The Basics of Story Plot | What Is Plot and Why Do You Need It?

We've all heard the term before. But what is plot?

Isn't plot just whatever happens in a story?

Actually, no. It's more specific than that.

The plot serves as the backbone of a story's narrative. It weaves together elements of conflict, suspense, and resolution through a sequence of cause-and-effect events that shape the narrative of the story.

Plot is a sequence of cause-and-effect events which shape the narrative of the story.

The key factor being that each plot point must have consequence to the rest of the story.

If your story's plot points do not alter the overall story arc, then they are not plot points.

Plot shapes the story and moves the story forward; it creates tension and has the reader eagerly anticipating what comes next.

Plot Points vs Story Events

So what if your story includes scenes that do not alter the story arc. Should you scrap them? Are they useless to the story?

Writing fiction involves a balance of vertical depth and horizontal movement.

When we add in a scene that reveals more about the character's personality or their relationship with another character, we are adding vertical depth. These are the scenes that, while not shaping the plot, serve to make us empathize with the characters and feel bonded to them.

When we add in a scene that changes or impacts the direction or momentum of the story through plot points, we are adding horizontal movement. These are the scenes we've mentioned that directly impact the narrative of the story and the direction of the plot.

To figure out if a story scene is a plot point, consider whether or not this moment changes the rest of the story.

Does this moment affect the rest of the story?

Let's look at an example. We have a scene where a character is joking around with a friend on a Friday evening where nothing happens other than the characters having a good time and chatting. This scene is adding character depth and dimension, showing us more of who this person is and how they spend their time. However, this scene isn't changing the direction of the story, so this wouldn't be considered a plot point.

However, if we have a scene where the character is interacting with a friend and ends up breaking up the friendship, which then leads the character to go to a karaoke bar alone and meet the love interest of the story, we might consider that friendship breakup to be a plot event. Without the friendship breakup, the character would not have gone to the bar alone and met the love interest, which then shaped the rest of the story.

The difference between a story event and a plot event, is that a story event does not have to have consequence, whereas a plot event will alter the rest of the story.

Plot Structure

So how do we structure our plot to ensure that these events are impacting the rest of the story?

There are many plot structures that can be followed to help shape our story. Here are just a few:

• Freytag's Pyramid

• Three-Act Structure

• 7-Point Plot Structure

• Save the Cat Beat Sheet

• The Hero's Journey

By pairing our story's events up with these plot structures, we can ensure that our plot points have consequence to the rest of the story, and we can also improve the pace of our story as the plot points are strategically placed to keep a reader intrigued.

Keep in mind, these are guides to help ensure a story's tension builds, that the plot points are affecting later events, and that the story is interesting and properly paced. They are not "rules" for how you must structure your story. Many stories will vary from these structures, and still manage to be interesting and engaging.

How to Tell If Your Story Has a Plot

Conflict

• Does your story involve a central conflict or problem that drives the narrative forward? This conflict can be internal or external.

Cause-and-Effect

• Do the events in your story have consequences or impact subsequent events? Not every scene needs to have major consequences, but for scenes that don't affect anything coming afterwards, ask yourself what purpose this scene is serving.

Forward Momentum

• Does your story have a sense of progression or forward movement?

• Does the story feel as though its unfolding naturally on the page?

Further Reading

Here are some more great articles on the basics of plot:

MasterClass - 10 Tips for Plotting a Novel: How to Plot Your Novel

The Write Practice - Plot and Structure: How to Use Structure and Subplot to Add Suspense

Jerry Jenkins - The Writer’s Guide to Creating the Plot of a Story