world war. For instance, in One Hundred Years of Solitude you are faced with a large number of similar characters which almost ruin the characterization. This novel is not also based on the plot in its classic sense.
In this form of design, the author should try to understand the time and place he aims to create completely. Time contains the period (historical period) and also different hours of the day and seasons. It is obvious that winter and summer and also day and night require different moods. Place contains place built by humans (houses, cemetery, mosque, city and etc.) and also natural places (ocean, desert, mountains, Antarctica, etc.)
Design based on mood is one of the most instinctive forms of designing and usually it cannot be taught.
Classical design
This form of designing is considered as the oldest, most exhaustive, most frequently used form of storytelling in past, present and future. It is a combination of plot and character. In drama, there is a concept called weakness which is the defect in the character. Another important concept is “the need” of which the hero is required to be in possession to be able to overcome his weakness. The classical design follows the hero’s changes from having a weakness to the need to overcome them. However, these changes might happen or not happen and the hero should perform what is not expected of him. For instance, in The Godfather, Michael’s weakness is his great sense responsibility toward his father and family. His need is “self-love” which is realized neither in the book nor the movie. However, this form of design is not limited to the inside of the characters (inner conflict), but heroes are forced to take actions by disastrous events from the outside (external conflict). Another example from The Godfather is if Don Corleone was not assassinated, Michael might have remained the same good old son of the family and had no desire to become the new godfather. It was mentioned that in this form of design, the plot is also very important. The well-known mythologist, Joseph Campbell in the book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces published in 1949 discussed almost all famous mythological stories, in doing so, he shed light on plot in this form of design. In 1994, Christopher Vogler in his book called The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers examined Campbell’s theories regarding the classical design of the plot in-depth and introduced the 12 stages of the hero’s journey. Owning to the limited space available, it is impossible to delve into more details about this form of design. It just suffices therefore to point out that in almost all the mythological stories have his form of design in common from Epic of Gilgamesh and Rostam’s Seven Labours to today’s most popular novels, movies and TV series such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Game of Thrones.
Form-based Design
The form is how characters experience events in a specific time and place. For instance, the story is narrated from what point of view, in what rhythm, what parts were deleted and what parts included and …
The main aim of form-based design has always been to enhance the form of storytelling which is to expand the narrative possibilities. Therefore, in this form of design, the aim is not the events, characters, and mood. For instance, in the book If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino, the reader is the main character of the story who is thrown into a game. The author made the reader to read ten incipits (that, novel’s first chapters) written about his life with his lover. In fact, there exist only these incipits, there is not any second chapter, nor any end. In addition, we have no character in its classic sense. In addition, the aim is not to transfer the mood.
This form of design always tries to question the classical form of storytelling. This happens for philosophical reasons which unfortunately here we don’t have enough space to relate them. The author in this form of design questions at least one of the pillars of classical design (for instance, having middle chapters and ending in Calvino’s novel or rationality of events or having one single hero).
It is hoped that we succeeded in getting you acquainted with different forms of design in the narrative in this concise manner.