  Plot is a sequence of incidents or events through which an author constructs a story.  Plot is not the action itself, but the way the author arranges the action towards a specific end.  A predictable structure in plot- Chronological and three-part sequence. Plot

  The clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills  Conflicts- when person is pitted against a group of people, external forces, or his/her own nature  PROTAGONIST- Central character in conflict, whether sympathetic or unsympathetic  ANTAGONIST- Any force arranged against the protagonist Conflict

  Commercial fiction emphasizes only the confrontation between human and human. Good people are pitted against bad people. Conflict is one of moral values.  Literary fiction presents the complexity and more concerned with displaying various shadings of moral values. Conflict in Literary Fiction and Commercial Fiction

  Suspense creates the question, “What’s going to happen next?”  Suspense increases when the reader’s curiosity is combined with anxiety about the fate of a likable, sympathetic character.  Suspense creates the question “Why is the protagonist behaving this way?” Suspense

  Introduce the element of mystery (an usual set of circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation.  They place the protagonist in a dilemma (a position in which he or she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable). Common Devices

  Commercial story keeps the reader asking, “What happens next?”  Literary story makes the reader wonder, “Why do things happen as they do?” or “What is the significance of the event?”  Commercial literature tends to feature surprise endings more frequently than literary fiction.  Surprise endings can be justified if they serve to broaden and reinforce the meaning of the story.  Commercial stories almost always has a happy ending.  Literary fiction may end unhappily (like real life). Commercial Fiction vs. Literary Fiction

  Many situations in real life have unpleasant outcomes; therefore, it must acknowledge human defeats as well as triumphs.  Defeat, in fact, may embitter people and make them less able to cope with life.  SECOND JUSTIFICATION for unhappy endings is its value in forcing us to ponder the complexities of life. It may cause the reader to brood over the outcome, to relive the story in their minds. Justification for Unhappy Endings

  This happens when the story ends and there is no definitive conclusion.  There must be some type of conclusion…it does not need to be a resolved conflict. Indeterminate Endings

  There must be nothing in the plot that is irrelevant.  The authors place the story’s incidents and scenes in the most effective order.  In a carefully written story, each event grows out of the preceding one and leads logically to the next.  The author’s handling of the plot should have a natural quality. ArArtistic Unity

  Chance and/or coincidence should not provide the resolution to the story.  Deus ex machina (Latin for “god from a machine”)- Greek dramatist device for when the gods rescue the protagonist last minute from an impossible situation.  Chance is the occurrence of an event that has no apparent cause in previous events or in the predisposition of character.  Coincidence is chance compounded. Coincidence can be used to initiate a story, but it may be used to resolve a story. Plot Manipulation