Plot

Meaning

Plot is events arranged so that each causes the next. "The king died, and then the queen died" is a sequence. "The king died, and the queen died of grief" is a plot. The moment "therefore" and "but" appear between events, a story has a skeleton. If story is everything that happened in chronological order, plot is the writer's selection of what to show and in what order. The same story becomes a mystery or a tragedy depending on its plot.

Why it matters

A manuscript without plot leaves readers asking "so what?", however many events it contains. In long-form work plot is the writer's compass. When you do not know what to write next, plot tells you what must happen as a consequence of the previous scene. In serialized fiction plot exists on two levels: the small plot inside an episode (this installment's event and its result) and the large plot running across dozens of episodes (the protagonist's goal and its resolution). When the two levels interlock, readers are satisfied by each episode and still keep reading.

Example

The same material written as a sequence and as a plot.

Sequence: Sujin was fired. Sujin opened a cafe. Her old boss came in as a customer.

Plot: Sujin took the blame for her boss's mistake and was fired. So she opened a cafe with her severance pay, but the first customer was that boss. He did not recognize her. So Sujin started memorizing his regular order.

In the second version each event is the consequence of the one before, and the final sentence sets up the next (what will Sujin do with that knowledge).

Common mistakes

• Events joined by coincidence. More than one "just then" or "by chance" means luck, not plot. Use coincidence only to create problems; solve them with a character's choice.
• Confusing plot with summary. Listing what happens without why it happens is a synopsis, not a plot.
• A large plot with no episode plot. While heading toward the serial's ending, each installment still needs its own small cause and effect, or the middle sags.