Plot Diagrams

Hello, human beings!

Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.

(...Because I am a horrible person and haven't updated in forever.)

Now, these next chapters were originally not going to be written. Like, in my glorious and gloat-worthy pre-writing stage that I worship so much this entire section wasn't included. However, around the time I started the second part of the story—content—I was thinking about this, and decided to add another part to the end of the story for more… advanced writing.

This basically means stuff actual real-life authors would need if they were to write an actual, real-life published novel—but I'm not saying that I'm a real-life published author. So lots of research was needed for this chapter and the following chapters, and of course you'll have to take all of the following with a grain of salt because I could be wrong about anything.

I could be wrong about this sentence.

Or this sentence.

But probably not this sentence. I mean, that sentence was just perfect.

So, I'm going to start off with a not super advanced lesson, but a, like, high school creative writing English lesson.

All fictional stories have to fit in the "plot diagram" (or "plot triangle") graphic organizer, which goes like this: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

It's nicknamed a plot triangle because they're generally organized in a sort of mountain shape, like a triangle without the bottom line-thingy so that it's left basically as an angle. The exposition goes on the bottom left, the rising action goes on the line rising up to the point where the two lines meet, the climax is the vertex where they connect, and the falling action goes on the line leading to the resolution.

Get it? I would find you a picture, but unfortunately this website does not allow them in stories. I would also find a link to one and post it here or on my profile, but I'm pretty sure no one cares.

EXPOSITION:
This is the introduction. Like, for long novels, this part of the story may take up the biggest portion of the first chapter, the first chapter, or maybe maybe maybe the first two chapters, but if it goes on any longer than that (unless, of course, the chapters are three pages long—*coughFREAKINGJAMESPATTERSONcough*) it's just gonna drag on and be super boring. However, in short stories, the beginning may be as short as a paragraph.

This is where you introduce everything, mainly the characters, but it's important that you simply introduce the character as in acknowledge their existence rather than explain who they are. It's not very good writing etiquette—in fact, super not very good—to explain the people as who they are as human beings in the very beginning, because since the beginning is so short it's going to be cramped in a small space and sound very forced, but also because you need to describe personalities as the story progresses with how the characters react to certain events in the rising action. However, you could describe physical attributes in this part of the story.

RISING ACTION:
Making it very, very simple there are two main ideas that happen here: the initial incident (the point where there's a mini-plot twist and the beginning is ruined—where the plot of the story is introduced, basically), and the actual parts of the story that lead up to the climax. There should be complications and suspense-building and all that lovely stuff included. The rising action should, if not must, be the part of the story with the most events happening. And again, here is where the personalities of the people in the story are mainly founded, because in the exposition it is way too soon and later on it's too late.

CLIMAX:
This is the part that is constantly described by my research as "the most intense part of the story", which does its job of describing pretty well, if vaguely.

But when I'm reading a book, in my head I don't call this point the climax. I like to call it the, HOLY AVODCADOES AND CREAM CHEESE IT'S A PLOT TWIST I—WHAT—WHY.

Because, essentially, that's what it is.

Now, in stories there could be several plot twists (the best example I could give you would be in mystery novels, whenever they find a clue) but this is like the mother of all plot twists. And it doesn't have to be a plot twist, either—something just has to CHANGE.

More on plot twists in the next chapter.

FALLING ACTION:
This action has fewer events than the rising action, even though they're similarly named. This is where plot is resolved, and where the points leading to how the plot is resolved go.

RESOLUTION:
This is called the resolution, so it gives off the impression that this is where the problem is—well—resolved. But, if you'll remember from one paragraph ago, the plot is resolved in the falling action. Thus, this is basically a what-happens-after-the-story. This part of the story in novels probably will only be one chapter long, or even less than a chapter if the story leaves on an open ending, leaving for a reader's interpretation. But don't get me wrong, this isn't like a "Twenty Years Later" epilogue. It's the aftermath of the plot.

I will now demonstrate with an example from a PJO book chosen at random. That book will be the House of Hades. (I literally just turned over to my sister and asked her to pick a number from one to ten, and she chose nine.) MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT.

Exposition:
-Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank and Nico are on their way to the House of Hades.

