Why Is Plot Important To A Story? What Is Plot?

Is plot important to a story or novel - featured image

Why plot is important in literature?

Writing is an art form, but it’s also a craft. In order to write well, you need to understand what makes good writing and how different genres work.

The plot is probably the most important thing about storytelling. Plotting your story will help you make sure that all the pieces fit together in a logical way. Good story plot will ensure your readers enjoy reading your story as much as you enjoyed writing it!

In this blog post I’ll show you some steps for outlining and plotting out any kind of novel or other written piece from start to finish:

  • What is plot development?
  • How to create believable characters
  • Creating an outline with strong structure
  • How to develop tension throughout your story
  • Can a story be complete without a plot?

Video – Why it’s important to plot a story and how to do it

Why is plot so important to story?

Plot is the backbone of a story, and it can be hard to imagine where the story would go without it, or how tension and conflict would arise. Plot refers to the events that make up your story.

These events are typically where all conflict and tension in your work come from, as well as where all of your reader’s emotional responses will stem from.

Plot refers to events that make up your work, which are typically where all conflict or tension in your story will come from (as well as emotional responses).

It’s important for readers to know not only about things happening but also why they’re occurring so they understand how these moments relate with each other.

Without this understanding, there won’t really be an experience when reading – just a series of random events strung together.

Is Plot or Character More Important?

What is the significance of plot?

The plot of your story is what makes it a cohesive whole, and without one you’ll just have an amorphous collection.

To help with this process there are many tools which can be used to outline or chart out the different events in order for them all fit together like puzzle pieces:

  • character arcs (which determine how characters develop)
  • act breaks
  • initiating incidents that break up sections into parts

These delineate moments when something happens before continuing on as if nothing had happened; climaxes provide readers’ emotional responses from their highest point so far whereas resolution gives closure by tying everything off nicely after they’ve reached peak interest level).

How do you write a plot summary outline?

What is plot for?

These techniques allow authors give glimpses at future things happening while also not giving away major spoilers and help keep readers engaged.

In the end, a plot is necessary for any story to be successful and create memorable moments which resonate with people – both as an author who’s invested in writing something that will do so well on its own or one of many audiences members looking forward into reading it themselves!

What is a Plot? Definition, Examples of Literary Plots

9 Important Story Plot Types








Overcoming The Monster

Anticipation to action: people become aware of the monster

Hero's call: The hero has to face the monster

A Dream: All seems well as the hero prepares to do battle

Frustration: the hero is outmatched by the monster

Nightmare: The final battle - seems the hero will lose

Hero kils monster, escapes with Pricess and/or treasure

Rags To Riches

Hero poor, wretched and very unhappy

Unforeseen event calls hero into world outside his own

Hero's inital success, better status and meets his love

Central crisis - all goes wrong. Hero loses his love

Hero finds hie true internal strength and defeats the villain

Hero wins back his love and enjoys higher status and happiness

The Quest

Story begins in horrible dystopian city - life is bad

Hero has vision - key to better life can be found far away

Hero travels to goal, ,meets helpers, monsters and challenges, each worse than the last

Hero arrives and meets another set of huge challenges

Final ordeal - hero fights his toughest opponents/

challenges yet

Hero reaches the goal, gets the treasure, the Pricess and fame for ever.

The Voyage and Return

Hero is bored with life and open to new experiences and adventures

Hero suddenly finds himself in a strange and very new world

Hero explores this new world - it is curious, fascinating and exciting

Gradually the new world becomes frightening anf threatening

Nightmare arrives . there is a serious threat to Hero's life

Hero has a thrilling escape and returns to his world, but different and better


This type of plot is difficult to define and has different definitions according to different authorities. Basically, comedy often involved misunderstandings which are eventully cleard up and culminating with a marriage, or similar.


The Hero isn't happy and wants more from his life

Hero is tempted by something he badly wants but is forbidden

Hero goes for his goal and initially things go very well for him/her

Frustration sets in when the hero takes the wrong actions to achieve his goal

The nightmare arrives - dark forces he can't control gather to oppose him

Hero is destroyed, either mentally, physicall or spiritually.


Hero is attacked by a dark power, eithe rfull-on or subtly

Things go well and the threat seems to go away

Threat returns even stronger and totally controlls the hero

The dark power has won completely

Someone or something miraculously rescues our hero.


This plot type often involves the hero trying to solve who commiited a horrible crime. Often he finds the bad man, sometimes he doesn't. This mystery is often a hybrid plot involving one or more of the other plot type.


Rebellion Against 'The Powerful One' is about a hero who rebels against an entity that has total control of his world. He has no choice but to become a slave of the powerful entity..

The hero is a a loner and knows that the Power is evil and that he must not submit his individuality. Eventually, he stand up to the power and beats it, thereby improving the world for everyone.

Resource: The 7 Basic plots by C. Booker

How to write story plot?

