8-Course Meal Writing Guide draft

[Representing_Tromba]

I started outlining that food-based story I had mentioned in another thread and realized something. Anyways, here's my my idea of an 8-act story. It may not be original and it may not be for every story but I hope it helps some of you. Also, what do you think of it?​

A little snack
hors d'oeuvre​

Show the audience a little bit of everything that is to come. Just a taste of the interesting plot, characters, world, and writing style.

Soup
Introductions​

Give a deep dive into the worldbuilding and characters. Let them all meld together like the flavors in a soup. Introduce them to your audience in a memorable and warm way.

Appetizer
Begin the show​

This is where you introduce the plot and what is at stake in the story. Set the characters off on their journey or introduce a threat. If it’s a less violent story, introduce drama or tension.

Salad
What the audience gets for being impatient while you’re cooking​

This is where filler should go. Keep the plot relevant by showcasing how the last chapter or arc affects the characters, plot, and/or world throughout this arc or chapter.

Main Course
Plot​

Most of the juicy plot stuff happens here. All the important and impactful stuff happens here.

Palate Cleanser
Calm before the storm​

Use this chapter to let the characters and audience relax from the plot for a bit before the climactic ending.

Dessert
Ending​

The climactic ending where everything is wrapped up.​

Mignardise
Epilogue​

Slice of life after story where they consider what they just went through.​

 

[RepresentingWrath]

 

[SRB]

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Cute

 

[NotaNuffian]

Hungry.

Also, a bite-sized dessert that is served after the actual dessert is just lol.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Sounds like a plan. I mean, meal.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Aren't you discriminating against those of us who eat with our eyes? Some of us don't have those disgusting mouthbones for chewing, you know. I feel oppressed.

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

I started outlining that food-based story I had mentioned in another thread and realized something. Anyways, here's my my idea of an 8-act story. It may not be original and it may not be for every story but I hope it helps some of you. Also, what do you think of it?​

A little snack
hors d'oeuvre​

Show the audience a little bit of everything that is to come. Just a taste of the interesting plot, characters, world, and writing style.

Soup
Introductions​

Give a deep dive into the worldbuilding and characters. Let them all meld together like the flavors in a soup. Introduce them to your audience in a memorable and warm way.

Appetizer
Begin the show​

This is where you introduce the plot and what is at stake in the story. Set the characters off on their journey or introduce a threat. If it’s a less violent story, introduce drama or tension.

Salad
What the audience gets for being impatient while you’re cooking​

This is where filler should go. Keep the plot relevant by showcasing how the last chapter or arc affects the characters, plot, and/or world throughout this arc or chapter.

Main Course
Plot​

Most of the juicy plot stuff happens here. All the important and impactful stuff happens here.

Palate Cleanser
Calm before the storm​

Use this chapter to let the characters and audience relax from the plot for a bit before the climactic ending.

Dessert
Ending​

The climactic ending where everything is wrapped up.​

Mignardise
Epilogue​

Slice of life after story where they consider what they just went through.​

Dang… now I'm hungy

 

[Premier]

Not good for me!


Hors d'oeuvre seems to be a flashback to the end. This is fine in some stories, but if you're going to follow it with important worldbuilding, I'm not sure anyone will have much clue what is going on.

I'd put an Appetizer before Soup. A deep dive into a world you don't really care about yet is a rough read. It'll just be your character dicking around until the plot actually starts.

Appetizer into Salad is rough. You're starting your main plot and then immediately going into filler? The filler should be layered through the story to allow it to breathe between high points. Cramming it all in before the actual plot would be horrible. You're doing a Slice of Life story here, even though you don't intend it to be one.

Palate Cleanser is fine. This is the "Meeting round the Campfire before the big final push" I love this shit, everything from here on is great.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Not good for me!


Hors d'oeuvre seems to be a flashback to the end. This is fine in some stories, but if you're going to follow it with important worldbuilding, I'm not sure anyone will have much clue what is going on.

