What Is Plot?

1
Plot A Chain of Events
Feature Menu
What Is Plot? Conflict Complications Climax
Resolution Subplots Parallel Episodes Practice
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What Is Plot?
A story needs more than interesting characters to
make you want to read it.
Jen athletic, wants to win every time, thinks
Rick is sweet but lazy
Rick just wants people to like himespecially Jen
Something about the story has to make you wonder
what will happen next.
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What Is Plot?
Plot is the chain of related events that drives a
readers interest in a story.
Bet I can ride Diamondback Trail faster than you
can!
EVENT 2
EVENT 1
Bet you cant!
What do you think happens next?
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What Is Plot?
How are the two events linked together?
EVENT 1
EVENT 2
Jen and Rick meet on the trail.
Jen challenges Rick to a bike race.
cause/effect
One of these events causes the other. Jen and
Rick meet on Diamondback Trail because Jen
challenged Rick to a race. The two events form a
chain.
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Conflict
The event that begins the chain introduces a
problem, or conflict.
EVENT 1
Jens challenge presents a problem to Rick
Jen challenges Rick to a bike race.
try to impress Jen by accepting her challenge
avoid defeat by choosing not to race
OR
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Conflict
A storys conflict can be a struggle with another
character,
a force of nature, such as gravity or a strong
headwind,
or a characters own feelings.
End of Section
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Complications
What if we add a third event to the chain?
EVENT 1
EVENT 2
EVENT 3
Jen and Rick meet on the trail.
Jen challenges Rick to a bike race.
Ricks bike chain slips off.
Event 3 has made the plot chain longer, but it
has also made the plot more complicated.
The outcome of the race is no longer a matter of
who can bike fasterJen or Rick.
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Complications
If Rick cant repair his chain quickly, he will
lose the race.
If Jen rides off and leaves Rick stranded, she
may win the race but lose Ricks friendship.
EVENT 3
Ricks chain slips off.
Event 3 is called a complication because it makes
the plots conflict more difficult to resolve.
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Complications
A plot without complications might look like this.
This kind of race happens every day, but it
doesnt necessarily make a good story. Wheres
the suspense?!
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Complications
What other complications might Rick or Jen face?
EVENT 1
EVENT 2
Jen and Rick race.
Jen challenges Rick to a bike race.
What would make the story interesting, exciting
or suspenseful?
End of Section
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Climax
A storys climax is the point at which the
outcome of the conflict is decidedoften in a
surprising way.
Ricks chain is off his bike.
Jen is circling back to check on Rick.
Suddenly, Rick remembers what he learned from his
Uncle Eduardo
1. how to replace a slipped chain
2. how to impress a girl
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Climax
A storys climax is the point at which the
outcome of the conflict is decidedoften in a
surprising way.
Enrique, said Uncle Eduardo, never try to be
the man you are not. Be the man you are.
Rick had rolled his eyes at the time. His uncle
was always saying things like that. But now . . .
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Climax
Where does a storys climax fit into the plot
chain?
It overcomes the obstacles presented by
complications
and makes the ending possible.
End of Section
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Resolution
The resolution is the end of the story. It tells
how the conflict turned out.
How was the conflict in this story resolved?
Neither Jen nor Rick won the race, but . . .
they took many more bike rides together.
End of Section
15
Subplots
In addition to the main plot, some stories have
subplots.
Main plot Rick tries to impress Jen by agreeing
to a bike race.
Sub plot Rick discounts his uncles advicethen
finds that he really can use it.
A subplot is a plot that is part of the larger
story but is not as important.
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Parallel Episodes
Some plots contain parallel episodes repeated
events in a story.
End of Section
17
Practice
Lets say three small pink pigsRupert, Rosemary,
and Desmondare building cottages when a wolf
turns up and watches, his eyes yellow and shifty.
The wolf says that the pigs are trespassing and
should find another site. The pigs protest that
they have a permit to build there. It was given
to them by a rabbit who had come by earlier. The
wolf declares that the permit is no good,
swallows it in one gulp, and says that unless the
swine are gone by evening, he will blow their
cottages off the map. What nerve! says
Rosemary. If we had legal representation, he
wouldnt be so quick to gobble up our permit.
1. What is the conflict in this story?
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Practice
Lets say three small pink pigsRupert, Rosemary,
and Desmondare building cottages when a wolf
turns up and watches, his eyes yellow and shifty.
The wolf says that the pigs are trespassing and
should find another site. The pigs protest that
they have a permit to build there. It was given
to them by a rabbit who had come by earlier. The
wolf declares that the permit is no good,
swallows it in one gulp, and says that unless the
swine are gone by evening, he will blow their
cottages off the map. What nerve! says
Rosemary. If we had legal representation, he
wouldnt be so quick to gobble up our permit.
1. What is the conflict in this story?
The conflict is a struggle between the pigs and
the wolf over the building sites.
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Practice
Thats true, says Rupert, but right now lets
keep our minds on construction. Rupert hurries
to finish his house with straw. Rosemary finishes
hers with wood, and Desmond finishes his with
fiberglass and aluminum siding. Then each pink
pig goes inside to await developments. Just as
he promised, the wolf turns up as the sun goes
down. First he goes to Ruperts straw house. Mr.