Start with the characters!

First, brainstorm who these people are and what they want – this is important because readers come to understand why your protagonist or antagonist does things by understanding their motivations for doing so (elements of a good story).

You should also create an outline where you list out possible ways in which that character could get his/her wants met as well any stakes involved if he doesn’t succeed at all!

That way when writing scenes down it will be easier on yourself knowing exactly how much detail needs go into every moment vs having too little information about certain critical points OR going overboard detailing some unimportant moments instead while being vague during crucial time frames necessary push the plot forward more quickly without slowing pace.

Afterward then think up the most likely situation in which your character could be successful or fail (just like a law of probability, things don’t happen at random). In this way you’ll have the best chances for writing one helluva story.

The key is to always question what it means when an event happens and why that was so important? What does only tells us about characters motivations/themes without giving away too much detail from future events.

How to Plot a Short Story: 5 Steps for Short Story Plotting

What is the basic plot of a story?

Consider how realistic are these scenarios as they unfold because readers want stories where people behave predictably – with complexities hidden beneath layers upon layer under such ‘gray areas’ rather than just knowing everything upfront.

This makes them care all sorts messier emotions while being engaged into both reading AND watching – not bored.

Think about how you will make your character’s choices ‘sticky’ to the reader and then write a story that is both believable/believable enough. Remember, people don’t feel things for no reason.

They have reasons behind their feelings – they can be complex or simple but either way we need them on an emotional level in order not just empathize with our protagonist, which makes us root for them even more.

Understand what caused these reactions through empathetically feeling those same emotions ourselves when reading it from within perspective of another person.

This means understanding motivation as well; think outside yourself, egos desires, while looking at life objectively – always ask WHY? Why did this happen now instead if later?), why was this the response, and how does this lead to a different outcome?

If you can’t answer these questions for each character (or protagonist) then stop writing until your understand them more thoroughly before continuing any further– otherwise its just not worth reading!

What Is the Plot of a Story? The 5 Parts of the Narrative

Video – how to start writing a plot summary

One way to begin writing a plot for a story

How to start writing a plot?

The first step to creating a plot is usually brainstorming. Brainstorm the events and conflicts that will happen in your story . Often, there are many different ideas you may have about where it could go.

As an author of course, this can be overwhelming because if all those major or minor details were added with no cohesiveness then they would just clash through each other.

One way around becoming overwhelmed by possible outcomes while ideating future plots on paper might come from thinking `big picture’ rather than individual scenes – what does protagonist want at the end?

Plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. Plot is what keeps readers interested in your story, and it can be hard to know where to start when writing one.

The best way to develop plot is by first figuring out who your protagonist is, what they want, and why they want it. This will help you figure out how the plot unfolds as well as how everything ties together in the end.

How to develop a story: 10 steps to a winning plot

Writing tips plot development

Are you looking for a way to spice up your story? Do you want to be able to write about something other than a relationship or break-up? If so, then this blog post is for you! Here are a couple of tips that will help you develop an engaging plot.

Start with the basics: protagonist, setting and conflict. Your plot should revolve around these three things in order to be successful!

Show instead of tell your readers what is happening by using “action” words such as jogging or jumping over a hurdle rather than saying he ran five miles every day when you are trying emphasize his physical ability without mentioning it at all.

In this way we can see through our imagination how fast John was running because more details have been given about him physically moving himself on earth’s surface which will make for better reading experience where reader becomes engaged not only mentally but also visually.

Make your readers feel what the characters in book did by combining descriptions of complex emotions (such as intense sadness, anger or elation), bodily sensations and thoughts with action verbs such make them cry is just one example out many others.

A Writer’s Cheatsheet to Plot and Structure

What are the writing tips for developing a good plot?

This will not only create strong impact on reader but also allow for better understanding about how things felt to the character at time events took place which makes the story more relatable, because we can remember moments when similar feelings overwhelmed us during our own lives even if never experienced exact same thing before.

This way you are able experience novel’s content yourself from inside the reader’s perspective that no other writer could ever provide since every person interpret events differently according to their unique set of personal experiences.

One of the best examples when this technique is used successfully comes from literary piece written by Franz Kafka called “The Metamorphosis”: protagonist wakes up one morning and realizes that he turned into cockroach.

It’s not just about what happened to him but also what it feels like for Gregor Samsa.

As a reader you are able see everything through his perspective, which makes the story so much more thought-provoking, because in addition we get a chance to understand motivations behind every single action a character takes.

They don’t have any reason at all do anything other than try survive; even if most likely things will never go back to normal again.

The Golden Rules for a Good Plot

How do you write a basic plot summary?

What is a basic plot summary?

The first step is to analyze the protagonist of your story. What does he or she want? How much are they willing go through in order for it happen, and how important this goal might be (from their perspective)?

