What should my plot be

Plot Rule 1: Create a plot skeleton A plot outline will help you choose a complication and the steps to resolve it. Plot Rule 2: Flesh out your plot Fleshing out your plot with colorful characters and a vivid setting will enhance your novel and grab your readers' attention.

Plot Rule 3: Bring your plot to a powerful resolution Have you used each scene and story event to guide readers to a plot resolution? Plot Rule 4: End your story at a natural stopping place After the climax, wrap up the story as quickly as possible. Plot Rule 5: Make sure your characters resolve conflicts on their own Don't rely on an act of nature or an unknown hero to clean things up at the last minute.

A final note on creating a good plot… Creating a good plot isn't as easy as it sounds. Have you Read? Related Posts. Creating Believable Characters Any seasoned writer will tell you that creating characters that are believable takes some work. It's a little like painting a picture, stroke by stroke.

Characters have to be constructed, bit by bit, until the whole, complex individual finally comes into view. How to Write a Plot Outline There are many names for a plot outline; one of our favorites is the plot skeleton. Whatever you refer to it as, the plot outline is what will hold up your story if you know how to use it—or cause it to collapse if you don't. Plot Resolution: Bringing Your Plot to a Good Resolution If you already have a plot outline and are in the process of writing your story, you need to consider how you are planning on ending your novel.

Remember our mantra: a plot is a complication followed by a plot resolution. Start by telling us who you are. English as a Second Language English is not my first language. Academic I need to have my journal article, dissertation, or term paper edited and proofread, or I need help with an admissions essay or proposal.

Author I have a novel, manuscript, play, or ebook. At the beginning of the story, the exposition establishes characters and setting. Learn more in our full exposition guide here. Inciting Incident. This movement culminates in the climax and denouement. Learn more in our full inciting incident guide here. Rising action, or Progressive Complications.

This is the largest part of the story, and where most of the conflict takes place. You know that quote about getting your characters up a tree, then throwing rocks at them? This is rock-throwing time. Learn more our full rising action guide here. Dilemma or crisis, according to Story Grid. Learn more in our full dilemma guide here. This is the big moment! If you did it right, this is the worst i.

Learn more in our full climax guide here. Denouement or Resolution. Your readers can sit with your characters a little in their new normal, emotionally wrapping everything up so your reader can put the book away without flipping back through the pages to see what they missed.

Learn more in our full denouement guide here. Historical Note : One of the earliest writers to talk about this structure was Gustav Freytag, the German author who wrote in the middle of the 19th century.

Falling action is usually described as the events to wind down the plot after the climax, but in most stories, the climax happens near the end of a story, usually in the third to last scene. Thus, the falling action and denouement are virtually indistinguishable. To avoid confusion, we believe the falling action should be phased out from use as an element of plot.

In a short story, however, these elements will be necessarily abbreviated. For example, where rising action might have many complications in a novel, it might only have one complication in a short story. Narrative arc - The order of plot points in your story. The 5 Elements of Plot 1. Rising Action The rising action normally begins with an inciting incident, or a moment that sets your story into action. Climax The climax is the peak of tension, plot, and character in your story.

Rising Action : Harry finally finds out about his past and magical abilities, then goes to school at Hogwarts. He fights a troll with Ron to save Hermione, which turns out to be a distraction set up by Professor Quirrell. Harry is recruited to the Quidditch team, where during a match he is jinxed to fall off his broomstick. While serving detention, Harry finds out about Voldemort after Harry is nearly killed. Resolution : Harry and his friends win House points for saving the school, causing Gryffindor to win the House Cup.

Share More Cancel. Share this story. Is there any point in the story where a small tweak could make these elements more apparent? Keeping track of your plot — not just what happens but the reasons for plot events as well as their consequences — will help you create a more satisfying story. Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer.

This was so helpful! Your site is really well made and I will be using it again! Thank you for sharing this feedback, Shannon. Studying how works of art are put together in any artistic medium is helpful indeed, I would say. Understanding the techniques of others empowers one. Your email address will not be published.

Close Menu Start Login. Start your Novel. When you read your next novel, ask: How do the characters in the novel change over time? What is the main sequence of events what happens in the novel and when? Where does the story take place?

What benefit does each setting offer to the overall story structure and development?