Pig, you have five seconds to vacate! Should you
choose to remain, I will not be responsible for
your personal safety. Five, four, three, two,
one. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows Ruperts
straw house to dust. Rupert runs to the hardware
store to buy more building materials.
2. What complications have occurred in the story
so far?
20
Practice
Thats true, says Rupert, but right now lets
keep our minds on construction. Rupert hurries
to finish his house with straw. Rosemary finishes
hers with wood, and Desmond finishes his with
fiberglass and aluminum siding. Then each pink
pig goes inside to await developments. Just as
he promised, the wolf turns up as the sun goes
down. First he goes to Ruperts straw house. Mr.
Pig, you have five seconds to vacate! Should you
choose to remain, I will not be responsible for
your personal safety. Five, four, three, two,
one. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows Ruperts
straw house to dust. Rupert runs to the hardware
store to buy more building materials.
2. What complications have occurred in the story
so far?
The pigs determination to build and the wolfs
threats are complications.
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Practice
Next, the wolf goes to Rosemarys house. Ms.
Pig, you have five seconds to vacate! Should you
choose to remain, I will not be responsible for
your personal safety. Five, four, three, two,
one. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows
Rosemarys house to smithereens. Rosemary runs to
the local university to enroll in law
school. Finally the wolf goes to Desmonds
house. Mr. Pig, you have five seconds to vacate!
Should you choose to remain, I will not be
responsible for your personal safety. Five, four,
three, two, one. The wolf huffs and puffs, but
Desmonds house is unshaken.
3. What subplot is developed on this page?
4. What parallel episodes have appeared in the
story so far?
22
Practice
Next, the wolf goes to Rosemarys house. Ms.
Pig, you have five seconds to vacate! Should you
choose to remain, I will not be responsible for
your personal safety. Five, four, three, two,
one. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows
Rosemarys house to smithereens. Rosemary runs to
the local university to enroll in law
school. Finally the wolf goes to Desmonds
house. Mr. Pig, you have five seconds to vacate!
Should you choose to remain, I will not be
responsible for your personal safety. Five, four,
three, two, one. The wolf huffs and puffs, but
Desmonds house is unshaken.
3. What subplot is developed on this page?
Rosemarys plan to become a lawyer is a subplot.
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Practice
4. What parallel episodes have appeared in the
story so far?
Next, the wolf goes to Rosemarys house. Ms.
Pig, you have five seconds to vacate! Should you
choose to remain, I will not be responsible for
your personal safety. Five, four, three, two,
one. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows
Rosemarys house to smithereens. Rosemary runs to
the local university to enroll in law
school. Finally the wolf goes to Desmonds
house. Mr. Pig, you have five seconds to vacate!
Should you choose to remain, I will not be
responsible for your personal safety. Five, four,
three, two, one. The wolf huffs and puffs, but
Desmonds house is unshaken.
The wolfs repeated warningsfollowed by
attempted destructionare parallel episodes.
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Practice
So, wolf, what will you do now? Desmond called
out the window. Ill . . . Ill sue you for
all youre worth! cries the wolf. Ill see you
in court, Mr. Wolf, Desmond replies happily. He
knows that Rosemary is an uncommonly fast
learner. Rupert, Rosemary, and Desmond live
happily in Desmonds house until the court date
arrives. Rosemary represents Desmond, and a
nervous sheep represents the wolf. The judges
decision comes as a surprise to everyone. The
pigs must move their home five hundred yards
eastonto public landand the wolf must help them.
5. Which paragraph contains the storys climax?
6. The boldface words are the storys ___________.
25
Practice
So, wolf, what will you do now? Desmond called
out the window. Ill . . . Ill sue you for
all youre worth! cries the wolf. Ill see you
in court, Mr. Wolf, Desmond replies happily. He
knows that Rosemary is an uncommonly fast
learner. Rupert, Rosemary, and Desmond live
happily in Desmonds house until the court date
arrives. Rosemary represents Desmond, and a
nervous sheep represents the wolf. The judges
decision comes as a surprise to everyone. The
pigs must move their home five hundred yards
eastonto public park landand the wolf must help.
5. Which paragraph contains the storys climax?
the middle paragraph
26
Practice
6. The boldface words are the storys
___________.
So, wolf, what will you do now? Desmond called
out the window. Ill . . . Ill sue you for
all youre worth! cries the wolf. Ill see you
in court, Mr. Wolf, Desmond replies happily. He
knows that Rosemary is an uncommonly fast
learner. Rupert, Rosemary, and Desmond live
happily in Desmonds house until the court date
arrives. Rosemary represents Desmond, and a
nervous sheep represents the wolf. The judges
decision comes as a surprise to everyone. The
pigs must move their home five hundred yards
eastonto public landand the wolf must help them.
resolution
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Practice
On Your Own
Map out the plot structure of a story you are
familiar with. Use a graphic like the one on the
right. If you can find subplots in your story,
fill out another chart just like this one.
End of Section
28
Plot A Chain of Events
The End