Plot “Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice.” -Stephen King

What Plot Is… …the sequence of events which make up a story. Plot is what most people think of as a story. Plot is what most people think of as a story. Plot is a phenomenon of story telling. It just happens; it is not planned. Plot is a phenomenon of story telling. It just happens; it is not planned. Plot Happens!

Plot Stucture Every plotline follows the same pattern and has the same principle parts. 1. Background Information (Exposition) 2. Instigating Event 3. Rising Action 4. Climax 5. Falling Action

Background Information This is where information essential to understanding the story is presented. 1. Introduction to the principle characters. 2. Description of the world in which these characters live. 3. Narrator introduces him/herself (if 1 st person). At this point the author is still the creator of the work.

Instigating Event …is the event after which the story must happen. This is the situation of the novel. This is the situation of the novel. At this point to author ceases to be a creator and becomes merely an observer and reporter.

Rising Actions …sometimes know as the complication, are events which drive the story toward the inevitable end. Authors cannot control their characters. Authors cannot control their characters. They can control rising action through presenting their characters with new challenges. They can control rising action through presenting their characters with new challenges.

Climax As the name suggests, the climax is the high point of the story. The reason the story is told. The reason the story is told. Determined by the characters and situation, not the author’s desires. Determined by the characters and situation, not the author’s desires. Sometimes known as the turning point.

Falling Action …the resolution of the tale. Tells what happens to the characters. Tells what happens to the characters. Generally contains the theme. Generally contains the theme.

To Remember… Plot is “the writer’s jackhammer. You can liberate a fossil from the hard ground with a jackhammer, no argument there, but you know as well as I do that the jackhammer is going to break almost as much stuff as it liberates” (King). Plots happen; they are the natural result of an author presenting a situation to his/her characters then sitting back and watching.