Plot & Structure

This page has resources to help you understand and analyze plot and structure in a literary work.

APELC Skill: Explain the function of plot and structure.

1. Identify and describe how plot orders events in a narrative.

2. Explain the function of a particular sequence of events in a plot.

3. Explain the function of structure in a text.

4. Explain the function of contrasts within a text.

5. Explain the function of a significant event or related set of significant events in a plot.

6. Explain the function of conflict in a text.

Plot is the sequence of events in a narrative; events throughout a narrative are connected, with each event building on the others, often (but not always) with a cause-and-effect relationship.

The dramatic situation of a narrative includes the setting and action of the plot and how that narrative develops to place characters in conflict(s), and often involves the rising or falling fortunes of a main character or set of characters.

Plot and the exposition that accompanies it focus readers' attention on the parts of the narrative that matter most to its development, including characters, their relationships, and their roles in the narrative, as well as setting and the relationships between characters and setting.

Plot: the series of events and/or actions that make up the story. Plot is what is happening in the story. Plot events may or may not be told chronologically.

Exposition: details that provide background on the characters, the setting, the situation. Exposition helps us understand the significance of what happens in the story. There is always a specific reason why these details are included.  

What is structure? - brief explanation & resource

• Five Act Structure

• Three Act Structure

• Nonlinear Structures: Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison

chronology

Analyzing Plot & Structure

Significant events: moments in the story in which something happens that adds meaning to the story. It is useful to describe these moments using the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why). It is also helpful to think about the function of a plot event; how does this event change the plot or the way in which we view the characters? What does this event mean for the plot or the characters?

Describing Plot Events: https://www.beemgee.com/blog/plot-events/ 

Circumstances: facts or conditions connected with or relevant to an event or action

Context: the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.

Conflict: a situation that involves opposing forces or interests, especially one that creates tension.

Plotting: Conflict, Complication, Curiosity, and Connection from Andrew Wille Writing Studio

Plot develops from the interaction of multiple aspects of the story:

• Interplay between internal & external conflict

• Interplay between character & plot

Plot-Related Resources for Creative Writing

100 Timeless Plot Archetypes by Nathan Baugh on Medium

How to Keep Readers Glued to Every Page of Your Book with Microplotting - lecture by John Claude Bemis presented by Authors Publish 

• Each scene in a novel should do one of two things: advance the plot or deepen understanding of the characters

• Example & Tips for Advancing the Plot: 08:50 - 20:05

• Identify what emotions the reader may feel

• Example & Tips for Deepening Understanding of the Characters

  • 5 character questions to keep in mind when structuring a scene: 31:08 - 45:52

    • What does my character want?

    • Why can't they get it?

    • What will they do about it?

    • Why doesn't it work out?

    • How will it end?