The Power of Two Arcs
Did you know that every commercially successful fantasy novel actually contains two complete story arcs?. Discover how to weave a high-stakes external adventure together with a gripping supernatural journey to create a narrative that satisfies every reader’s expectation.
Most fantasy writers start with a spark of magic—a unique dragon bond, a complex spell system, or a world-ending curse. But somewhere between that initial idea and the finish line, many manuscripts stall because they lack the foundation to support such a complex narrative. If you’ve ever felt like your plot is a “jumbled ball of words,” the solution isn’t adding more magic; it’s writing using deep structure.
Before you get down to the level of copy editing or proofreading, make sure your story structure is strong. You can do this while you write your novel, or you can do this during the self-editing phase.
In Secrets to Writing a Fantasy, we reveal one of the most powerful patterns found in commercially successful novels: the dual-arc system.
The Two Hearts of Your Story
A sensational fantasy novel is a perfect balance of two distinct but intertwined plot lines :
- The External Plot: This is the universal adventure narrative. It is the challenge issued to your protagonist that forces them to leave their ordinary world. Without this, you don’t have a story.
- The Supernatural Plot: This is the unique factor that satisfies genre expectations. It tracks the protagonist’s journey from their first inkling of magic to harnessing (or losing) it in the final battle. Without this, you don’t have a fantasy.
Weaving The Story Arc Scenes
The key to a page-turner is how you weave these two arcs together. Every story needs five core “story arc scenes” to form its spine: the Inciting Incident, Plot Point 1, Middle Plot Point, Plot Point 2, and the Climax.
In a fantasy novel, that means you are actually managing ten pivotal moments—five for the adventure and five for the magic. When you align these scenes, you create a story that is both balanced and believable. For example, the supernatural inciting incident often happens right after the external one, proving to the reader that your character isn’t just on an adventure—they are on a magical one.
The Guiding Light: The Combined Skeleton Blurb
How do you keep track of all these moving parts without getting lost? It starts with a Combined Skeleton Blurb. This single sentence captures your protagonist, their dual goals, and the high-stakes consequences of failure.
Formula: [The protagonist] must [external goal] and [supernatural goal]; otherwise, [external stakes] and [supernatural stakes].
By defining this promise early, you ensure that every scene you write—from the first goal attempt to the final resolution—works hard to support your story’s core mission.
Don’t leave your structure to chance. Stop guessing and start building a structurally sound novel, scene by sensational scene. Read Secrets to Writing a Fantasy and write your best novel.
