Tristan Vick
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Writerly Things

The Official Blog of Author Tristan Vick

Some Narrative Devices Outlined

12/6/2016

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Narrative device terms I've coined that explain things which are used more recently that haven't been used all that much previously.

These mainly apply to the storytelling styles of television, but can be extended to certain types of prose work as well.

Sliding hook -- A cliffhanger which extends into the next episode as the hook wherein the cliffhanger is prematurely cut short thus leaving you hanging. The next episode picks up where it left off to conclude it, thus sliding it into the hook position.


The Walking Dead does this (the Negan cliffhanger during the season 6 finale is a prime example). True Blood utilized it a lot.

Rolling reversal / Rolling twist -- A twist at the end of a chapter or episode which acts as both the cliffhanger and hook for next episode.

True Detective makes good use of these.

Spiralling down -- an instance where a hero character goes against type, then spirals out of control becoming a villain character, swapping the previous role of hero archetype.

The television series The 100 does this quite frequently with its main characters.

Spiralling up -- an instance where a hero character goes against type, first spirals down, becomes the villain, then spirals back up to hero depending on the needs on the story.

Gish Gallop intros -- A torrent of interlocking scenes which show brief clips from the episodes of a show which is about to air, slipping in clues as to what will happen but without giving away any major spoilers.

Battlestar Galactica used this to great effect with the taiko drum openings.
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    Tristan Vick

    By day I am an educator and a cultural ambassador. By night I entertain notions of being a literary master. In reality I am just a family man and ordinary guy who works hard and loves writing just about as much as I love my family. Just about.


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