A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider: Point #2: Plot

Plot—it’s what’s happenin’—literally. But plot is more than a string of actions or events that take you from the beginning of the story to the end. Plot is all the components of a novel fit together to create a working machine. It can only run smoothly when thought through to entirety, and it needs all its parts to do so.

If we take it from the beginning, we find a semblance of an opening—a hook that lures you into the story. This might take the form of a narrative introduction, or it might be a burst of unexpected action. Whatever the opening is, it must draw the reader’s attention as quickly as possible, or the fate of the book belongs to the dusty coffee table. You should meet your main character, establish your point of view, determine where and when this story is taking place. Somewhere in this exposition, you need to identify what it is that vexes your protagonist so. Without a conflict, you have no story.

Smoothly (or so we hope), we transition into the meat of the novel. It may seem pretty basic—perhaps a little static even—but you need some filler material. Relationships with the main character are established and explored. The conflict is further defined and becomes increasingly more prominent. This is where you pick up momentum to reach the rising action: the most important event that precedes the climax!

Believe it or not, the climax is not the exact middle of the book. It actually signifies the beginning of the end. It’s the point of no return, the peak of excitement. The conflict reaches a crisis point, and after this, we descend into the falling action. In the falling action, the pieces that had been shattered in the climax are slowly fitted back together. The conflict is heading toward a resolution, and while it does not have to be a happy ending, it is an ending to the cohesive idea that was the novel. It helps for a reader to feel that the book has ended, to feel some sense of a satisfying conclusion as opposed to a, “That’s how I’m left?!” Because the ending, after all, is the last thing a reader will remember, and it is most likely how he will judge the book when all is said and done.

Beginning, middle, end. Those are the parts, but machine needs a little grease. Let’s call it “pacing.” Pacing can be incredibly difficult to judge when you’re the writer. Are the scenes too drawn out? Do they lack action, droning on with unnecessary dialog? Or do they rush through important moments so as to leave you scratching your head, wondering what just happened? You want to build tension in just the right places and bring the reader to ease without boring him. It’s easy to get lost in a scene that seems necessary, but you should always be able to ask yourself, “What was the point of that?” If you can answer the question confidently, then integral pieces of the story can be maintained while the fat is cut away.

From personal experience, Matt and I use a calendar to plot important events and keep track of multiple storylines that progress simultaneously. Plotting key events on paper can visually show you how much material you have in the beginning, middle, and conclusion of the novel. All three parts should be balanced, lest your oiled machine get thrown out of whack. It’s nice to know, though, that you’re the mechanic, and you can fix anything once you identify the problem. After all, you built the machine, and building a plot can be just as fun as it is challenging.

-Stefanie