Once you’ve answered these questions then start defining what’s going on outside the character, in the world that surrounds him/her, which makes them unable achieve desired goals.

Will there always be something new happening no matter he tries; there’s always some external force trying make sure our hero never succeeds!

In other words we need know who is stopping the main character achieving his desires and why. As soon as you understand both sides’ motivations, then outline the plot by asking yourself questions like: What would happen if …?

It’s important for every writer to know how create an outline and write a plot.

There are many different ways writers organize their plots; one way is by using the three-act structure.

  • Act 1 is setting up stakes (introducing conflict);
  • Act 2 start the journey and building tension/rising action towards climax and struggle. This is usually the longest part story,because it contains most events.
  • Act 3 is the climax and resolution, where all main conflicts come together with the final outcome.

One of the most important things to do when writing a novel or story is outlining. This process will allow you, as an author/writer-to know what your plot looks like before diving into it!

It can also give someone who has never written anything for pleasure some guidance on how this whole thing works and feels so they’re not completely lost in space.

Plot outlines are simply just summaries that show events happening at different points throughout time.

How to Write a Plot Summary

What should a basic plot based summary of a story include?

These outline should be clear enough where readers understand exactly what’s going happen next. These plots provide structure which gives writers something concretely to organize their thoughts about characters, actions, goals and setting up conflicts along the way.

It provides a sense of direction, like a road map through the story.

Writers should outline at least the beginning of an idea that they can work from. You’ll have willy-nilly ideas flying around in your head until you figure out which one makes more sense and can be crafted into this new thing called “a novel”.

It’s a great chance to put order into your thoughts and clarify whats going happen next. When a writer starts writing it all down piece by piece, the content becomes clearer.

Outlines start becoming visualized through scenes unfolding, like a movie where viewers watch actors interactively & providing reactions in real-time.

Some people might be thinking “Why do I need to know how this all works?” But everyone has stories they want tell and if plot is what propels them forward then it’s worth learning about.

Plot can make or break the story – it’s what’s holding everything together on paper and making sure readers are following along with the suspenseful intrigue.

What should a basic plot-based summary of a story include?

How to write a good plot summary?

It’s always good to keep in mind the three-act structure:

  • Setup, inciting event
  • The journey starts, events lead to conflict/climax
  • The hero defeats the villain and we have plot Resolution

Even if you’re not writing a screenplay or stage play, which usually adhere strictly for plot outline with lots of dramatic action scenes happening sequentially, it often helps readers better understand what is going on by outlining these parts separately.

The majority of the content written from act one can be somewhat vague about what’s coming up, so this section should leave the reader wanting more without revealing too much detail.

The author needs to tease them into reading further just enough make their curiosity satisfied but still want to check out the next installment because there was something left unsaid (or some cliffhanger).

Act two can be more straightforward about whats going on, with a better idea of what’s to come. Always leave the reader asking ‘What happens next?’

Why does this make sense? The most important thing in storytelling is the plot! Plot = action or events that happen inside your story/ novel and create conflict for protagonist; it moves things along from one point to another so readers are always wondering “what will he do now?”

4 Tips for Writing a Good Summary

How do you explain the plot of a story?

Writing a plot summary can be hard, but it can be done. It’s important to have an intro that hooks the reader and holds their interest through the whole post.

A good way to start is by introducing your protagonist or main character and what they want in life – something they are passionate about. The next step is to introduce what stands in their way of achieving this goal.

This might be an antagonist (a villain) or just some other obstacle like lack of money, lack of skill, etc. The next step is to introduce the turning point, which can be a decision our protagonist makes.

This could also involve an event that happens in their life and changes everything – it’s important for this part of your story summary outline not only tells what happened but how they reacted or felt about these events.

How does Plot Impact theme?

The author uses a series of interconnected plots, characters and settings to put the reader in their desired state.

The story brings about an emotional impact with its momentum-driven theme that is hammered home by each successive plot point, character flaw or setting detail.

In this way, it has become clear what the moral of the story might be along with other clues for interpretation – there are many smaller lessons waiting to be found nestled within these overarching themes as well!

What Is the Relationship Between Plot and Theme?

What is theme of a story?

A literary theme is the true meaning of a story. They can be conveyed through various aspects such as character development, dialogue and plot which are all intertwined with one another to create an engaging read that leaves you thinking even after it’s done.

What is the Theme of a Story?

Why is the conflict important to a story?

Conflict in literature is necessary for the creation of drama, suspense, and a sense of closure.

Without conflict there would be no story or plot to keep readers interested at all times- if everything went smoothly then every reader would just fall asleep because it’s so boring.

The literary purpose behind this kind of tension created by one character against another is that when we don’t know what will happen next or who will win out – everyone becomes invested into reading until they finally find out how things turn out!

Why conflict is important for the meaning of the story?

Other resources relating to the importance of story plot:


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