A Summary of Fiction Plot

This is the sixth and last week devoted to plot's seven parts. No matter the form of fiction, the same seven part model is used. Plot is primary to any manuscript; it describes story structure.

Readers must find a sequence of events realistic, consistent, well-ordered, and well-paced. Within the context of genre, an artist must watch for plot holes—the inaccurate, impossible, and illogical. Check that a story begins at the right time, builds steadily before and after climax, and resolves satisfactorily.

The most common problems in plot that I have encountered are:

• A slow beginning
• Any inclusion that does not advance the plot (secondary character, dialogue, subplots, narrative, etc.)
• Pacing of events that moves too fast
• Pacing of events that moves too slow
• Subplots that aren’t tied into the main plot at some point
• Protagonist not involved in all events, either directly or indirectly
• Weak conclusion

If these flaws are cleared up in a manuscript, further rewrites to improve plot will merely move information around, not improve quality. It is said an artist is never done with a story; there just comes a time when one must stop working on it.