The following paragraph was written by Gary Provost and Peter Rubie (How to Tell a Story, Writer's Digest Books, 1998), and does an excellent job in summing up the elements involved in plotting fiction:

"Once upon a time, something happened to someone, and he decided he would pursue a goal. So he devised a plan of action, and even though there were forces trying to stop him, he moved forward because there was a lot at stake. And just as things seemed as bad as they could get, he learned an important lesson, and when offered the prize he had sought so strenuously, he had to decide whether or not to take it, and in making that decision he satisfied a need that had been created by something in his past."

This is classic dramatic structure. All stories need structure so that they don't wander about aimlessly and bore the reader. A story has to start somewhere and end somewhere, and the middle must move forward according to a clear plan of action--your plot.

By now you have put a character in a situation that led him or her to set a goal and determine a plan of action to reach that goal. The goal is important because the character has something to lose if s/he doesn't reach it.

Once you have character and goal, you must make it difficult for the lead to reach the goal. This creates conflict. Obstacles arise from these basic situations:

Man v. Nature (disease, rivers, mountains, natural disaster)

Man v Man (Hero v villain)

Man v. Society (hero vs. rules, laws, religion)

Man v Self (phobias, psychological obstacles)

Man v Unknown (supernatural, fantasy, science fiction)

Man v Machine (Terminator)

Any obstacle the lead character faces is a called a crisis. As the character solves the first crisis, a second arises--a new and even more challenging one. Your story will progress through a series of obstacles, each followed by the lead's reaction to those obstacles--often referred to as cause and effect. Sometimes, new conflict arises when the problem is not solved--such as a bungled plan for escape. In other instances the lead may make a decision to solve an obstacle that ends up making matters worse. In either case, your lead character is forced to re-evaluate and take a new course to his/her goal. In this manner tension builds until your character reaches a final obstacle that seems insurmountable.

Linked closely with tension is suspense. Suspense makes a reader curious to know what's next, keeps him/her reading to find out. Create suspense by revealing a little information at a time, raising questions in the reader's mind, and by making reader wonder how the lead character will "get out of this one."

Pacing is the rate at which plot is revealed. If a story drags, or seems jumpy or confusing, there is generally a problem with pacing. Dialog, narrative, exposition, and action work together to determine pace.

Fiction usually follows a pattern of scenes and sequels. In a scene, the reader will find action, dialog, and emotion. Something happens. Scenes are generally fast paced and more exciting. They involve the reader emotionally. For this reason, stories are best begun with a scene. The reader is pulled in emotionally right at the start. We will be dealing more with creating dramatic action next week.

Sequel is a resting spot. It usually consists of explanations, description and/or narrative. The lead character is often thinking. Because there is no action, pace is slowed and emotions are allowed to rest.

A good story needs both scene and sequel. Several back-to-back scenes can drain a reader emotionally. The pace is strenuous. Several back-to-back sequel segments will put a reader to sleep. The pace is lethargic. A story generally follows a repetitious scene-sequel--scene-sequel pattern, pulling the reader in emotionally with scene, then allowing them to digest new information in the sequel.

Tools to use to set pace:

To speed up: Action, dialog, short sentences

To slow pace: Thinking, description, narration, long sentences, flashbacks

As it progresses, your story should gain momentum. Tension mounts, action grows faster, and the story moves forward. Pace is often fastest at the ultimate climax. Some writers will deliberately slow pace when handling that climax, striving for a dramatic slow-motion effect.

Pacing and structure both play a part in determining the organization of your material. Organization often follows the chronological events as the story moves from start to finish, but not always. Some writers will choose to jump into one of the story's conflicts where action is at a peak (not necessarily "the" ultimate peak) so that the reader is quickly engaged. Then the author will fill in necessary background information as the story moves forward. Another type of organization technique is to begin at the end. The ending must be intriguing enough to make the reader want to know what happened before. Mysteries are a good example of this type organization technique.

If you decide to start your story at a point of conflict that requires background information to be filled in later, then you must consider carefully how you will provide the necessary information. Flashbacks slow momentum, and therefore must be handled carefully. In this situation, "telling" is actually better than "showing." Summarize past action and move on rather than dramatizing it--dramatize current events only. Dialog is an interesting way to provide past information that is essential to forward movement. We'll look at this more next week.

Once the lead reaches that ultimate crisis s/he should make a decision that solves it. The crisis is solved; the character (and hopefully the reader) is emotionally fulfilled. But it's best not to just let your reader drop from the mountain peak. (They might get hurt! <G>)

Instead, you bring them back down to land through the denouement. Whereas the trip to the climax seemed steep and fraught with peril, the denouement eases the reader from the peak gradually. This portion of the story follows the climax, calms the reader and ties up any loose ends. For example, in a romance, the hero and heroine may explain why they said or did certain things. In a murder mystery, the detective's reasoning that led to solving the case will be presented.

Each story will follow it's own pattern of fast and slow. Just be sure to build to a peak. That is what keeps a reader turning pages.

Obviously these are generic points concerning structure and organization. It's a guideline to help you formulate forward movement. Provost and Rubie liken basic story structure to building a house. There are specific requirements for building so that a house isn't in danger of falling down. As long as the structure is sound, the house built upon it will vary from building to building according to individual taste.

If your story doesn't seem to be working properly, then you can go back to this model of basic structure and determine what elements are missing or misplaced.

Exercises:

1. Next time you watch a movie, study it for the plot points. Examine why things happen the way they do. Nothing is by chance. Provost and Rubie suggest The Fugitive as a good example of strong dramatic structure. You can also pick apart the last book you read, again looking for the structure of story--the plot points.