A story is a sequence of events. However, a plot is a sequence of events coupled with a character’s motivation. Therefore, a man dies then his wife dies is a story, while a man dies then his wife dies of grief is a plot.
A plot develops out of conflict, whether it is an event or a person. It encourages the protagonist to act based on a want or a need. How the protagonist responds to this conflict determines the course of events in the story.
A plot adds character and motivation to a story. Your character must have a clear consistent motivation. Their goal should be clear early on in your story; however, the way the goal looks can change as the story progresses.
How Plot Progresses
Throughout the story, the stakes must increase for your character. At the start of the story, the goal should be important, but at the end, the goal should be the most important thing in the world. You should ask: What does your character want? Who or what is stopping them from getting it? Why do they want it?
Every scene and chapter must keep things changing for your character. Things should get better or worse for the protagonist, but they need to be constantly changing. The main character should not be in the same position at the end of a chapter as they were at the start. A good plot always has clear character motivation, conflict, a firm structure, background, an outcome, and (in some instances) subplots.
The following are five essential elements of a good plot:
1. Character Development
This element represents the bulk of the plot. It is the protagonist’s journey, internal and external, and all the events that happen along the way. These events should bring the characters closer to resolving their conflict, but things should get worse before they get better. It is crucial to remember that every event that happens in your plot needs to happen for a reason.
A character’s backstory is also a crucial aspect of a character’s development. A backstory helps a reader to understand where a character is coming from and why they might behave a certain way.
2. Background
The background is the stage of the story. Background information is essential because it gives readers knowledge of the story’s world, the protagonist’s history, and the protagonist’s core beliefs and motivations.
3. Conflict
The conflict in your story should be a result of your main character’s need to achieve a goal. For the story to be compelling it should be something the protagonist can hardly live without. There should also be obstacles and difficulties with the character achieving this goal.
4. Structure
The three-act plot structure is popular because it works. Dividing your plot into three acts with three distinctive goals, allows you to refine your story and keeps you on track. It also allows you to focus on specific sections at a time, as opposed to being overwhelmed by the story in its entirety.
5. Resolutions
Endings should resolve the main conflict in your plot and come about because of your main characters’ actions. You can divide the ending into three Cs.
- Crisis
The crisis is the stage in the plot where the protagonist finally figures out how to solve the main conflict.
- Climax
This is the conflict resolution point.
- Consequences
These are the things that happen after the climax, which results from the resolution of the conflict. At this stage, the main character should have changed in some way, or the background could have changed. You also tie up loose ends, such as subplots.
Final Thoughts
A story is incomplete without a plot. A plot imbues the events in a story with meaning by intertwining them with character motivations. Though character development is the most important aspect of a plot, background (in terms of the story world), conflict, structure, and conflict resolution also play important roles in the development of a solid plot.
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