Internal vs. External Story Arc

How do the internal details of a story arc help the reader understand the story?

Willmore / 6th ELA ​

Poll

Do you feel like you have a good understanding of the internal vs. external aspects of the story?

• no, not at all

• kinda sorta

• yeah, for the most part

• I fully understand the concepts

Mini-SOLE : let's put our heads together

Take 5 minutes to discuss with a neighbor,

and write a brief response to the questions:

• What features makes up the "internal" story arc in a narrative?

  ​

• ​What features makes up the "external" story arc?

​Looking at this example, do you notice that Gracie's external - internal story arc highlights her emotions, but it also points to a deeper conflict? Do you think it could point toward a theme?

​

zooming in on a single scene

​Internal vs External story arcs. What is the difference?

​Observable vs. internal thoughts/ feelings

External - Actions that could be conceivably observable by other characters in the story

Internal - The thoughts and feelings of the narr​ator.

-​When taken as a collective chunk, this story arc will usually give a better understanding of the theme

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Poll

Do you feel like you have a good understanding of the internal-external story arc?

• no, not at all

• kinda sorta

• I'm definitely getting there

• OH YEAH!