What is the "Freytag's Pyramid" technique of writing? - The Magical Pink Diamond

Freytag’s Pyramid is a writing technique, crafted by the German novelist Gustav Freytag. The technique involves five key processes that writers can use to write everything from short stories to articles.

 

The first step is “Exposition.”

Exposition refers to the introduction of the subject, the setting up of the scene, and a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.

The second step is “Rising Action”

Rising Action refers to “The development of the central conflict, problem, or interesting aspect.” This is where the tension builds, complexities are revealed, and the "plot" of the story/article unfolds through scenes, characters, research material, and anecdotes.

The third step is “climax”

Climax is the turning point or the most significant moment of revelation, insight, or development within the article's scope. It's often where the core question posed in the exposition is addressed, or a major challenge is confronted.

The 4^th step, “Falling Action,” implies the series of events that follow the climax, showing immediate consequences or implications.

The 5^th and the last step is “Resolution or denouement.” It refers to the conclusion, which often provides closure, summarizes key takeaways, or offers a final thought, a lingering question, or a look to the future.

 

Let’s understand this technique with the example of a story “The Magical Pink Diamond.”

 

The story opens with the introduction of a young queen named Leela, whose kingdom is teetering on the brink of war. This introduction and elaborate character sketch is the “Exposition” through which the reader meets the primary character and understands the motivating force that will trigger their curiosity to read the story further.

Leela’s kingdom is in this dire warlike situation because, Andhakari, an evil king from a neighboring kingdom is demanding a precious artifact from her – the magical pink diamond. This diamond was passed on to Leela from her ancestors and had remained in their kingdom for hundreds of years. The ancient sages had locked within this pink jewel, magical powers that would protect the kingdom against evil and bless it with bounty and abundance.

 

Andhakari had brashly sent a messenger with a letter to Leela, demanding the magical jewel from her, threatening to attack and invade her kingdom if she refused. After reading his letter, Leela was jolted into a tailspin of fear, anger, and powerlessness. Andhakari, after all, was ten times more powerful than her. He had more wealth. He had more soldiers. And unlike her and her soldiers, he and his men didn’t have any conscience. He would go on to great lengths to exert his power and snatch anything he desired, even if it was at the cost of killing innocent masses. But Leela was not someone to give up. Her boundless courage prompted her to embark on a secret quest to retrieve the magical pink diamond, which was hidden in the ancient ruins of her empire. Once she got hold of it, she would secure it to some safe place and trick Andhakari into believing that it was lost. This marks the “Rising Action” part of the story.

 

Rising Action involves the scenes where tensions mount and the journey introduces challenges: treacherous mountain passes, cryptic riddles guarding the ruins, and a shadowy rival also seeking the jewel. Each hurdle Leela overcomes builds suspense, bringing her closer to her goal, yet further into danger.

 

Finally, deep within the crumbling ruins, Leela confronts the rival, a powerful sorcerer, in a desperate struggle for the magical jewel. This is the Climax, the story’s peak, where the conflict reaches its absolute zenith, and the outcome hangs in the balance. Leela, through wit and courage, outsmarts the sorcerer, securing the diamond, only to discover that he too was there to secure and protect the jewel from Andhakari’s influence.

 

The “Falling Action” sees Leela return to her kingdom, the pink diamond in hand. She uses its power not for war, but to create a shimmering barrier, protecting her people without bloodshed. Horrified by the supernatural barriers of fire and wild electric currents, Andhakari’s soldiers were horrified and forced to retreat.

 

Lastly, in the “Denouement” part of the story, peace settles over the land. Leela, now celebrated and lauded by the subjects, begins rebuilding her kingdom, forever transformed by this ordeal. The threat is gone, loose ends tied, and a stable, empowered kingdom established. 

Read more posts related to the Craft of Writing/Storytelling.

What is the "In Media Res" technique of storytelling?

 What is “In Media Res”?

"In Media Res" (Latin for "in the midst of things") is a powerful storytelling technique where the narrative plunges the audience directly into a critical, exciting, or significant moment of the story, skipping over the initial exposition and setup. Instead of beginning with a traditional "once upon a time," the reader/viewer is immediately immersed in the action or a pivotal scene. It jolts the reader directly into the “heart of the action.” The preceding events, character backstories, and the "how we got here" are then revealed gradually through flashbacks, dialogue, or indirect exposition as the story progresses. This method is designed to grab attention immediately, create suspense, and cultivate a sense of mystery, compelling the audience to understand what led to the current situation.

