Story Structure in Fiction

Story #1

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"What was the movie about?" she asked.

Most of us would reply with a summary of the plot. That's because the plot is the most visible element of a movie or book. Usually, the plot is about a main character and how that character overcomes some conflicts. Conflicts make stories interesting.

In order to discuss the story, or Narrative, though, some terms need to be defined first:

• Story: The sum total of the events surrounding the narrative
• Plot: The way the writer organizes the story to make it dramatic and entertaining

The Protagonist is the main character(s) in a story.  Protagonists are normally decent & good people, so the audience can sympathize with them. In addition, protagonists are round or complex characters with clear desires & identifiable problems.  During the story, protagonists face their weaknesses in order to overcome the conflicts of the plot.

The Antagonistic Forces are those force(s) with which protagonists struggle.  Sometimes the antagonist is simple - - a villian.  Other times, the antagonistic forces may include a whole parade of characters, events, and actions. Antagonistic forces can even be within protagonists.  Protagonists may have to choose between two courses of action.   Occasionally, such a choice is a dilemma, or a choice between two equally bad alternatives.

The Plot of a story presents the conflicts of a protagonist(s) and antagonistic forces arranged so the reader or viewer can see how the events and thoughts relate to one another.

The plot is presented as a series of Scenes, highly detailed descriptions of specific events. Scenes usually include dialogue to make them more immediate to the reader.

On to the Design of Plots