Narrative / Temporal Structures
Structures that organize ideas through time — using sequence, story, and temporal manipulation to create meaning and maintain engagement.
6 structures across 2 subcategories
Linear Narrative
Structures that follow chronological or sequential order.
Event₁ (earliest) → Event₂ → Event₃ → ... → Event_n (latest)
The most basic temporal structure: events or ideas presented in the order they occurred, from earliest to latest, allowing the audience to experience the unfolding as it happened.
Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 → ... → Outcome
A structure that describes a process, procedure, or sequence of operations from beginning to end, with each step depending on the completion of the previous one.
Non-Linear Narrative
Structures that deliberately disrupt chronological order for rhetorical or dramatic effect.
Middle (hook) → Background → Continuation → Resolution
A structure that begins in the middle of the action or at a critical moment, then fills in background through flashback or exposition — hooking the audience immediately before providing context.
Present → Past (illuminating) → Return to Present (transformed)
A structure that interrupts the present timeline to narrate an earlier event, then returns to the present — using the past to illuminate or complicate the present situation.
Outer Story (opens) → Inner Story → Outer Story (closes, transformed)
A structure where an outer narrative contains and contextualizes an inner narrative — the frame provides perspective, commentary, or contrast that changes how the inner story is received.
Strand A → Strand B → Strand A → Strand B → Convergence
A structure that weaves two or more separate narrative strands together, alternating between them, with the juxtaposition creating meaning that neither strand would carry alone.