 

Let’s take the example of this story opening paragraph to understand the concept of “In Media Res”

 

The Case of the Missing Cake

The aroma of singed hair filled the kitchen. Maya stared at the smoking microwave, a single, lonely spoon clutched in her charred hand. On the counter, a tray of what was once a glorious chocolate cake bubbled menacingly, spitting dark goop onto the gleaming white tiles. "Not again!" she shrieked, kicking a cupboard door. Her cat, Kitty Fluffnutter, dashed under the sofa with a terrified yowl.

 

How “In Media Res” is used in this paragraph?

 

What you immediately know after reading this paragraph?

Maya is in a disastrous kitchen, something went wrong with the chocolate cake, and she's very upset. There's a smoking microwave and a scared cat.

 

What you don’t know yet after reading this paragraph?

Why was she making cake?

What happened to he hair?

Why was the microwave smoking?

What does "Not again!" mean? Has this happened before?

Why is the cat called Captain Fluffnutter, and why is she so scared?

 

This was just the beginning of the story

If the story continued, then it would probably reveal these things

Maya was probably baking a cake for her grumpy old neighbour neighbour, Mrs. Dukie, whose pet dog just passed away

She accidentally put a metal spoon into the microwave while baking the cake which triggere the sparks and also, her singed hair.

The "Not again!" refers to her general clumsiness in the kitchen, a running gag in her life.

See how starting with the smoking microwave and singed hair is much more exciting than starting with Maya buying ingredients at the store? "In Media Res" grabs you by the collar and pulls you right into the heart of the action, making you desperately want to know what happened and how things got so crazy!

16 Literary/Writing-related terms every writer should know

16 Literary Terms every writer should know

 

1. Epistolary: A piece of writing written in the form of letters.
2. Alliteration: A writing device that involves emphasized repetition of the initial consonant sounds in the words of a sentence or line. Ex: Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.
3. Zeugma: A writing device used to denote a single word/phrase to describe two thoughts or two different contexts. Ex: She lost her necklace and her heart.
4. Palindrome: A word, number, phrase, sentence, writing, or a sequence of characters/symbols, that reads the same backwards as forwards. Ex: Wow, mom, radar, Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm
5. Epigram: A short poem, phrase, or witty saying that expresses an idea in a clever, paradoxical, or amusing way. Ex: I can resist everything but temptation.
6. Anthropomorphism: Attributing human traits to non-human objects. Ex: the character of an animal, toy, or object in a story/movie that speaks in the language of humans
7. Anadiplosis: A writing device that involves repetition in which a word of a phrase appears both at the end of one clause, sentence, or stanza, and at the beginning of the next, thus linking the two units. Ex: Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
8. Acronym: A short word composed of the first letters of a group of words. Ex: WHO (World Health Organization)
9. Aphorism: A concise, terse, laconic, witty, clever, pointed, or memorable expression, representing a general truth or observation. Ex: All is fair in love and war.
10. Enthymeme: A writing device that presents an argument that expresses that if A=B and B=C, then A=C without stating that B=C. Ex: All insects have six legs, therefore, all wasps have six legs.
11. Polyptoton: Repetition of the word of the same root used in the same sentence with a variety of differing contexts, inflection, and voice. Ex: I dreamed a dream in times gone by.
12. Synecdoche: A writing device in which a part of something is used to represent the whole. Ex: Johnny got new wheels. (Meaning, Johnny got a new car)
13. Cliffhanger: An exciting situation in a story when you cannot guess what's going to happen next and you have to wait until the next part in order to find out. 
14. Personification: A writing device that involves projection of a human's qualities, emotions, and feelings on a non-human entity. Ex: Flowers danced merrily in joy.
15. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or a clause beyond the end of a poetic line, couplet, or stanza. Ex: “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness; but still will keep / A bower quiet for us, and a sleep / Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing”
16. Verisimilitude: A writing device based on the idea that a piece of writing is true to reality. Ex: A description of a city in a story, with all its buildings, streets and names, should ring true to the reader.

Read more posts related to Vocabulary

The Copyediting Checklist

COPYEDITING CHECKLIST

· Possessive pronouns

· Dangling modifiers

· Missing articles/Article insertion

· Redundancy

· Improper/Lacking relevance, clarity and/or context

· Unidentifiable pronoun(s)

· Inappropriate verb

· Tense inconsistency

· Punctuation {commas, hyphens, colons, semi-colons, full-stops, etc.}

· Spellings

· Rephrasing

· Fragments 

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57 Writing Projects to do for Creative Inspiration

 

#1 List of books about some topic ex: top books on chocolates

#2 Life lessons from everyday objects

#3 Inspirational Doodle Poetry

#4 Creative and witty storytelling style cover letters

#5 A collection of mock-ads

#6 Write a Historical Poem

#7 Convert a coloring book into art journal

#8 Write poems based on song lyrics as prompts. Ex: Sapphire moonlight, tequila sunlight, 7 rings

#9 Translate song lyrics from Hindi to English

#10                    Explore the different types of poetry

#11                    Make a paper-cutout doodle. Write a poem to go with it.

