What Is a Book’s Plot Made Of and How Do You Create One?

What is a plot?

It usually consists of several sequences of events, one of which is dominant and forms the novel’s main narrative arc. Around this central storyline, which largely concerns the principal characters and provides the foundation for the whole story, secondary plotlines are created. These are less important to the main plot.

The role of the plot is to organise the fictional world and connect all the storylines, motifs and characters in the novel into a chronological, though not always linear, and logical whole. Thanks to it, the entire story becomes coherent and understandable to the reader.

The key elements that make up a plot are:

• chronology of events – this organises the sequence of events, helps the reader understand their cause-and-effect relationship and creates a logical story;
• the central motif – a recurring element in the plot that helps communicate a particular idea or thought, often has symbolic meaning and holds the whole story together;
• structure (beginning, middle and ending) – this makes it easier to organise events and build tension gradually; a well-constructed structure guides the reader through the story and highlights its most important moments;
• narrative approach – narration has a major influence on how a work is ultimately received; it establishes the chosen perspective, highlights specific elements and presents the story in a way that best suits the work;
• dialogue – dialogue helps readers understand the characters, their views, thoughts and relationships, as well as build conflicts between them; it also affects the narrative style and atmosphere of the entire work;
• climax – the most important element of the plot and its point of greatest emotional intensity, where all the storylines converge; it is often a sudden twist that comes before the conflict is resolved;
• plot twists – these introduce radical changes to the course of events, surprise the reader and alter the direction of the plot; they must be sudden, logical and unpredictable;
• descriptions of settings – these create the atmosphere and mood of the work, provide a visual picture of the story and its characters, introduce the reader to the fictional world and sometimes help build tension.

Types of plot

A plot can take different forms, depending on the nature of the story and the way it is told. How the plot is constructed and how the narrative unfolds often determines the type of work.

Types of plot by composition

There are three types of plot in this category:

• open – characterised by an open ending in which the storylines are not fully resolved, as in The Trial by Franz Kafka;
• closed – where all the storylines are brought to a conclusion, as in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë;
• framed – based on a frame structure that opens and closes the main story; this is a story within a story, as in One Thousand and One Nights.

Types of plot by structure

Based on the number of storylines in a novel, we can distinguish between the following types of plot:

• single-strand – based on one main story that develops throughout the book; it should have a clear beginning, middle and ending and guide the reader transparently towards the main climax and/or resolution of the conflict; an example is Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.
• multi-strand – in which at least two storylines involving different events develop with equal importance and share a central motif or theme. This type of plot allows several perspectives to be shown, increases the pace of events and makes it possible to explore many themes, presenting characters from different angles. In such a complex narrative, it is much easier to hold the reader’s attention, maintain tension and introduce sudden twists, as in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Types of plot by the relationship between storylines

A novel’s plot may also be:

• parallel – a multi-strand plot in which all events take place at the same time, though not necessarily in the same location, and have equal importance, as in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell;
• linear – consisting of a beginning, middle and ending, with events presented chronologically, as in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald;
• retrospective – in which the entire story is presented from the perspective of the past, for example through one character’s memories, as in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee;
• episodic – based on loose links between individual plot episodes, which are not arranged in any clear hierarchy or order, as in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

What makes a book plot gripping?

A well-crafted, interesting book plot must first and foremost capture the reader’s attention through an engaging story, plot twists, surprising events, conflicts and distinctive characters who take part in them. A compelling example is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

A valuable and gripping plot is also characterised by:

• sound construction,
• a coherent and logical sequence of events,
• rich emotions that influence the reader’s response,
• mystery, meaning that the reader does not know the ending until the final pages,
• intricate events that arouse curiosity.

How do you prepare a plot outline?

Alongside formal aspects such as the number of storylines, the relationships between events and the narrative approach, the overall plot concept is equally important: in other words, the original idea behind the book.

Here are several tips to follow when creating an interesting story:

1. Consider what idea you want to communicate to your readers.
2. Create distinctive characters and show their motivations, past experiences and emotions, all of which will influence the plot.
3. Next, define the characters’ internal conflict in relation to the central idea – what must the character do for your message to come through in the work?
4. Decide where and when the story takes place.
5. Create a plan of events, starting with the less important moments and building towards the climactic ones.
6. Make sure your message is convincing and meaningful.

This three-act structure is the most commonly used model. It makes it easier to organise the entire story and present events in a coherent and logical way.

You can use a sample plot outline to guide you step by step through the process of writing a novel. Once you have all the key elements needed to create your plot, the next stage is to start writing. During the process, follow your outline and remember to avoid the basic mistakes associated with plot development.

A book’s plot and its central motif

The main idea an author wants to communicate to readers often works together with the novel’s central motif and forms a key element of the plot. The central motif returns at the most important moments in the book and strongly influences the development of the plot, so when choosing one, it is worth considering what you really want to tell your readers.

Examples of well-known central motifs include:

• marriage and social class – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert;
• the loss of individuality – Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley;
• loneliness – One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck;
• the conflict between good and evil – Macbeth by William Shakespeare, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, Dune by Frank Herbert and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien;
• journey and the search for identity – The Odyssey by Homer, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

The central motif often expresses fundamental questions, values or problems. It is a good idea to choose one leading motif, but there is nothing to stop a book from containing two or more.

How can you avoid mistakes when creating a novel’s plot?

A further weakness is a narrative pace that is too slow or too fast, which can bore or overwhelm the reader. Another common mistake is creating underdeveloped characters who lack clear motivations, as well as forgetting about conflict, which is essential to every story. A plot can also suffer from too many characters or an excess of details and descriptions of events that are not necessary for understanding the message but make the story longer.

A good way to avoid these mistakes is to create a detailed plot outline – define its structure, beginning, middle and ending, and then develop the characters’ profiles. At every stage of the writing process, it is also worth looking out for inconsistencies between storylines and working towards presenting the novel’s central idea. As well as working independently, it can be very useful to seek feedback from early reviewers, whose fresh perspective may help identify inconsistencies or mistakes the author has missed.