ADVANCING CHALLENGING

PLOTS IN FICTION
Developing an Effective Plot
 The plot is your foundation of your
story. It is where the characters move
and where the story is developed. How
the plot is established and arranged will
greatly affect the overall impact of the
story. It should keep the reader’s
attention, heighten emotions and
provide a lasting impression.
 The plot, just like a story, is a series
of events arranged in a certain
sequence to achieve a meaningful and
organized frame of thought. The
difference is that plot also focuses on
causality this means that plot also
dwells on cause and effects of the
series of events happening inside a
story.
According to the English novelist, Edward Morgan Foster:
“A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis
falling on causality. ‘The King died, and the Queen died’
is a story. ‘The king died, and then the queen died of
grief,’ is a plot. The time- sequence is preserved, but the
sense of causality overshadows it. Or again: “The queen
died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it
was through grief at the death of the king.’ This is a plot
with a mystery in it…”
 One of the elements that make a story
interesting is how the author link these
events together to hold the attention of the
audience and engage them in the story. The
absence or weakness of this link can cause
the story to be episodic. In strengthening
the links between events, the sequence
should be progressive and not of the same
levels.
 If the first scene depicts the prince
slaying a dragon in the enemy’s gate, the
scene following that should take up a
notch higher, like finally vanquishing the
ultimate villain in the story. This
heightens up your readers’ interest and
keep their attention until the very end.
 Before structuring the plot, the writer must decide
whether the story is character-driven or plot-driven.
If it is a plot-driven story, the emphasis is on the
events and not on the characters. The characters is often
“flat” or one that does not develop, because the ideal kind of
character is the kind who would not need significant
changes. He or she is not given as much importance,
compared to what happens in the story. Plot-driven stories
are full of thrilling events and high stakes. The result
matters more than anything else in the story. Sci-fi,
adventure, and thriller stories are often plot-driven.
A character-driven story places more emphasis on
character development, and how the character changes as
the story progresses. The events of the plot are not as
important as the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
How do you work on plot structure?
Through Freytag’s pyramid, a writer
will be guided in structuring a plot.
Here are the guidelines:
1.EXPOSITION: The first part of your story
must present inciting events which are
incidents that change the life of the characters.
Inciting incidents also deviate from their
conventional flow and are the beginning point
of the story. These incidents cause a disruption
in the character’s life.
2. RISING ACTION: Complicating factors are
introduced to the conflict. The complication
increases and the tension becomes very clear
to the readers.
3. CLIMAX: This is the turning point of
the story. In some stories, the hero and
the villain meet face to face for a fight. In
other stories, the protagonist is caught in
an unconquerable or difficult situation.
The previous events and choices of the
characters have led to an unavoidable
outcome.
4. FALLING ACTION: After reaching the
highest point of the story, the tension will
gradually decrease. This part will provide
clues as to the ultimate resolution of the
story.
5. DENOUEMENT: This is the concluding part
of the story, it shows what happens to the
protagonist and the other characters involved
in the conflict. It presents whether the goals of
the hero were achieved or not. It gives the
resolution of the story; it may be favorable,
unfavorable. Or ambiguous.
 Examples of Plot:
1. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and her
sisters are young, unmarried, poor women in
England. An eligible bachelor moves into the
neighborhood and falls for Elizabeth's sister
Jane. His friend Mr. Darcy also falls for
Elizabeth, but he fights against it and wounds
her pride. The conflict is resolved when
Elizabeth realizes her true feelings and agrees
to marry Mr. Darcy.
2. In The Hunger Games, Katniss must
represent her district in the games after she
takes the place of her younger sister. She and
the boy representative from her district, Peeta,
must fight young representatives from other
districts. The conflict is finally resolved when,
in a climactic moment, Katniss and Peeta
decide to kill themselves rather than kill each
other. Those behind the games halt the games
and declare them both the winners.
ACTIVITY: Develop a story following the five elements
of the plot shown in the slides. Choose from any of the
fiction movies/stories that you have watched and read.
(EXPOSITION)

(RISING ACTION)

(CLIMAX)

(FALLING ACTION)

(DENOUEMENT)
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 How plot works can be compared to a pyramid. The story
needs to have a build-up until it reaches its peak or the climax
and should end with a graceful resolution or denouement.

CLIMAX

RISING ACTION FALLING ACTION

EXPOSITION DENOUEMENT