All About Cinderella – Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories

In this post, American novelist, Kurt Vonnegut explains the shape of stories.

Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories

Kurt Vonnegut was an American novelist, satirist, and graphic artist. He is best known for his books which blend satire, black comedy and science fiction. These include the novels, Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions.

He also gave some brilliant writing advice. If you have trouble with plotting, watch this video as he talks about the shape of stories and learn from one of the best.

As he draws a graph, he says, ‘You will see this story over and over again. People love it, and it is not copyrighted. The story is ‘Man in Hole,’ but the story needn’t be about a man or a hole. It’s: somebody gets into trouble, gets out of it again. It is not accidental that the line ends up higher than where it began. This is encouraging to readers.’

The Shape Of Stories

We also found this infographic which shows the shapes of stories:

Source for Image

Suggested Reading:

1. 15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else
2. Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Writing Tips
3. Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow

Source for image

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this, you will love:

1. 7 Writing Tips From Roald Dahl
2. The Man With The Golden Pen — 5 Writing Secrets From Ian Fleming
3. 6 Things Alfred Hitchcock Can Teach You About Writing
4. 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
5. 5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction From Edgar Allan Poe
6. 6 Lessons From Jane Austen’s Novels – On Love, Life & Writing
7. 17 Things You Probably Never Knew About Arthur Conan Doyle
8. Writing Advice From The World’s Most Famous Authors

TIP: If you want help writing a book, buy The Novel Writing Exercises Workbook.