That's fair. This is usually optional as it is pretty much just the prologue. It can be used to showcase what the story can offer in any way that you could imagine a prologue. It's not for every story so it makes sense.

I'd put an Appetizer before Soup. A deep dive into a world you don't really care about yet is a rough read. It'll just be your character dicking around until the plot actually starts.

Not necessarily. I can understand what you mean but that's not what the soup is supposed to do. It's supposed to give you a proper introduction to the characters, world, etc. you can start the plot here but it would be better to wait until the end of this part. That way your readers can have an understanding of the character motivations before the story truly begins. I think Tolkien did it best by first explaining the shire, hobbits, and world once he had set the stage with his prologue about the one ring of sauron(his hors d'oeuvres). As soon as the character/setting introduction was over, the plot became heavy, giving way to the appetizer.

Appetizer into Salad is rough. You're starting your main plot and then immediately going into filler? The filler should be layered through the story to allow it to breathe between high points. Cramming it all in before the actual plot would be horrible. You're doing a Slice of Life story here, even though you don't intend it to be one.

This is true. It's more for a slice of life style so it doesn't fit with all stories to have any filler here. Though this isn't just for filler, It's for the characters to feel the effects of the plot. This is where emotional turmoil and internal drama occurs. Often times this is filler and other times it's great for character growth. Think of the Ba Sing Se arc of Avatar where all the characters were growing in different ways emotionally and mentally. Is isn't always necessary but it can be helpful.

I'm glad you think the rest is good.

I can see how this wouldn't be for every story and I thank you for offering your insight. I'll keep this in mind when I flesh out this idea more.

 

[Premier]

I think the Salad metaphor works, but because you don't have a Salad alone, you have it with the Main Course.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I think the Salad metaphor works, but because you don't have a Salad alone, you have it with the Main Course.

That makes sense. I should try and rework that. I should also probably compare it more to traditional books rather than webnovels. I think I was venting a bit with the impatient part.

 

[Premier]

I've always been a big believer in "Nah just get to the good part", so many stories die because they flail around before getting to the part they actually wanted to write.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I've always been a big believer in "Nah just get to the good part", so many stories die because they flail around before getting to the part they actually wanted to write.

Yeah. A lot of the time that is due to poor planning and/or build-up but I can see your point. Writing get bored if what they write is boring. That's why you gotta make it interesting.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

The Salad metaphor, as a meal, is meant to be an introduction and preparation for the Course. It's not a filler per se. While this bird understood what @Paul_Tromba meant to say before and thought it's better to say nothing, there is worth when @Premier question the usage of "Filler". As vegetables and foliage comes and go, it is indeed a "filler", but it is also an introduction to the refined and more complex taste that will come next.

The main course should be dense and the main focus where "story" is solved. This bird has seen books which have used humorous or a bit more light in mood passage before introducing their main events. This can be done as a "Journey to the resolution of the book" so characters deepen their relations, and it's actually an important point of the story where you develop the reader's familiarity with your cast, as well as foreshadowing any events due to your character's background.

This bird wonders if it understood correctly Paul's work plan?

 

[Representing_Tromba]

The Salad metaphor, as a meal, is meant to be an introduction and preparation for the Course. It's not a filler per se. While this bird understood what @Paul_Tromba meant to say before and thought it's better to say nothing, there is worth when @Premier question the usage of "Filler". As vegetables and foliage comes and go, it is indeed a "filler", but it is also an introduction to the refined and more complex taste that will come next.

The main course should be dense and the main focus where "story" is solved. This bird has seen books which have used humorous or a bit more light in mood passage before introducing their main events. This can be done as a "Journey to the resolution of the book" so characters deepen their relations, and it's actually an important point of the story where you develop the reader's familiarity with your cast, as well as foreshadowing any events due to your character's background.

This bird wonders if it understood correctly Paul's work plan?

That is correct. I probably should have used a different word than filler.