Plot

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Plot
Feature Menu
What Is Plot? Conflict Plot Structure Timing and
Pacing Flashback Flash-Forward Foreshadowing Pract
ice
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What Is Plot?
Plot is the series of related events that make up
a story or drama.

• Like links in a chain, each event hooks our
  curiosity and pulls us forward to the next event.

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Conflict Kind
Conflict is the struggle or clash between
opposing characters or forces. It requires
resolution. Conflicts may be
external firefighter vs. fire
or
internal firefighter vs. his or her fear
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Conflict Type
An external conflict may be a struggle between

• a character and a group person vs society
• two characters person vs person

• a character and something nonhuman person vs.
  fate
• Natural disasters or phenomenon person vs.
  nature

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Conflict
An internal conflict is a struggle that takes
place within a characters mind or heart.

• Characters struggle with themselves to make
  decisions.
• The type of conflict associated with this kind
  is as person vs. self

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Conflict
Quick Check
Is this an external or internal conflict?
Bridget was asked to the North dance by two
ninth graders one was her best friend, Ralph,
and the other was her crush, Sven. Ralph asked
her to the dance first and she agreed to go
with him. But her crush asked her out the next
day. Bridgets English teacher told her to do the
right thing, but would she ever have the
opportunity to go out with Sven again? Would
Ralph understand if she told him shed been
asked by Sven and would rather go with him?
Should she lie? Should she run away and join the
circus? What would she do?
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Conflict
Quick Check
Is this an external or internal conflict?
Bridget was asked to the North dance by two
ninth graders one was her best friend, Ralph,
and the other was her crush, Sven. Ralph asked
her to the dance first and she agreed to go
with him. But her crush asked her out the next
day. Bridgets English teacher told her to do the
right thing, but would she ever have the
opportunity to go out with Sven again? Would
Ralph understand if she told him shed been
asked by Sven and would rather go with him?
Should she lie? Should she run away and join the
circus? What would she do?
Internal conflict
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Plot Structure
Plots are usually built in four major parts.
Climax
Complications driven by conflict
Resolution/Conclu-sion
Basic Situation/Exposition/Intro-duction
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Plot Structure
1 Introduction, or exposition

• opening of the story

• characters and their conflicts are introduced

Paul wants to go to an out-of-state university,
but his family can only afford to pay the tuition
at a local college. Paul has dreams of leaving
the farm.
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Plot Structure
2 Rising Action

• The main character takes action but encounters
  more problems or complications.

Paul goes to work on a nearby farm to earn extra
money. There, he meets the lovely and great-hat-
wearing Miranda, the girl of his dreams, and the
two start dating.
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Plot Structure
3 Climax

• key scene in the storythe most tense,exciting,
  or terrifying moment

• reveals the outcome of the conflict

Paul and Miranda argue about his leaving for
university. Paul must choose to stay and buck
bales with lovely Miranda or pursue his dream to
be a nuclear fission scientist.
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Plot Structure
4 Resolution, or conclusion

• final part of the story

• the conflict is resolved

Paul decides to leave for university, breaks it
off with Miranda and bids his livestock a
tearful farewell. He becomes an international
success, and although Paul never thinks about
Miranda again, he often thinks wistfully about
the cattle he left behind.
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Narrative Timing and Pacing
The plot of a story is framed by a time span that
suits the writers purpose.
days
minutes
years
weeks
hours
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Timing and Pacing
Most stories are told in chronological order, the
order in which events unfold in real time.
First
Second
Third
Last
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Timing and Pacing
Sometimes, writers might manipulate time to
control our emotions. They might

• slow down time to emphasize a moment of danger

• speed up time to skip over events that dont move
  the story along

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Flashback
Flashbacka scene that interrupts the present
action of the plot to flash backward and tell
what happened at an earlier time. Flashbacks can

• provide background information

Present

• strengthen our understanding of a character

Past
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Flash-Forward
Flash-Forwarda scene that interrupts the present
action of the plot to shift into the future.

• Flash-forwards can create dramatic irony. The
  readers know what will happen in the future, but
  the characters dont.

Present
Future
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Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the use of clues to hint at
events that will occur later in the plot.

• Foreshadowing can make a story more exciting by
  increasing suspense.

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The End