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Writer's pictureEimear Lawlor

What is Plot



How to Write a Story Plot

As a writer, you may have created an intricate world in your mind, populated with vivid characters full of potential. However, even with well-rounded characters and a captivating setting, your story won’t take flight without a plot to guide it. If you're unsure where to begin or find yourself stuck at the starting line, it's likely because your characters don’t yet have a clear direction or purpose. That’s where the story plot comes in.


Discover the Exciting World of Story Plots!

At its most basic level, a plot is the series of events that form the backbone of your narrative. It’s the structure that guides your characters through the conflicts and challenges they’ll face, shaping the action and moving the story forward. Here’s a simple example:

Two sisters play in their garden.The younger sister discovers a toad that speaks, asking for food.Despite her older sister’s scepticism, she brings the toad a snack.The toad declares her the Toad Princess, and from that moment, every toad they meet bows to her.

This example demonstrates the core of a plot: a sequence of events with causality at its heart. Character details, setting, and deeper thematic elements are separate but complementary layers. Plot alone drives the action forward, giving a story its form and momentum.



How to Write a Story Plot: A Guide for Writers

As a writer, you may have created a complex world in your mind, populated with vivid, multi-layered characters. Yet even the most compelling characters need a purpose—something to drive their actions and make their journey meaningful. If you find yourself staring at a blank page, unsure of how to begin, it may be because your characters need a clear direction. This is where the story plot comes in.


What is a Story Plot?

At its essence, a plot is the sequence of events that form the framework of your narrative. It’s the structure that takes your characters through their emotional, psychological, or physical journeys. Consider this brief example:

A widower lives alone, estranged from his adult children.One day, he receives a letter from an old lover, long thought lost, asking him to meet her.Torn between past regrets and his present solitude, he decides to see her.Their meeting forces him to confront long-buried emotions, reshaping his understanding of love and loss.

In this example, the plot centres on the character’s internal conflict and the external events that push him toward transformation. It’s the sequence of these events that gives the story its shape. A plot provides structure, but it also reveals deeper layers of meaning as characters face their challenges and evolve.


Why is Plot Essential?

Without a plot, characters remain static, merely existing in a world without direction or purpose. The plot gives your story momentum, setting challenges, conflicts, or situations that require characters to act, react, and change. Whether you're writing a short story, novel, or screenplay, the plot is the scaffolding that supports the narrative, allowing deeper themes to emerge and engage the reader.



Types of Plots in Fiction

Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots identifies recurring archetypes found in many stories, even in literary fiction. These are:

  1. Overcoming the Monster: A character confronts an overwhelming force, either external or internal.


  2. Rags to Riches: The protagonist experiences a rise, whether materially, emotionally, or spiritually.


  3. The Quest: A journey, physical or metaphorical, in pursuit of a goal or understanding.


  4. Voyage and Return: The character ventures into an unknown world, returning transformed.


  5. Rebirth: A renewal or transformation, often following personal crises or revelations.


  6. Comedy: Not necessarily humorous, but a story where conflicts are resolved, often highlighting human imperfections.


  7. Tragedy: The protagonist’s downfall, often rooted in their flaws or circumstances.

In literary fiction, these archetypes may manifest subtly, focusing more on internal growth or thematic exploration than on overt action. But even in the most character-driven narratives, the plot provides the essential framework for the story’s progression.


Crafting a Compelling Plot

A compelling plot often begins with an understanding of your characters' motivations. What do they want? What are they avoiding? Start by identifying the central conflict—whether it’s an external challenge or an internal struggle—that will drive the narrative forward.

For example, in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, the plot is driven by a retired butler's road trip, but underneath, it’s a reflection on missed opportunities, loyalty, and personal delusion. The external journey is merely the framework for a deeper exploration of the character’s regrets and unfulfilled life.


A useful way to shape your plot is by creating an outline. This doesn’t have to be rigid—think of it as a flexible guide that marks key moments of tension or turning points. In most stories, the plot will follow a cause-and-effect structure, where each event influences the next, allowing your characters to grow and the themes to emerge naturally.


Key Elements of a Plot

To ensure your plot has depth and cohesion, it should contain these essential elements:

  1. Character: The story’s emotional core. It’s the individual or group facing challenges or changes.


  2. Causality: A logical flow between events, where one action leads to another, giving the narrative momentum.


  3. Conflict: The tension or challenge your character must confront. This could be internal (a psychological struggle) or external (an obstacle in the character’s environment).


Structuring Your Plot

While every story has a beginning, middle, and end, the structure can be as fluid as you need it to be. A traditional plot structure might start with an inciting incident, followed by rising action, climax, and resolution. However, in literary fiction, the climax may not be a dramatic event but a subtle shift in perception, a quiet moment of realisation, or a complex emotional reckoning.


For instance, in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, the plot is less about dramatic events and more about the characters’ inner lives, their shifting relationships, and their perceptions of time and loss. The plot structure is fluid, moving between time periods and consciousness, but it still follows a coherent trajectory that leads to resolution.


Plot Examples in Literary Fiction

Here are a few classic examples of plot structures in literary fiction:

  • Voyage and Return: In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the protagonist’s journey into the Congo mirrors his internal descent into the human psyche’s darkness.


  • Rebirth: Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary follows a tragic arc, where Emma’s pursuit of romance and luxury leads to her downfall.


  • The Quest: Toni Morrison’s Beloved weaves a quest for identity and reconciliation with the past, blending history and personal trauma.




Final Thoughts

A well-constructed plot is not merely a series of events; it’s the engine that drives character development and thematic depth. In literary fiction, where stories often delve into the intricacies of human nature, relationships, and existential questions, the plot is a guide that allows the writer to explore these themes with clarity and purpose.


Take time to build a plot that serves your characters’ emotional journeys. Whether your story is quiet and introspective or filled with action, a clear and compelling plot will allow your narrative to resonate with readers long after the final page.

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