What do plot

Save This Word! Also called storyline. See synonyms for plot on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms. See conspiracy. Plot, conspire, scheme imply secret, cunning, and often unscrupulous planning to gain one's own ends.

To plot is to contrive a secret plan of a selfish and often treasonable kind: to plot against someone's life. To conspire is to unite with others in an illicit or illegal machination: to conspire to seize a government. To scheme is to plan ingeniously, subtly, and often craftily for one's own advantage: to scheme how to gain power.

For more on this, including the six main shapes stories can take, plus the three bestselling story arcs, check out our full story arc guide here. Most great stories, if you dissect them, are made up on not one but two or three plots. You have:. If you want to learn more about how to use subplots, I recommend checking out our full subplot guide here. By the way, K. Weiland has an incredible database of stories in which she breaks down the plots of movies and books alike.

Check it out and enjoy. So how do you achieve this amazing plot structure? There are a few simple questions to ask yourself about every scene that can help you whittle away problems and connect what needs connecting. Need more plot help? After you work on practicing this structure in the exercise section below, check out my new book The Write Structure which helps writers make their plot better and write books readers love. Low price for a limited time!

Do you struggle with any of the elements of plot? Let me know in the comments. For this lesson, you have two options for your practice:. Join over , readers who are saying YES to practice. Building an Author Website. Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest. What Is Plot? Plot Definition Plot is a sequence of events in a story in which the main character is put into a challenging situation that forces a character to make increasingly difficult choices, driving the story toward a climactic event and resolution.

Plot is a series of events in a story in which the main character is put into a challenging situation that forces a character to make increasingly difficult choices, driving the story toward a climactic event and resolution. For this lesson, you have two options for your practice: Create a six sentence plot outline for your story, one for each of the six elements above. Pay special attention to the inciting incident and dilemma.

Tackle your work in progress. Is there a build-up missing here and there? It's easier to tell when you've outlined the main discoveries that the reader and the character will make. If you're interested in learning more about the outlining phase, you can read this post that's all about how to outline a novel. A story needs stakes to get a reader invested.

To ensure that happens, the stakes must be significant. Why should the protagonist care beyond generally being a decent person? Create fascinating characters that your readers will love Get started now. That author probably fell into one of the biggest temptations of plotting: letting the plot drive the characters. In other words, even plot twists need to make sense first and foremost. Forcing the plot along will result in characters who behave falsely in readers' eyes — which will make the whole story seem hollow.

What's your experience with plotting a book? Have any questions about anything related to plot? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below! In this post, we reveal the seven essential story elements and show you how they work together. Whether you're working on a story, an essay, or an article, here's how to write better with these 5 tips. Try them on for size! Finished your first draft and ready for the next step? We've put together nine top tips to help kickstart your self-edit!

Learn how to write a story in six steps! From initial concept to polishing your final draft, here's everything you need to know. Falling Action: Carrie returns home and is attacked by her mother.

She kills her mother and then goes outside again, this time killing Chris and Billy. As Carrie lay dying, Sue comes over to her and Carrie realizes that Sue never intended to hurt her. She dies. Resolution: The survivors in the town must come to terms with the havoc Carrie wrought. Some feel guilty for not having helped Carrie sooner; Sue goes to a psychiatric hospital. Exposition: Bella Swan is a high school junior who moves to live with her father in a remote town in Washington State.

She meets a strange boy named Edward, and after an initially awkward meeting, the two start to become friends. One day, Edward successfully uses his bare hands to stop a car from crushing Bella, making her realize that something is very different about this boy. Rising Action: Bella discovers that Edward is a vampire after doing some research and asking him questions. The two develop strong romantic feelings and quickly fall in love.

When playing baseball together, however, they end up attracting a gang of non-vegetarian vampires. One of these vampires, James, notices that Bella is a human and decides to kill her.

Edward and his family work hard to protect Bella, but James lures her to him by making her believe he has kidnapped her mother. Climax: Tricked by James, Bella is attacked and fed on. At this moment, Edward and his family arrive and kill James.

Bella nearly dies from the vampire venom in her blood, but Edward sucks it out, saving her life. Falling Action: Bella wakes up in the hospital, heavily injured but alive. She still wants to be in a relationship with Edward, despite the risks involved, and the two agree to stay together.

Resolution: Months later, Edward takes Bella to the prom. The two have a good time. Bella tells Edward that she wants him to turn her into a vampire right then and there, but he refuses and pretends to bite her neck instead. Despite what some critics might claim, Twilight does, in fact, have a plot. What is plot? These events must be purposeful and organized in a logical manner that entices the reader, builds tension, and provides a resolution. All plots have a beginning, middle, and end, and usually contain the following five points in this order:.

Sketching out a plot diagram can help you visualize your story and get a clearer sense for where the climax is, what tensions you'll need to have in order to build up to this turning point, and how you can offer a tight conclusion to your story. A key literary element as it turns out. Learn about other important elements of literature in our guide. We've also got a list of top literary devices you should know. Working on a novel? Then you will definitely want to know what kinds of tone words you can use , how imagery works , what the big difference between a simile and a metaphor is , and how to write an epilogue.

Interested in writing poetry? Then check out our picks for the 20 most critical poetic devices. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process.