Plot and its Elements:  

The PLOT: 

 A plot is basically the main story or the pattern of events in a story (typically a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem) . Its elements not only reveal what happens, but how it happens. Plots may be simple or complex, but every plot is made up of a series of incidences that are related to each other (yet do not always happen in chronological order). 

Some terms to keep in mind:

Protagonist: the main character (human or non-human – could be a country or a house or an alien); though typically, if the main character is a non-human, it often symbolizes or represents the human condition, humanity, or a large group of humans (but we'll discuss symbolism, allegories, and metaphors later on in the semester). 

Antagonist or Antagonistic force: the character or thing most in conflict with the protagonist (could even be an emotion or some inner or outer force – like a tornado, an alien invasion, loneliness, etc.). 

Theme: the main idea expressed about human experience through the story, either implicitly (implied, but not directly or clearly expressed) or explicitly (directly and clearly expressed).  

Elements of Plot: 

EXPOSITION: Everything that a reader needs to know to understand the story: the setting/scene, the characters, and any background information that will be essential to knowing what is going on in the story and/or the main situation that leads to the conflict. 

CONFLICT: The conflict (or main problem) of a story exists when a struggle occurs between two opposing forces or characters (for example: a huge clash between an alien and a robot; the main character and another person; or the main character struggles with an oncoming hurricane that is threatening to destroy his/her entire town, or a main character's struggle with his/her loss of identity, etc.). This conflict can be either external (some force outside of the protagonist or main character) or internal (some force that creates a problem from “within,” typically of a psychological, spiritual, or physical nature). In a story, there may be many conflicts, but there is typically one major or main conflict that drives the story. 

CRISIS: The crisis is the turning point in the story, the point at which a huge decision must be made, an action must be taken, or something must be understood or realized . . . or else! (But not always by the protagonist). This is typically the moment in which the suspense is heightened and the reader is lead into the climax. 

CLIMAX: This is the point of highest interest and/or suspense in a story, where the reader feels that whatever happens next is going to lead to the conclusion of the story. If it's a well-written story, and you were to stop reading right at the height of the climax, it would probably feel like someone's just pushed the pause button on the DVD – just as five cars and a tractor-trailer have all started skidding and spinning on a very busy, but icy, highway. You can see the possibility for complete and total disaster: everyone snakes and coils around one other for a terrifying, on-the-edge-of-your-couch-with-your-mouth-hanging-open, five seconds . . . AND THEN . . . 

Or, it can be as quiet and as subtle as someone who slowly and softly sits down on a staircase and puts her head in her hands. She doesn't say a word, she doesn't drop a tear, nor does she breathe a sigh, but you feel the grinding, spinning, twisting, and grating going on in your stomach – if it's a really good story. Because you know , from the way the story has been delivered up to this point, that THIS is the crucial, climactic moment . . . the moment at which this seemingly calm, subdued person with her head in her hands is struggling with an inner turmoil, pain, sadness, and/or rage that is about to burst if not resolved, and she's either about to make some very big decision, achieve an incredible insight, take some final action, or be the recipient of any of the above that will, for once and for all, determine the way the story ends. 

RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT - French for the untangling of a knot : This is the point at which the story has finally reached some conclusion . The conclusion isn't always a satisfactory one, but whatever it is, it resolves the original conflict; for better or for worse, the “problem” has come to its conclusion, even if that means that a new one has begun. In many cases, the original problem is resolved, answered, fixed or the struggle has ended, but not always. Sometimes, the problem that the major character has been struggling against concludes, but leads to yet another whole issue or problem (which is either then left up to the reader's imagination or dealt with in a “sequel” story). 

Plot Techniques: 

Foreshadowing: clues within the story that hint to later events. 

Flashbacks: interrupting a chronological sequence within a narrative to present a moment or a scene from a past. This can happen in a number of ways: as a dream the character is having, a scene that is played while the character or narrator talks over it, a sudden/quick “flash” of moments, as if the character is having light bulb flash-like visions of memories (or perceived memories). 

Flashforwards: a combination of foreshadowing and flashbacks, except these present “potential” moments or scenes from the future that the character/s can then potentially avoid or use to their advantage to navigate their way through their conflict. Similarly, these also often happen as dreams or “flashes” of visual moments, etc, but represent the future, not the past. They can, however, sometimes confuse whoever visualizes these flashforwards into thinking they are seeing the past, rather than the future. 

Situational Irony: letting readers think that a situation is heading in one direction when it's not (a surprising and often strange twist typically occurs just when the reader believes they feel they know what's going to happen next or “who did it” or how the story is going to end). 

Structuring Devices: significant images, words, or events that are woven throughout a story and thus become a huge part of the story's structure. For example, the color red, or the repeated use of an open door, or a repeated word, phrase, or song (like the song in Halloween , 1978, with Jamie Lee Curtis).