Progress Quote by H. P. Lovecraft
“Plots may be simple or complex, but suspense, and climactic progress from one incident to another, are essential. Every incident in a fictional work should have some bearing on the climax or denouement, and any denouement which is not the inevitable result of the preceding incidents is awkward and unliterary.”
About This Quote
Narrative tension relies on each event contributing to an inevitable climax; unrelated denouements feel contrived.
In simple terms: Every plot point should drive toward the ending.
Key Takeaway
Causality is essential for satisfying stories.
Themes
storytelling
structure
suspense
climax
causality
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
literary
instructional
When to use this quote
- novel drafting
- screenwriting
- game plot design
Key Concepts
dramatic theory
narrative coherence
Practical Applications
- outline cause‑effect chains
- edit out filler scenes
Questions to Reflect On
- When can a non‑inevitable ending be effective?
- How much foreshadowing is too much?
A Different Perspective
Strict causality can limit experimental, non‑linear storytelling.
![“[E]very plot, worth the name, must be elaborated to its dénouement before anything be attempted with the pen. It is only with the dénouement constantly in view that we can plot its indispensable air of consequence, or causation, by making the incidents, and especially the tone at all points tend…” quote by Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7e3/edgar-allan-poe-315_air_e-very-plot-worth-the-name-must-be-elabo_2310099.jpg)
![“A denouement is not a complete or fully resolved ending but a satisfying closure to a story. [in French translates 'an untying, a relaxing of a knot of complexity'] Denouement is the rest that comes when all the disparate plot lines of a story, gnarled and taut, have been untied and an order has…” quote by Dan B. Allender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0ae/dan-b-allender-8754_denouement_a-denouement-is-not-a-complete-or-fully_1280938.jpg)
