The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut

In order to understand a story, a plot diagram or visual storytelling can illustrate the exposition, rising action, plot points, reversals of fortune, climax, falling action, denouement, and resolution.

While dramatic structure has been analyzed by Aristotle to Gustav Freytag and his pyramid to Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey."

Freytag's Pyramid from mrmadden

Kurt Vonnegut, however, may be the master of graphing the shapes of stories.

by mayaeilam.

From Visually.

How to Write a Short Story according to Kurt Vonnegut

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.