HOW TO CHOOSE A PLOT--Part One

So, you may ask. What is the difference between plot and story? Story is what happens, related in chronological order. Plot is story plus why everything happens. The following are examples.

 Georgia punched in Jake’s number and waited while the phone buzzed.

“Yeah,” Jake said.

“You need to come home now.”

“I’m busy.”

“I’ve been waiting two hours.”

Silence.

“Okay,” Jake said. “I’m leaving now.”

The phone clicked in Georgia’s ear. She waited in the parking lot. (Story)

 

Georgia’s hand shook as she punched in Jake’s number. Her queasiness grew with each buzz.

“Yeah,” Jake growled.

She gulped, pressed the phone harder to her ear, and listened to the giggles in the background. “You need to come home now.”

“I’m busy.”

I bet you are. “I’ve been waiting two hours.”

Silence.

What are they doing?

“Okay,” Jake snapped. “I’m leaving now.”

The phone clicked in Georgia’s ear. Only a moment until they slither out the back way. She opened the car door and pulled the gun from her purse. (Plot)

 Plot is composed of a series of cause and effect relationships that reveal what happened and why. There are a number of basic plots from which a writer may derive a story. We shall explore a few.—Quinn