I talked previously about how we create tension in a story – that moment when we, as the audience, are not sure about the outcome.  The moment that has us on the edge of seats.

The writer Kurt Vonnegut has a brilliant way of talking about three classic story arcs and I am going to do him a great disservice here and repeat it. (He’s much funnier than me!)

Here’s a diagram showing the arcs.

What is so interesting is that these arcs still work even when we know the outcome – for example The Kings Speech and Into the Void. We know the outcome but we still buy into the tension.

Are there natural moments of tension in your client stories?