7.1 What is Plot?

The plot in literature is the series of events that occur in the course of the book.

Old school thinkers (in this case really old school - Aristotle) would say that there has to be causal links between these events in order for them to qualify as a plot.

It is nigh on impossible to write a book-length work of fiction without a plot. Some authors in the last 100 years, like the post-modern bunch, have tried to disprove this, and like everything to do with literature, no one can really tell whether they are right or wrong because there is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity. Their books are pretty heavy going though.

Plot is what actually happens in your fictional world. Narrative is what the reader sees and hears of what happens. So while plot must always be sequential, and all-encompassing, narrative is limited by the point of view that you are telling the story from. In some novels, plot and narrative are almost the same, and often in books with simple plots, very limited settings and characters, or books written in the third person omniscient narrative. The contrast to this, where narrative and plot can be quite different, would be a book written in a first person perspective, which would be accentuated if this character had a very limited understanding of the events.

7.3 Traditional Plot Structure

This outline is the basis for the vast majority of plots due to its proven efficacy.

Keep this structure in mind as you develop your plot ideas, as it will help you create a plot that feels satisfying and logical to the reader.

7.5 How to Structure Your Plan

Once you have a fairly good idea of what is going to happen in your story, you can get on with writing a plan straight away.

If your ideas are lacking a bit of coherence, write a 500 word synopsis that roughly outlines the main plot points before you begin with an actual plan.

At this point, the way you move forward will depend on your personal preferences. Some people will begin to write with a fairly rough idea of what they will include, believing that the story will evolve as you write it and that over-planning will restrict this growth. Others prefer to plan more thoroughly, some even writing a page or two for each chapter, and planning each paragraph. If you have a sense of what will work for you, then go with it. If not, then take the middle path, which consists of a step sheet, or action outline. This divides the book into chapters, and lists the plot points, character developments, the pacing of the particular section, and what major dialogue might take place.

For the plot we saw above, chapter one might look something like this.

The amount of detail you put into your plan will depend on you. Do this for the whole book and then leave it for a while, maybe a few days or a week. Come back to it and read with 'fresh eyes', trying to be very objective about whether it is an effective plot. Put yourself in a child's shoes (in this case a 6 to 9 year old child as it is the plot for a first chapter book); would they find this exciting enough to want to read on? If yes, how could you improve it?

Keep adjusting until you are happy with it, making sure that the sequence of events is logical. Then maybe get some opinions from children, colleagues and trusted friends. If, however, your plot seems to be lacking in some way, try and change some elements to improve it. It should not be too long before you have a plot that excites you and makes you want to start writing.