My new word of the day.
This is a story structure used commonly in the East and rarely in the West.
I find that very interesting and very telling.
Here is the description of the structure
Ki: Introduction: sets the stage, introduce the main characters
Shō: Development: The story develops naturally, situations unfold
Ten: Twist: a pivotal moment—unexpected turn of events
Ketsu: Reflection on the twist, how characters respond, closure
Notice nowhere does it say conflict or even inciting incident.
In fact, the Ten can be something as mild as the introduction
of a new character or as wild as a dragon flying by.
People notice, and move on.
I love this structure.
It makes my heart both calm down in a safe feeling,
and yet feel excited with the concept, the possibilities.
Doesn’t this sound like the perfect story structure for what we call “cozies” —
romance, fantasy, mystery or horror.
Okay, maybe not horror.
Cozy in my mind, means calm, and loving,
and peaceful, and joy and love, and kittens and okay tea and a quilt.
There may be a murder in a mystery,
but even then the body or at least the murder is off the page.
And usually little to no sex or violence.
Yet the inherent structure of Western literature is centred around conflict.
We have to fight or there is no purpose, no story.
We need stakes, save the world, save the girl.
Admittedly I may be sliding more into “slice-of-life” than cozy,
but my thought remains. Can we tell stories without fear, and conflict
and violence, even hidden under the surface?
Heaven forbid tell a story with a feel good arc and a happy ending,
unless the character went through hell first.
There are very few books in the West that use the
Kishōtenketsu story structure, certainly not enough to study.
That alone might be my answer. Few read it or write it.
Maybe it has yet to reach its audience.
Maybe our world is so scary we don’t read books for escape,
but rather to learn how to handle conflict in real life.
I’m not sure, but for now, I will be over in my cozy corner,
with my quilt and kitty purring on my lap,
sipping tea while I continue to study and practice with
this new story structure.
I would love to have you join me.