It is a “plan” that is used to organize the events in a story.

 DEFINITION  The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story.  It is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story.

 This is usually called the introduction  The author introduces:  Setting  Characters  Basic conflict

This is the event that starts the problem in the story. In a ball game, this would happen when the first pitch is thrown out. In the story “Duffy’s Jacket,” the families arrive at the cabin. In the story “Charles,” Laurie comes home from the first day of school and talks about Charles.

 There are more problems and complications in the story.  In the story “Charles,” think about all the problems that Charles causes.  Sometimes, we say, “The plot thickens.”

 This is the point of greatest suspense and highest interest.  Sometimes it is the “turning point” in the story.  In some books or TV shows, this is the “cliffhanger” that ends the story.

This part tells all of the effects of the climax. The author “wraps up” all the pieces of the story.

 This is the final part of the story  How is the conflict resolved?  The conflict ends BUT the problem is NOT always settled.  In “Duffy’s Jacket,” Duffy’s jacket is returned, and he stops forgetting his things. BUT  We still don’t know who returned the jacket.

PLOT STRUCTUREROLLER COASTER