Plotting

 I read a book on plots while in prison. My notes, and I think I may have made some, remain buried in the papers making up my prison journal. Generally speaking, plot is for me, on what I hang my characters.

Screencraft published What is a Plot? The article starts at Aristotle and moves forward. I want to make note of this:

Plot vs. Story

Writers often struggle with the difference between plot and story. The truth is that they are very different and encompass very different elements.

Story Is...

The ingredients.

• The Who
• The What
• The Where

When writers conjure a story, they need to ask themselves:

• Who are the characters?
• What conflicts are they facing?
• Where is this all taking place?

The answers to those questions equate to the bones of the story to be told.

If you're a screenwriter looking to find the best structure to write loglines, the story (who, what, and where) is where you turn to.

When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community, a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer must hunt the beast down before it kills again.

That's the story of Steven Spielberg's Jaws. It's basic. It covers:

• Who — a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer
• What — killer shark unleashing chaos that needs to be hunted down before it kills again
• Where — a beach community

  Plot Is...

  The actions.

• The How
• The When
• The Why

When you find the story, you now need to structure it with the sequence of events, based primarily on the conflict the characters face and how, when, and why they react the way they do.

• How are the characters confronted with the conflicts they face?
• When does the story take place within the lives of the characters?
• Why are the characters confronted with the conflict, and why do they react the way they do?

And, of course, that leads to Aristotle's end where the sequence of events presented in the plot — and the actions and reactions of the characters as they deal with the conflicts within those events — lead to an ending "by necessity or rule, but has nothing following it."

That's what a plot is and accomplishes.

And now I have more to worry over. 

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