Established in 2004,
Writing About Plot - Paying Attention to Plot
A day without conflict is pleasant, but a story without conflict is boring. The
plot of every short story, novel, or movie gets its energy from conflict. A
character desperately wants something he or she can't have, or is frantic to
avoid an unpleasant (or deadly) rent. In most stories, conflict is established
and tension builds, leading to a crisis and, finally, a resolution of some sort.
The things that happen within a story - the story's plot - all relate somehow to
the central conflict. How they relate is a key question we ponder when we write
about plot.
When analyzing a story, be sure to remember:
In most short stories, plot depends less on large external events than on small
occurrences that set off large internal changes in the main character.
Stories often show how the main character comes to a personal turning point, I
or how his or her character is tested or revealed by events.