I’m sure you learned years ago in grade school about the basics of a story, including things like characters, setting, and plot.
But what does having a great plot do for you and your story?
It sets the foundation for your story, it gives your characters purpose because things keep happening to them, and even better, they make choices, that alter the plot.
Plot, as defined by literarydevices.net, is “a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.”
So, you could say that Plot is really important in a story.
Because it is.
Making sure that your plot is organized and composed of the essential elements to tell the story is critical. There are five main parts to a story that I’m sure you’re familiar with:
Here is the Plot diagram. You can map out the events happenong in your story on your own diagram.
- The Exposition or Introduction
- The Rising Action
- The Climax
- The Falling Action
- The Resolution
Now… does your story have to have all of these elements?
Technically… no, it doesn’t.
Because it’s your story and you can include and not include whatever you want in your story,
However, this structure is extremely successful and is a great way to organize your story so that you and more importantly, your readers can follow along with the story well. There is nothing worse than an unorganized book that just leaves the reader dazed and confused.
If you’d like to learn more about plot books that have used it successfully, click here. This site has a wonderful breakdown of plot, as well as many other literary devices and tools you may want to incorporate into your writing.
I will say, that it is difficult to break apart your book into these five sections, especially if you are in the beginning stages of your story. But taking the time to break the story apart into these sections will help keep your story on track and keep you in check with your characters and what’s really happening in your story.
What do you think? Do you focus heavily on plot in your stories? Do you find it helpful to plan it all out and organize your story this way?
Leave a reply below with how you incorporate plot in your own stories!
As always, Happy Writing!
wake up & write 
I’ve been often told that I need to write a book. I don’t know exactly why; but I do know that people sometimes use me as a sounding board or seek advice. I willingly listen. Some believe me to be clever or so very wise. I quickly correct them. I’ve just lived a bit longer and had many more opportunities to make mistakes; and I’ve made plenty. It’s those “learning opportunities” that would most likely make a good book. Would your formula hold true if I explored that writing venture?
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Absolutely, it definitely would!
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