Rising Action:
(Event that begins the plot) -Hazel meets Hecate and sees a prophecy of what is to come.
-Percy and Annabeth land in Tartarus, fight a bunch of empousai, meet Bob, fight a bunch of aria, and meet Damasen.
-The Argo II stops in Bologna and Leo fights a pair of dwarfs.
-The Argo II stops in Venice and Frank fights all of the katoblepones in the city.
-The Argo II is stopped on the coast of Croatia and Hazel and Jason fight a bandit named Sciron.
-The Argo II stops in Split and Jason and Nico fight Cupid.
-The Argo II is stopped in the middle of nowhere and Piper fights Khione.
-Leo is sent to Ogygia and meets Calypso.
-Percy and Annabeth fight Akhlys.

Climax:
-The Argo II reaches the House of Hades, and Percy and Annabeth arrive at the Doors of Death.
-Everything that occurs at the House of Hades.

Falling Action + Resolution:
-The Seven + Reyna + Nico + Coach Hedge have a picnic and discuss what they'll do next before CLIFFHANGER CLIFFHANGER WHY RICK WHY.

-o-O-o-

Okay, as that was quite a bit, I'll also give a much broader and simpler example on a normal, everyday mystery story.

Exposition:
-Everything is normal…

Rising Action:
(Event that begins the plot) -WE DISCOVER A MYSTERY OH MY GODS OH MY GODS
-The detective(s) begin to find clues to solve said mystery.

Climax:
-The detective(s) find the biggest clue that makes him/her/them on the verge of solving the mystery…

Falling Action:
-…they solve the mystery.
-In some cases, there's a confrontation and an action part.

Resolution:
-Mystery solved, bad guy in jail… my work here is done. Let's get a victory cookie.

Do you understand it now? Somewhat? Good enough.

Guys, remember in chapter seven when I mentioned that a story has to have three parts: a beginning, middle and end? I am now going to show you how that ties in with what I've just taught. Here is a direct quotation of my younger self:

The beginning is where the location and setting and characters are introduced. This is also where the problem is stated. This part of the story continues until the middle begins.

The ending is where the problem is resolved, or the mystery is uncovered, or when the demigods beat up Dirt Face. All plots should be tied, leaving the reader satisfied.

The middle is basically everything else. There shouldn't be just one thing happening in the middle—add complications. You can either have several things happening at once (romantic drama with several leads to a mystery), or a lot of things happening one after the other (like in the Heroes of Olympus books).

So…

Exposition + the part where the plot changes = the beginning
Rising Action + Climax = the middle
Falling Action + Resolution = the end

But why is this important, anyway?

It's important because it is how all fictional stories are written. Yes, I'll admit it, I don't focus on this whenever I start a pre-writing stage—but it's necessary that it isn't ignored completely.

Different writings have different graphic organizers. For example, a non-fictional recount of a historical event would use a graphic organizer more similar to a timeline of events, and a research paper on why bananas will take over the world in the future would use a dot-jot form of organizing or one of those bubbles-expanding-off-of-bubbles organizers.

So if you plan a fictional story in the wrong way it'll be messed up and confusing—the best example I can give you is Frozen. I love that movie for its beautiful animation and songs… but the plot, I tell you, is not the best I am currently wincing waiting for Frozen lovers to throw things at my head ow was that an apple I love apples *eats apple*

But I swear I didn't write this up so that you'll feel incredibly conscious about it when you're pre-writing, because the point was to only make you know about its existence. But I do keep it in mind to make sure I'm not drifting off track way too much.

Also, I promise to you that as long as you don't snap the elastic you can stretch this organizer a bit. Like, maybe you need two climactic events. I'm not going to start judging. But when you begin to have so many climactic important events that this is beginning to look like a freaking timeline *coughFROZENcough* you have a problem. Just keep in mind that the broader you organize the better it'll fit.

RECAP

Exposition = introduction
Rising Action = event that starts the story and the events that lead up to the climax
Climax = where the plot changes
Falling Action = the plot is worked to be resolved and is resolved
Resolution = the aftermath

DFTBA

-The Seventeen Hundred Fifty-Sixth Bookworm