#12                    Create your personal writer’s encyclopedia

#13                    Write Poems/Songs on Crystals and Gems

#14                    Write Poems on Foods & food brands

#15                    Explore types of grammatical errors in writing

#16                    Make a list of feeling and emotion words

#17                    Create a collection of creative phrases for writing

#18                    Write a collection of heart-touching poetry in Hindi

#19                    Write travel poetry

#20                    Create a collection of lessons from famous and other writers/poets/storytellers

#21                    Write Poems on different fonts

#22                    Understand functioning of various electronics items and explain them by writing in story format

#23                    Write stories and narratives of your memories

#24                    Write a story on leadership

#25                    Write sense awareness poems using what you see through your five senses as the material

#26                    Create your own written collection of short stories

#27                    Write Hinglish storytelling poetry

#28                    Practice writing a film script

#29                    Write mock video ad scripts

#30                    Write mock print ads

#31                    Write a theatre script

#32                    Write poetry on different colors

#33                    Write mock headlines/taglines/slogans

#34                    Write a poetry chapbook

#35                    Create a video poem

#36                    Write some pages of stream of consciousness writing

#37                    Write food poetry for menus

#38                    Watch hollywood movies and write their stories by yourself in a notebook

#39                    Write fashion poetry

#40                    Write poetry on different designs

#41                    Write poetry on various buildings and monuments

#42                    Write some haiku poems

#43                    Write poems on dance steps

#44                    Write something in onomatopoeia writing that is, writing without words

#45                    Read mystery books and extract plot codes

#46                    Write poetry about and for every person you meet or encounter

#47                    Listen to people and write collection of dialogues and secret scribbles

#48                    Collect interesting lines from books

#49                    Write poems on textures of substances (ex: wood, chalk)

#50                    Write a song lyric

#51                    Write poetry on jewellery designs

#52                    Write body scan poetry

#53                    Write poems on different flowers. Draw them too.

#54                    Write histories of empires in story format

#55                    Write 6-word nanotales

#56                    Go gaga and write wild woman poetry collection

#57                    Write poetry on fruits and vegetables

24 Fiction-Fantasy Writing Prompts

✍️My life island

✍️Ocean treasure box

✍️Purple king

✍️Rainbow gems

✍️Pearls and jewels

✍️Blue teapot

✍️Quotations

✍️Thieves

✍️Dragons

✍️Wars and weapons

✍️Armours and swords

✍️Codes

✍️Undersea eyes

✍️Magic potions

✍️Spiral eyes

✍️Hilltop bamboo house

✍️Virtual games

✍️Laser beams

✍️Blue zebra

✍️Galaxies and constellations

✍️Labyrinth

✍️Mindmaps

✍️Dreams and psychic symbols

✍️Mindmaps

✍️Stardust fairy goddess

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51 Witty & Trippy Mockup Project Ideas To Enhance Your Writing Quality &...

#1 Build a dictionary/encyclopedia on Youtube
#2 Create your own thesaurus and style guide for your occupation or profession
#3 Make Your Personal Question Bank – A glossary of various types of questions
#4 Build Your Personal Brand QR Code
#5 Don't add Page Numbers in Contents while self publishing books on Amazon [To prevent poor formatting]
#6 Create an editorial calendar for yourself
#7 Make a folder for research material while content writing
#8 Make a quote calendar – a quote for a day
#9 Make a video glossary of your favourite writing project
#10    Make checkerboards and grids for tracking project days [project goal grid]
#11    Make a collection of creative writing phrases
#12    Divide your time between ‘Research Time’, and ‘Writing Time’. Further divide your Writing Time between various categories of writing – freelance, short story, free writing, etc.
#13    Craft your own little writing zines or chapbooks
#14    Add audio files for newsletters and mail replies than text files!
#15     Make research-time ideabooks
#16    Make a collection of Quotes by Famous Poets/Authors
#17    Collect some interesting Youtube descriptions in your swipe file
#18    Write and create a mock corporate zine
#19    Make a folder of submissions, participations and commissions
#20    Make a Stream of consciousness writing Notebook

