ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Story arc

A story arc is the path that the characters in a story follow as the story progresses. It’s like a journey! Each story has its own arc and characters will go through different events as the journey unfolds. At the beginning of the story, events start to happen that help set up the story and introduce the characters. The middle of the story usually has the biggest events and lots of action. Lastly, the end of the story wraps things up and often finishes with a lesson or message that the author wanted to share.