Leads

Beginnings are perhaps the most vital part of a story. This is the part that hooks the reader and makes up their mind about whether they want to keep reading or not. There are many different types of beginnings that authors use, and innumerable ones to invent. Leads can be almost anything, from one word to an entire page.

Action Lead- Action Leads put you right into what's happening in the storyline. There is no introduction paragraph, and you just dive right into the action.

Descriptive Lead- A descriptive lead usually begins with a snapshot or an introductive paragraph. You are not immediately put into the action, but are given an explanation of some sort.

Short Lead- Short leads are also classified as VSS (look in Writing Techniques) and have very little words. Some are only one word long. As long as that is the absolute most powerful word that could go there, then it's a successful short lead. Some are more along two to four or five words in length, but the same rule as the one word lead still applies; it has to be the right word(s). There is a mile long difference between the right word and the almost right word.

Long Lead- A long lead is exactly what it sounds like. A long lead. Long leads are most often run on sentences with many things or one specific thing being pointed out, or just run on sentences with defined purpose.

Middles

The middle of a story is the part where everything begins or is falling into place, discoveries are being made, many things happen at once, ect. A bit after the beginning and right before the climax, middles make up most of a story. It is important to put much effort into t he middle of a story because the middle is the basis for the climax. Your middle will support your story, so be sure to make it spectacular!

Climax

The climax in a story is the peak of suspense and excitement, the part where the suspense breaks and leaves you going, "Oh, wow. Can somebody tell me what just happened?" The climax is always unexpected, because good writing will cover up what is obviously going to happen. When you finish reading the climax of a story you wonder why you didn't see it coming even though all of the evidence was right there. Sometimes you even have to reread the climax to make sure you didn't make a mistake in reading. That, there, is the sign of a good climax.

Ends

Ending should be the most amazing part of the story, because, well, it's the end. The end of the adventure, the plot, the storyline, the characters, the humor, the sadness, the laughing, and the end of an amazing story. To me the end is like one big tribute to everything that has happened in the story. After the end, unfortunately, you have to put down the book. Or reread it. The end is where it is appropriate to break out a big secret and then just leave the audience wondering (if you do this, your fanclub will go crazy and you will have to write a sequel).

Sudden/Sequel End- Something unexpected happens, and then you quit writing. This type of ending usually means you will write a sequel (hence the name). An example of this type of ending would be if you get the vibe that the danger is over and then someone who was supposedly safe gets killed, like in my story.

Definite End- Everything comes to a conclusive and decisive end where a sequel is not expected and the reader is satisfied, like a biography.

Short End- These can be one of the most powerful endings if the right word is used. Follow the same rules as the Short Lead.

Prologues And Epilogues

Prologues are a piece from the story that will leave you wondering when and how it happened so that you will keep reading. Epilogues come after the story (prologues come before) and are the places where you see things like 5 years later, or timeskips.