What Is Plot?

Conflict

Plot Structure

Timing and Pacing

Flashback

Flash-Forward

Foreshadowing

Practice

PlotFeature Menu

Settingthe time, place and period in which the action takes place.

The socio-economic characteristics of the location

The geographical location The time period

The specific location -building, room, etc.

Settingcan help in the portrayal of characters.

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it; the rest of me is on the draining-board."

I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

“Sir Walter Scott the Younger of Buccleugh was in church marrying his aunt the day the English killed his granny."

Dorothy DunnettDisorderly Knights

Settingin some works of fiction action is so closely related to setting that the plot is directed by it.

"Francis St. Croix spotted it first, a black dot floating in an ocean of water and ice. When he and Ernie rowed alongside for a look, they couldn't believe their eyes. There was a baby inside a makeshift cradle on an ice pan, bobbing like an ice cube on the sea. How had a baby come to be in the North Atlantic?"Latitudes of MeltJoan Clark

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

George Orwell, 1984;

Settingcan establish the atmosphere of a work.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

A Tale of Two Cities

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night… Snoopy

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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ConflictConflict is the struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces. There is no plot without conflict. Conflicts may be

external: firefighter vs. fire

internal: firefighter vs. his or her fear

or

Plot StructurePlots are usually built in five major parts.

1. Exposition

3. Climax

5. Resolution

2. Rising Action 4. Falling Action

1. Exposition

This usually occurs at the beginning of a story. Here the characters are introduced. We also learn about the setting. The setting is the time and place of the of the story. Most importantly though, we are introduced to the main conflict (main problem).

Plot Structure1 Basic situation, or exposition

Paul wants to go to an out-of-state university, but his family can only afford to pay the tuition at a local college.

2. Rising Action This part of the story begins to

develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense occurs. All rising action leads to the climax.

Plot Structure2 Complication / Rising Action

Paul goes to work on a nearby farm to earn extra money. There, he meets Miranda, and the two start dating.

3. Climax

This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict. The main character will change in some way. It is also usually the most intense and exciting part of the story.

Plot Structure3 Climax

Paul and Miranda argue about his leaving for university. Paul must choose to stay or go.

4. Falling ActionAll loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.

Plot Structure4 Falling Action

Paul visits his parents to get some advice about what he should do.

5. ResolutionThe story comes to a reasonable ending.

Plot Structure5 Resolution, or denouement

• final part of the story

• the conflict is resolved

Paul decides to leave for university. Miranda makes plans to visit him and wishes him well.

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Timing and PacingThe plot of a story is framed by a time span that suits the writer’s purpose.

minutes

hours

days

weeks

years

Timing and PacingMost stories are told in chronological order, the order in which events unfold in real time.

First Second Third Last

Timing and PacingSometimes, 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 don’t move the story along

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

Past

• provide background information

• strengthen our understanding of a character

Present

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Flash-ForwardFlash-Forward—a scene that interrupts the present action of the plot to shift into the future.

Future

Present

• Flash-forwards can create dramatic irony. The readers know what will happen in the future, but the characters don’t.

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ForeshadowingForeshadowing 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.

Medias Res

In medias res is Latin for "into the middle of things." It usually describes a narrative that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle — usually at some crucial point in the action. The term comes from the ancient Roman poet Horace, who advised the aspiring epic poet to go straight to the heart of the story instead of beginning at the beginning.

Choose a children’s story or fairy tale that is familiar to you.

Practice

• Draw a plot diagram like the one shown here.

• Add labels describing the key parts of the story’s plot.

• Use your imagination to write a flashback that could occur in one part of the story.

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QUICK CONFLICT REVIEWBecause conflict is essential to the plot!

Plot: ConflictConflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Conflict is the most important part of a fictional short story. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Types of conflict

Conflicts can be separated into two main branches.

Internal Conflict

External Conflict

External conflict

In external conflict category, the character will always face an outside force.

For example:

Man vs. Man

Man vs. Nature

Man vs. Society

Man vs. Supernatural

External Conflict Man versus Man Conflict that pits one

person against another.

Man versus Nature A run-in with the forces of

nature. On the one hand, it expresses the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength and will to live.

External Conflict

Man versus Society The values and customs by

which everyone else lives are being challenged. The character may come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring others around to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was right after all.

External Conflict

Man vs. The Supernatural

Not everyone includes this conflict, but anything that does not fit nicely into the other categories can fit here. For example, ghosts, Gods and super heroes.

Internal Conflict

Man versus SelfNot all conflict involves other

people. Sometimes people are their own. worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a character’s values. Does he give in to temptation or rise above it? Does he demand the most from himself or settle for something less?

Internal conflicts can include doubts, fears, indecision, making hard decisions, etc.

Under the internal conflict category, there is only one sub group: man vs. self.

Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a character and creates the suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading.

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