How to Write a Story: Plot

Hello, friends! This week, I’m going to start a new series: how to write a story. Whether it be a short story, a novel, or just a paragraph for school, I’m going to give you the basic ideas. Today, we’re going to talk about plot, which might be the hardest or easiest part- it depends on how you look at it.

The plot is the main event or conflict of the story. A conflict is any struggle that your characters go through. It could be anything from fighting a dragon to finding a new best friend. Use your imagination!

Building the Plot

So, to build the plot, you need a few materials.

1. Pencil or pen of your choice,
2. Paper or notebook,
3. Somewhere comfy too sit (but not so comfy you’ll fall asleep!),
4. And your imagination!

Now that you’re sitting somewhere comfortable with a pen/pencil in your hand, let your imagination run wild.

The first thing you want to think about is the genre of your story. Here are some examples. I’ll go into detail on each of these.

• Fantasy
• Historical Fiction
• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Mystery
• Romance
• Science Fiction
• Adventure
• Thriller
• Drama

Fantasy: This is a book where everything is possible! Dragons, princesses, princes… Almost anything you can think of. You think it, you create it.

Historical Fiction: This is a book that takes place in the past that is fiction. It’s realistic, but it is also not true.

Fiction: Any story that isn’t true. It can be completely bozo, or realistic.

Nonfiction: This is (you guessed it!) the complete opposite of fiction. Everything you read in one of these books is completely true. Usually these books are informational.

Mystery: Ever read Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes? Yep, that would be a mystery. A mystery is a story where the author leaves out certain details and only leaves clues so you can try to guess the ending. Usually, there’s a twist near the end.

Romance: Ah. Your classic girl-meets-boy-and-falls-in-love story. Romance happens when two characters love each other- whether they both know they’re in love or not.

Science Fiction: I’m not really sure if I’ve ever really read a book in this genre, but basically, it’s a made up story that’s based on scientific fact and conjecture.

Adventure: This is the book that is filled with action. Usually the main character goes on a journey to discover him/herself or to fight off a villain.

Thriller: This is an action-packed story that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Usually they’re very scary- sometimes they’re mysteries.

If you’re having trouble choosing your genre, then just take a few days off. Maybe when you come back, you’ll have no trouble choosing.

Now that you’ve chosen your genre, it’s time to start thinking about your main conflict. What is the main problem that your main character must face? Got it? Now, which type of conflict is it?

• Man vs. Man (Example: A character experiencing bullying in school)
• Man vs. Himself (Example: A character experiencing grief from a death from someone close to them)
• Man vs. Nature (Example: A character is stranded on a desert island)
• Man vs. A Force Greater Than Himself (Example: A character is fighting off a dragon to save the princess)

So now that you’ve got the main event that usually happens in the middle of the story (climax), you need to start planning out what happens in the beginning and end of your story.

First comes the inciting incident, which is the event near the beginning that hooks your reader. Maybe it’s an encounter with the school bully, or maybe the noble knight learns he must go on an adventure.

Now, you can plan all the way up to the climax. Then, you can plan all the way until the ending.

For the ending, you have to choose what kind of ending you want to do. First, you could do a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is when you leave your readers with several questions, or a scene that leaves them gritting their teeth, pulling their hair out or crying out of frustration. The other kind is, well, it leaves you with a nice peaceful scene that leaves no questions.

Let me know if this post was helpful.

Well, that’s all for today, my readers! Thanks for reading!