Plot and Subplot
Every story has a plot. It is the events and happenings of the story that drive the story forward. It is moved forward by character thoughts, words, and actions, moving us from one end of the book to the other.
The plot is the guiding focus of the story. To put it simply, it is what the story is about. If a person was to ask you, "what is Star Wars about?", and you told them it is about a man named Luke Skywalker who becomes a Jedi, a warrior of sorts, and fights against the evil Empire in a quest to restore peace to the galaxy," then you have told them the plot. It is what the story is about, the events on which the story focuses.
The plot is the guiding focus of the story. To put it simply, it is what the story is about. If a person was to ask you, "what is Star Wars about?", and you told them it is about a man named Luke Skywalker who becomes a Jedi, a warrior of sorts, and fights against the evil Empire in a quest to restore peace to the galaxy," then you have told them the plot. It is what the story is about, the events on which the story focuses.
Structure of the Plot
The plot of a story is structured as shown below:
Exposition (also known as the introduction)
The exposition takes place at the beginning of the story. Here, characters are introduced to the reader, and their personalities, physical traits, and beliefs are created. The setting and time period is also established, as well as any other necessary details that the reader might need to understand the story. If the work is fiction and in a world unlike our own, the story will often establish that place's culture, history, and lifestyles.
Rising Action
The rising action is where the conflict begins. A source of the conflict is identified (for more on conflict: /conflict.html), and from there the story begins to form and the focus shifts to the story's conflict. The rising action is generally the longest part of the story, itself occupying sometimes half of an entire book.
Climax
The climax is the most focuses part of the story because it is generally a single event or discovery. It generally occurs later on in the story. At the climax, the conflict of the story will begin to close. It is the point when the protagonist begins to overcome whatever conflict they are dealing with, switching from struggling with the conflict to overcoming it.
Falling Action
In the falling action of a story, the conflict starts to become resolved. After the climax, the protagonist will start to overcome the conflict with which they are struggling. If they are attempting to solve a mystery, the climax would be when they figure out who committed the crime, and the falling action would be them trying to capture them.
Denouement (also known as the resolution or conclusion)
The denouement, or resolution, is the end of the story. In the resolution, the writer must establish that the conflict of the story has come to a close and that the story is now ending. Often, this part of the story is short. All it does is tell the reader that whatever the characters in the story were dealing with is over and this is where they are now.
The exposition takes place at the beginning of the story. Here, characters are introduced to the reader, and their personalities, physical traits, and beliefs are created. The setting and time period is also established, as well as any other necessary details that the reader might need to understand the story. If the work is fiction and in a world unlike our own, the story will often establish that place's culture, history, and lifestyles.
Rising Action
The rising action is where the conflict begins. A source of the conflict is identified (for more on conflict: /conflict.html), and from there the story begins to form and the focus shifts to the story's conflict. The rising action is generally the longest part of the story, itself occupying sometimes half of an entire book.
Climax
The climax is the most focuses part of the story because it is generally a single event or discovery. It generally occurs later on in the story. At the climax, the conflict of the story will begin to close. It is the point when the protagonist begins to overcome whatever conflict they are dealing with, switching from struggling with the conflict to overcoming it.
Falling Action
In the falling action of a story, the conflict starts to become resolved. After the climax, the protagonist will start to overcome the conflict with which they are struggling. If they are attempting to solve a mystery, the climax would be when they figure out who committed the crime, and the falling action would be them trying to capture them.
Denouement (also known as the resolution or conclusion)
The denouement, or resolution, is the end of the story. In the resolution, the writer must establish that the conflict of the story has come to a close and that the story is now ending. Often, this part of the story is short. All it does is tell the reader that whatever the characters in the story were dealing with is over and this is where they are now.
Plot vs. Theme
Whatever the story is about, that is the plot. It should be mentioned that plot is very different than theme, which both deal with what the story is "about." While plot deals with the story itself, theme deals more with an overarching idea, which can be either one or many. For example, in Star Wars, the plot of the story is that it is about Luke Skywalker's journey from being a farmboy to a Jedi, fighting the forces of the evil Empire to bring peace to the galaxy. A possible theme of Star Wars could be the power and value of friendship and that through working together, great things can be achieved, with the heroes working together as a team against Darth Vader, a character notably devoid of comrades (for more on themes go to: /theme.html).
Subplots
Subplots are, as the name implies, plots within the plot. They are stories within the story, events happening alongside the story that may connect to the main story overall, and further detail a character within the story.
Most stories have subplots. Their purpose is to further develop a character in the story by focusing on something other than the main plot of the story. They also can contribute to the plot, as the effects on the characters involved in that subplot often will tie into the main story.
Consider again Star Wars. In Empire Strikes Back, a romance develops between Han and Leia. Their characters experience a change, from being for the most part two disagreeable characters, to creating a loving bond. It is an integral part of their character development.
But Star Wars isn't a romance story. Star Wars is about Luke becoming a Jedi and fighting the Empire. Why this romance scene? It's a subplot to give more life to characters who are important to the story. It occurs alongside the story; we're still focusing on Luke here. But it isn't given that same level of focus or attention. It does contribute to the story, because the effect of this budding romance changes Han and Leia's interactions within the plot.
Most stories have subplots. Their purpose is to further develop a character in the story by focusing on something other than the main plot of the story. They also can contribute to the plot, as the effects on the characters involved in that subplot often will tie into the main story.
Consider again Star Wars. In Empire Strikes Back, a romance develops between Han and Leia. Their characters experience a change, from being for the most part two disagreeable characters, to creating a loving bond. It is an integral part of their character development.
But Star Wars isn't a romance story. Star Wars is about Luke becoming a Jedi and fighting the Empire. Why this romance scene? It's a subplot to give more life to characters who are important to the story. It occurs alongside the story; we're still focusing on Luke here. But it isn't given that same level of focus or attention. It does contribute to the story, because the effect of this budding romance changes Han and Leia's interactions within the plot.
Recap of the Main Points
- The plot is the focus of the story; it is what the story is about.
- The plot is made up of five different parts: the exposition (introduction), rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement (resolution).
- Plot is different than theme. Plot is what the story is about, while theme is about an overarching idea that connects to the story's plot.
- Subplots are stories within the story, meant to further develop characters and/or contribute to the plot.