Essential Elements of Plot Development

When you sit down to start writing a novel or short story, there are several things that you have to decide on. You must come up with the characters, the setting, and perhaps that most important one in creating a riveting story--the plot.

The plot is the structure of the story. It is what happens and in what order. It is cause and effect. Without one, you won't have a novel or short story. All you have is just a bunch of words on a page. I like to think of the plot as the foundation of a house. Without a solid foundation your house will collapse.

The plot has three needed elements to create a quality fiction story: theme, questions, and conflict.

Plot Element # 1 - Theme

The theme of your fiction story or novel is the message that it imparts. It doesn't have to be some deep philosophical meaning. The theme of a story makes a statement about society or behaviors. It can be anything from “good guys finish first” to “the grass is always greener .”

Every fiction story must have a theme. Whether it is overt or hidden is up to the fiction writer.

Plot Element # 2 - Questions

In the course of a story, the reader has to be inspired to ask questions about the story or the characters. If the reader wonders what will happen next, or how the characters will solve a particular problem, they will be intrigued and will continue reading.

Give the reader a reason to read your story. Catch the reader’s attention on the first page with questions. They have to continue throughout the story until they are all answered at the end.

Plot Element # 3 - Conflict

Conflict, defined simply, is the problems or obstacles that arise within your story.

Many young and new writers believe that a story is simply a series of events and descriptions. This is not true. Not only does that not fulfill the other two needs of a quality fiction plot, if there is no conflict, there will be no interest.

When a conflict occurs, it gives the characters something to do, to overcome, and to grow from. Conflict creates growth, and without growth, your fiction story will be flat and uninteresting and most readers won't bother reading it until the end.

These three plot elements are necessary for writing a good fiction short story or novel. Creating an interesting plot, or story line, is essential to attracting and engaging readers. This can only be accomplished by formulating a theme, questions for the reader to ask, and conflict. Writing a fiction story without these needed plot elements would be like painting a picture without color, shape, or meaning.