Plot › Sequence of related events that make a

story hang together. Includes characters who experience some

conflict or problem. Details are filled in before, during and after

the problem takes place. The story takes place within a specific span

of time.

A plot has five basic parts: › Exposition› Rising Action› Climax› Falling Action › Resolution

Exposition› Also called the Basic Situation› Opening / Introduction › Introduces a main character who wants

something very much and who encounters a problem or conflict while trying to get it.

Rising Action › The writer develops the elements of conflict

further, and new complications or problems arise. Conflict – struggle, clash, or problem between

opposing forces, characters, or emotions. Internal – a struggle between opposing needs, desires

or emotions within a single character. *A struggle inside their own mind or heart. Man vs. Self

External – A character struggles against an outside force – another character, society, something in nature, etc. Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society

Climax › High point of the plot› The most exciting or suspenseful moment

in the story› The climax is when something happens

that decides the outcome of the conflict.

Falling Action › The after-effect of the climax› The story just begins to wind down;

however, the problems are not necessarily solved yet.

Resolution › Sometimes called the denouement › The problems are resolved and the story

ends.

Sequence of events in a plot› Most common

Chronological Order – start at the beginning and tell the story in the order that it happened

› However… Other techniques can be used to manipulate

time and control the reader’s feelings. These other techniques may help create

suspense or dramatize a moment as well. Slowing time down can help accomplish this.

Other techniques used to manipulate time› Flashback – the present action is interrupted

with a scene or scenes from the past Can reveal the past life of a character or explain

why someone is in a current situation

› Flash-forward – visiting a character’s future › Foreshadowing – a writer plants clues that hint

at something that will happen later in the plot

Setting › Where and when a story takes place

› Is it possible for an interesting story to have no setting … no indication of where or when the action takes place? Yes! If the characters and situations are strong

enough, they will hold our attention in empty space, just as a play presented on a bare stage could hold our interest.

In real life, events occur somewhere… so, fiction specifies a setting most of the time.

Think of how crucial setting would be in: › a story about a prisoner› a story about a castaway on the Pacific› a story about a colony on Mars

What details would you need in the setting to make each of the above stories a success?

Setting can contribute to a story’s emotional effect. › Mood – the story’s atmosphere

gloomy, cheerful, etc. A setting in the spring can give a sense of

hope or rebirth. / A setting in the winter can give a sense of death.

› Tone – the writer’s attitude toward a subject or character (like a tone of voice) mocking, tender, joyful, vindictive, etc. Setting details can help to reveal the tone.

Setting can help reveal character. › Characters affect environment

If the author wishes to portray an “untidy” character, he/she may show us a setting from the mess in their room.

Sometimes, the setting can provide the main conflict. › A group of tourists get lost in the Arctic or

in the jungle = a fight for survival.