#21    Set chunks of research time and writing time to fix the writing schedule
#22    Make your own invoice system
#23    Make a logbook, workbook or registers to track your daily free writing
#24    Publish your documents and ebooks on Google books to promote
#25     Publish and sell your articles on Kindle
#26    Practice Word Associations
#27    Write 1000 words a day for a month
#28    Make a Word box – Pick a word prompt and free write on it
#29    Create audio poetry in your voice. Publish it on Spotify, Youtube and/or Soundcloud!
#30    Greeting Poems For different occasions
#31    Make a world record in memorizing words
#32    Write and design an Interactive Textbook
#33    Make a pocket book of rejuvenating words, quotes and phrases
#34    Make a pocket book of topical quotes
#35     Take one prompt/experience and fill the entire notebook, writing each day on the same prompt!
#36    Publish low-content books on KDP!
#37    Brainstorm and jot down a list of ideas to make typical books appear visually interesting
#38    Discover new words – of your own – made up words
#39    Write Letters to Anything and Everything – people, things, animals, flowers etc.
#40    Write food poetry
#41    Write fashion poetry with washi tapes
#42    Write mock captions for various occasions
#43    Write one-line stories using Twitter moments
#44    Write a heart-touching poetry in Hindi
#45    Write mock-ups for Product Stories/Product Copies
#46    Write recipe mock-ups for food bloggers, vloggers, photographers, yourself and likewise
#47    Create a shoppable or ready-made content package
#48    Practice writing witty/creative/quirky resumes
#49    Make a visual poetry book – one long poem spread out in one little chapbook
#50    Write a collection of Riddle Poems
#51     Make a notebook for character sketches for fiction

24 Quirky Theme Ideas for Writing Poetry!

 Here are 24 quirky theme ideas for writing poetry. Read on and breeze through the list!

#1 Write Poetry on Various Seasons

#2 Write Poetry on Animal and Bird sounds [onomatopoeia]

#3 Write poetry on months of the year

#4 Write poetry on sense of smell [fragrances, aromas, incense, scents & other smells]

#5 Write poetry on historical empires, cultures and monuments

#6 Make poetry infographic

#7 Write romance-themed poetry

#8 Make a poetry painting

#9 Make a poetry animation

#10 Write poetry on weather of the day

#11 Write poetry about gemstones, jewellery and beads

#12 Write poetry about different vehicles

#13 Create audio poetry

#14 Write poetry on animals, birds and reptiles

#15 Write a song lyric

#16 Write an advertising jingle

#17 Write poems about zooming into your greatest fears in life

#18 Create illustrated poetry

#19 Write a collection of greeting card verses

#20 Write a collection of emotional verses

#21 Write poems about various foods and beverages

#22 Write poems about different kinds of poems!

#23 Write a collection of haikus and tankas

#24 Write a collection of Postcard Poems

Six Snippets On Content Writing!

#1   In simple words, ‘Content Writing’ is a process of writing content, of a specific form, format and style.

#2   They key purpose of content writing is to enable the access of two-way communication. The goals, for which, commonly include communicating an idea, promoting a product or service, telling a story and/or offering entertainment, through the medium of written word.

#3   Typically, the hamburger-menu of a ‘content writing process’ is composed of various sub-processes such as writing, editing, proofreading and publishing.

#4   Also, the content writing process is not something which is standalone. Usually, it is accompanied by a variety of visual communication material as well. This material can range from illustrations to graphics to animations to high-quality images, photographs & videos.

#5   The utility of Content Writing is not limited to a full-fledged business but as equally for a website, small-scale trading store, restaurants, professional blogs, and likewise too.

#6 You can write the content by yourself (DIY), or you may want to hire a professional writer for the same.

13 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GRAMMAR, WORDS & LANGUAGES!

 

 

#1 A WORD IS A FORM OF ENERGY!

The ancient Indian sages say that a word is not just a word, but a form of energy which carries within it the potential of transformation.

 

It is only through the words that people like writers, poets and storytellers are able to weave magic through their writings, poems and stories!

 

#2 GRAMMAR IMPLIES ‘THE LOGIC OF LANGUAGE’!

In Indian texts, grammar is referred to, by the terms such as “Vyakaran”.

 

The Sanskrit word Vyakaran implies separation, distinction, discrimination, analysis, explanation, logic" of something.

 

And so, Grammar can be understood as the science of studying the logic or the structure of language!

 

#3 THE SCIENCE OF GRAMMAR IS APPROX. 3000 YEARS OLD!

Grammar is one of the most ancient sciences dating back to the Vedic period. This field of grammar also makes up one of the six Vedangas in the scriptures of Vedas or Vedic Studies.

