5 Steps to Better Writing

What is Plot?

Part II - What is Plot?

Plot 1) The pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama.2) To conceive and arrange the action and incidents.

For me plot is the actions/events in your story and how they are arranged and presented to the reader. Coming up with the plot is like drawing up the blue prints before going out to buy wood to build a new house.

So before we start a story – we plot it out. This might sound boring to you. Write the story before actually writing it? Why the hell? I know what’s going to happen I don’t need all this planning.

Yes you do!

Really. Writing willy-nilly is really like deciding to build a house and starting by buying boards. No measurements or anything. Just go out and by some planks and nails and start going at it. That will make sure you end up with a nice new house. Not.

Most common is the three act structured. Let’s say to keep things simple our story will have 30 chapters. The first 5 chapters will be Act I. The last 5 will be Act III. The 20 ones in between will be Act II. Simple enough.

There are some things every story need be it a romantic comedy, a fantasy adventure or a horror mystery. They all need an inciting event, a goal, an antagonist (does not need to be a person), some obstacles, a darkest moment and climax/resolution.

Plot is the thing we don’t have in real life – the thing that makes everything make sense, makes everything seem like it happened for a reason.

Harry Potter – a story about a boy finding out he’s a wizard, going to a magic school, learning to fit in, making friends and in the end fighting the evil wizard.

Theme

Theme 1) A topic of discourse or discussion. 2) An implicit or recurrent idea; a motif.

(Motif; recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.)

(We will talk more about stating the theme later in this chapter.)

Themes are basically what your story is about underneath it all. This is the message you want to send. The question you want to pose to the audience. This is sometimes stated or asked as an actual question in the beginning of the book/movie. The rest of the book/movie is spent proving/disproving the statement or question.

Theme might also be something repeated several times. Like “You can’t climb Mount Everest with only one foot.” Or “Falling in love is stupid.” Or “You can’t tame a wild cat.” But it will always be something strongly suggested by character action.

Themes are easy to spot in fairy tales because their whole purpose is to teach us something, just like the themes are. Like Beauty and Beast – don’t love someone for the wrong reasons. Or Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood; be wary of strangers and listen to what wiser people tell you.

In simple terms; theme is the lesson learned at the end of the story. The truth the story have shown us.

Harry Potter – Love is the most powerful magic there is. Don’t judge each other. Death isn’t so bad when it’s time to die. Friendship is everything. Accept who you are.

Alice in Wonderland – you may not want to grow up but it’s better to grow up than to stay small.

Moby-Dick - vengeance won’t make you happy.

Great Gatsby – having money won’t make you happy or loved. (There is also something about the American Dream being a lot less fun than it’s supposed to be.)