Plot
The Plot Breakdown
The Plot takes the reader through all the interesting points, it figuratively connects the dots, and it leads the reader from beginning to end. Plot is constructed of five main parts: the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. As I said earlier, without plot there is not story. This is the first thing that a reader will notice, is the absence of this. If there really is no point to the story, and the characters did nothing, then there would be no plot. Whether it is a movie, play, novel, or short story there needs to be a plot.
The Exposition
The Exposition is the beginning of the story. This is where you establish the characters, the setting, and truly introduce the story to the audience. Here is where you should begin to introduce the main character and start giving them grounding by either learning about them from them, other characters, or through flashbacks. Now if you have the story already fully fleshed out on paper and you want to giving the back story later in the work then that is possible too, just know that it had better be interesting up until that point or people may lose interest before they find out about the character in detail. Also this is where you want to introduce the setting, it is rare that even if a back story is held from the reader that a setting description would be. Give as much detail as possible to be able to understand and clearly see the environment that the characters lives in, this is especially important if the character survives in a reality, or world, outside of the one we dwell in. The establishing setting is not just beneficial but it is required. This will also be the place in which metaphors and symbols will be introduced if you want it to continue through the story, but this is the easiest place to establish them. The exposition is not limited to the first chapter, so you still can establish certain aspects through the first couple or so chapters. The coherent spacing of these aspects can make story more enjoyable So be aware and knowledgeable of where you want these aspects to appear.
The Rising Action
The Rising Action is where the tension is created. It immediately follows the exposition. Here the building of the story takes off. Once you have established who the main characters are and the setting this were the problems are created, the main conflict is initiated. The main conflict of the story is what the characters are trying to solve. That can be a range of things from will she choose him or him, to will the vampire turn his bride, to who is the murderer. This is where you lay the foundation for the climax. The rising action is filled with details that are going to lead the character almost to the end of the story. Here the who, what, why, where, when, and how should be defined if it was not previously defined in the exposition. Avoid being anticlimactic in the sense that you create so many problems that the reader is unsure what is the overlying goal to achieve. A story can be multilayered in which it’s not a straightforward story rather it takes a little interpretation, but interpreting and being overwhelmed is different. Thinking about what was the meaning is fine, as long as there was one. Don’t just create a mound of problems that amount to nothing more than a mound of problems. Remember by the end of the rising action section of the plot it is supposed to be the main problem, or main turning point of the story.
The Climax
So once you’ve reached this part of the story you should realize that this is the part that everyone has been waiting on. This is usually were the big reveal happens or the main character finally makes a decision. This is also known as the turning point of the story, once you get here it is all downhill from here. The point of the climax is to give the audience the highest point of action, there should be nothing higher than the climax, in other words there should be nothing more revealing, shocking, or more dramatic than the climax. Even if you decide to place a twist at the end of the story, it should not be greater than the climax. A well written climax is satisfying to read because it was what you were waiting on, a poorly written climax is unwanted one. The climax may be surprising and unexpected but it should never be unwanted. A failed climax is simply were you have failed to give the highest point and/or turning point of the story. Another thing to remember is that the climax is a single point such as a scene or an event, it’s not something as simple as an action, but it also does not occur over time. An example of a climax, such as in Disney’s Lion King, is when Simba defeats Scar close to the end of the movie. After this point in the movie it just ties up the few loose ends and then you have the end of the movie, but until this point in the storyline the audience is unsure of who will win and will Simba ever find out the truth about his father’s death, and all of that is answered in one scene. As simple as that was, it fulfilled the requirements of a good climax. A good climax simple leaves the reader happy because it fulfilled or it has changed something or it informed/clarified something for the audience.
The Falling Action
Okay this part is relatively easy as long as you have done you climax correctly. This part of the story is the tying up the loose ends, so any problems that have been created in the rest of the story that came prior to this, should be getting resolved here. It’s still called “action” even though it’s diminishing (falling) because events and things are still happing. Now besides resolving a lot of the issues that were previously created, if this novel is a beginning or a continuation of something longer, new problems can develop here. This would immediately signal to the reader that there must be more to come at a later date, don’t just create problems to leave the story open ended. Most modern stories don’t understand how to leave an aspect open ended correctly, usually it just ends abruptly. Don’t do this. You completely missed the point. But just be aware that, if it is done correctly, it can be rewarding to read. The falling action isn’t the most boring part of the text because a lot of questions that the reader initially had in the beginning of the piece are supposed to be answered here. The intensity is slowing dying, the excitement is slowly decreasing, and it really is pushing for the end of the work. If the falling action is done correctly it will nicely push the reader to the end, rather than create a problem right at the end that can’t possibly resolved in short amount of time (unless the point is that it is a continuation). Do it correctly, it simply transitions to the end.
Coming Next The Resolution