 

Grammar or Vyakaran is related to the fourth Vedanga of Vedas – this Vedanga is named as ‘Nirukta’…

 

#4 SANSKRIT & GREEK MARK THE ORIGINS OF GRAMMAR!

Most of the words and grammar are derived from two main languages that is, Sanskrit and Greek!

 

#5 THE WORD “ALPHABET” IS DERIVED FROM FIRST TWO CHARACTERS OF GREEK LANGUAGE!

The word “alphabet” is derived from the combination of the first two characters of Greek language, that is, “alpha” and “beta”!

 

Alphabet = Alpha (alpha) + bet (beta)

 

#6 GRAMMAR IS THE SCIENCE OF STUDYING DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF REALITY & LIFE!

The popular linguist & writer, Ẓevi Scharfstein said that, the field of grammar is much more than merely a study of words and relations between words.

 

Rather, grammar is understood to be the study of reality itself as well as the relations between different dimensions of reality.

 

According to Vedas, the main purpose of the field of grammar is to utilize the medium of “words” to their best possible effective means in order to realize the underlying principle of all reality and to break the chain of ignorance.

 

Also known as shabd-yoga, the field of grammar was originally aimed at understanding the root and significance of the word itself. By understanding the root of words and the fundamental structure of language, we can also understand, and thereupon, realize the fundamental principle of life itself.

 

#7 IN ENGLISH, EACH CONSONANT CARRIES ITS OWN SOUND UNLIKE HINDI OR SANSKRIT!

In English, each consonant has its own sound like B(bee), K(kay), F(eff), S(ess); unlike Sanskrit, where, each consonant has its sound ending in अ(a), क(ka), प(pa), र(ra), श (sha), स(sa),  ह(ha) etc.

 

#8 GRAMMATICAL THEORY IS NOT LIMITED TO LANGUAGE. IT ALSO CONNECTS TO MATHEMATICS, COMPUTERS & EVEN QUANTUM PHYSICS!

If you’d look into the origins of grammatical theory, you’d discover that, it offers direct access to anyone to understand and gain insight into the plane of alignment, where maths combines music, analytical combines intuitive, spirituality combines science.

You’d be fascinated to discover that most of the computer languages have their origins in the Sanskrit Grammar.

 

#9 SOUND IS THE SUBTLEST ELEMENT OF GRAMMAR!

According to Quantum physics, each object is made up of some unique or composite pattern of vibration.

Sanskrit’s consonants too are rooted in the root sound vibrations of the universe – the vowels and consonants of Sanskrit are made up of these core sounds – known as bijas – ancient sages meditated on perceiving these bija sounds and gained inherent intuition of the bija sounds of everything.

Sanskrit word is not only a label for an object but a reflection of the bija sound vibration composing that object in its fundamental reality…

Sound is the subtlest element of grammar – manipulation of sounds and words can allow the manipulation of matter – the reason why mantras are recited during prayer or for peace of mind. It also relates to the various vibrational frequencies mentioned in the field of quantum physics.

 

#10 SANSKRIT IS THE ONLY PERFECTED LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD!

NASA declares Sanskrit as the “the only unambiguous language on the planet”

Also called as the “Perfected Language” or the “Self-made Language”, Sanskrit is said to be the number one language to be learned to gain the understanding of linguistics as well as computers. It is the basis of many common languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi as well as computer languages

Hundreds if not thousands of Sanskrit words are found in Oxford dictionary today

 

#11 NO WORD HAS A FIXED MEANING!

Each word has a meaning

However, the meaning of a word is not something which is constant. It fluidly changes from moment-to-moment and from context-to-context.

 

#12 SYLLABLES ARE BEATS OF THE WORD. PHONEMES ARE SOUNDS OF A WORD!

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound.

A syllable is the smallest unit of pronunciation, consisting of a pair of a vowel and surrounding consonant(s).

A word is a collection of phonemes.

For example: The word “egg” consists of one syllable “aig”, but two phonemes “ai + ga”

 

#13 HUMANS HAVE A UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR!

There are thousands of kinds of grammatical theories corresponding to the thousands of kinds of languages and sciences. According to the eminent linguist, philosopher and scientist Noam Chmosky, there is no one rule which underlies grammar in general, however, at the same time, all kinds of grammar do have an underlying invisible grammar which he termed as the Universal Grammar. This is a theoretical concept of grammar which discusses the genetic component of language and proposes that human brain contains an innate mental grammar that helps humans acquire language.

Just the way as kids intuitively understand, learn and speak language without any technical knowledge of grammar.

Thank you, enjoy, have a good day & keep writing! 📚 And, remember to subscribe to Neha's Notebook, for more interesting ideas related to writing, art and life!

Neha