1. What Is Plot?
Conflict
Plot Structure
Timing and Pacing
Flashback
Flash-Forward
Foreshadowing
Practice
Feature
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2. Setting
the time, place and period in which the
action takes place.
The socio-economic
characteristics of
the location
The
geographical
location The time period
The specific
location -building,
room, etc.
3. Setting
can help in the portrayal of characters.
“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it; the rest of me is on the
draining-board."
I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
“Sir Walter Scott the Younger of Buccleugh was in church marrying his aunt the day the
English killed his granny."
Dorothy Dunnett
Disorderly Knights
4. Setting
in some works of fiction action is so closely related to setting that
the plot is directed by it.
"Francis St. Croix spotted it first, a black dot floating in an ocean
of water and ice. When he and Ernie rowed alongside for a look,
they couldn't believe their eyes. There was a baby inside a
makeshift cradle on an ice pan, bobbing like an ice cube on the
sea. How had a baby come to be in the North Atlantic?"
Latitudes of Melt
Joan Clark
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
George Orwell, 1984;
5. Setting
can establish the atmosphere of a work.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
A Tale of Two Cities
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…
Snoopy
6. What Is Plot?
Plot is the series of related
events that make up a story
or drama.
• Like links in a chain, each
event hooks our curiosity
and pulls us forward to the
next event.
[End of Section]
7. Conflict
Conflict is the struggle or clash
between opposing characters or
forces. There is no plot without
conflict. Conflicts may be
external:
firefighter vs. fire
or
internal:
firefighter vs. his or her fear
8. Plot Structure
Plots are usually built in five major parts.
1. Exposition
3. Climax
5. Resolution
2. Rising Action
4. Falling Action
9. 1. Exposition
This usually occurs at the beginning of a story. Here the
characters are introduced. We also learn about the
setting. The setting is the time and place of the of the
story. Most importantly though, we are introduced to
the main conflict (main problem).
10. Plot Structure
1 Basic situation, or exposition
Paul wants to go to an out-of-state university,
but his family can only afford to pay the
tuition at a local college.
11. 2. Rising Action
This part of the story begins to develop the
conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense
occurs. All rising action leads to the climax.
12. Plot Structure
2 Complication /
Rising Action
Paul goes to work on a nearby
farm to earn extra money.
There, he meets Miranda, and
the two start dating.
13. 3. Climax
This is the turning point of the story. Usually the
main character comes face to face with a
conflict. The main character will change in some
way. It is also usually the most intense and
exciting part of the story.
14. Plot Structure
3 Climax
Paul and Miranda argue about
his leaving for university. Paul
must choose to stay or go.
15. 4. Falling Action
All loose ends
of the plot are
tied up. The
conflict(s) and
climax are
taken care of.
16. Plot Structure
4 Falling Action
Paul visits his parents to get
some advice about what he
should do.
18. Plot Structure
5 Resolution, or denouement
• final part of the story
• the conflict is resolved
Paul decides to leave for university.
Miranda makes plans to visit him
and wishes him well.
[End of Section]
19. Timing and Pacing
The plot of a story is framed by a time span that
suits the writer’s purpose.
minutes
hours
days
weeks
years
20. Timing and Pacing
Most stories are told in chronological order, the
order in which events unfold in real time.
First Second Third Last
21. Timing and Pacing
Sometimes, writers might manipulate time to
control our emotions. They might
• slow down time to
emphasize a moment of
danger
• speed up time to skip
over events that don’t
move the story along
[End of Section]
22. Flashback
Flashback—a scene that interrupts the present
action of the plot to flash backward and tell what
happened at an earlier time. Flashbacks can
Past
• provide background
information
• strengthen our
understanding of a
character
Present
[End of Section]
23. Flash-Forward
Flash-Forward—a scene that interrupts the
present action of the plot to shift into the future.
Future
Present
• Flash-forwards can
create dramatic irony.
The readers know what
will happen in the future,
but the characters don’t.
[End of Section]
24. Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the use of clues to hint at
events that will occur later in the plot.
• Foreshadowing can make a story more exciting
by increasing suspense.
25. Medias Res
In medias res is Latin for "into the middle of things." It
usually describes a narrative that begins, not at the
beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle —
usually at some crucial point in the action. The term
comes from the ancient Roman poet Horace, who
advised the aspiring epic poet to go straight to the
heart of the story instead of beginning at the
beginning.
26. Practice
Choose a children’s story or fairy tale that
is familiar to you.
• Draw a plot diagram like the
one shown here.
• Add labels describing the key
parts of the story’s plot.
• Use your imagination to write a
flashback that could occur in
one part of the story.
[End of Section]
28. Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic struggle
between two forces in a story.
Conflict is the most important part of
a fictional short story. Without
conflict, there is no plot.
29. Types of conflict
Conflicts can be separated into two main branches.
Internal
Conflict
External
Conflict
30. External conflict
In external conflict
category, the character
will always face an
outside force.
For example:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Supernatural
31. External Conflict
Man versus Man
Conflict that pits one person
against another.
Man versus Nature
A run-in with the forces of
nature. On the one hand, it
expresses the insignificance of
a single human life in the
cosmic scheme of things. On
the other hand, it tests the
limits of a person’s strength
and will to live.
32. External Conflict
Man versus Society
The values and customs by
which everyone else lives are
being challenged. The
character may come to an
untimely end as a result of his
or her own convictions. The
character may, on the other
hand, bring others around to a
sympathetic point of view, or it
may be decided that society
was right after all.
33. External Conflict
Man vs.
The Supernatural
Not everyone includes this
conflict, but anything that does
not fit nicely into the other
categories can fit here. For
example, ghosts, Gods and
super heroes.
34. Internal Conflict
Man versus Self
Not all conflict involves other people.
Sometimes people are their own.
worst enemies. An internal conflict
is a good test of a character’s
values. Does he give in to
temptation or rise above it? Does
he demand the most from himself
or settle for something less?
Internal conflicts can include doubts,
fears, indecision, making hard
decisions, etc.
Under the internal
conflict category,
there is only one
sub group: man vs.
self.
35. Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at
the same time. In every case, however, the existence
of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a
character and creates the suspense and interest that
make you want to continue reading.
