Linear Narratives
A Linear Narrative would be when a there is a story that includes a plot, characters, a setting, climax and finally a resolution to the story. Linear Narratives are always straight forward because the events that unfold are in the chronological order they are shown in. This means that you will never see things like flashbacks or flash forwards that then would eventually return you back to the present.
Non-Linear Narratives
Non-Linear Narratives are similar to Linear narratives in terms of the fact it includes a plot, characters, setting, climax and resolution. Unlike Linear Narratives however Non-Linear Narratives don’t follow the rule of being in a chronological order this means that the story could be in the present but at times it may flash forward or flash backwards in time. A good example of this is the new “Wonder Woman” movie where at first it shows what is happening in present day but then she has a flashback to the events that took place in WW1.
Branching Narratives
Branching Narratives are completely different from a Linear and Non-Linear Narratives. This is because unlike the first two narratives which always have one specific ending a Branching Narrative can have multiple endings usually caused by the different choices made by the character. When using this type of Narrative in a story the idea it’s supposed to give off is that audience gets to decide what ending they think is the right one meaning there usually is no true ending unless the story tells you what ending is actually the real ending. A very good example of a story that has multiple endings while also having the true official ending is a Sonic game focusing on the character Shadow hence the game being called “Shadow the Hedgehog”.
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