My only writing this week was to rewrite the ending to a short story that I’ve been working on for… I don’t know how long. It’s been kicking around for at least ten years. I keep coming back to it while taking various classes, in the hope that I can figure out why it’s not working.

In my current writing class, we’ve been diving into the elements of structure in story, what the instructor calls Verge, Threshold, and Aftermath.

The Verge is a state of suspended transformation where narrative time thickens. Something must change, but there is resistance to change. The Verge ends just before something happens that will change the character’s life. This can be shown internally or externally (a gesture or a movement, for example).

The Threshold can be considered as a climax in the story. This doesn’t mean a high-stakes confrontation or battle royale, but a significant decision, crossing a threshold after which there is no going back. This decision is something that cannot be undone. The “something” could be an action, words spoken (by the protagonist or to the protagonist), a shift in the protagonist’s perception, or a change in identity/sense of self.

The Aftermath is where the meaning of the irreversible action (climax) becomes visible. Now that the Threshold has been crossed, what has changed in the world? This might also be called the dénouement, where loose ends are wrapped up and the reader gains a sense of how the world will change after the climax. Often the protagonist tries to understand what happened. In some cases, the protagonist might refuse to accept what happened or the realization might be delayed. There might be emotional or physical impact as a result of the climax, but this isn’t always the case. Or there might be no fallout or processing by the character, as in some of Hemingway’s stories in which the reader is left to infer the meaning.

This is a useful way to think about good ol’ Freitag’s Pyramid. In my homework assignments for the class over the last few weeks, I rewrote the threshold and aftermath parts of the short story. I think it’s better. Now, I have to go back and work on the build-up/verge. Progress?