A plot is a sequence of events; that is, a journey from here to there. It is characterized by rising action set in motion by conflict. Many common conflicts drive plots. Some of these conflicts include: man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. himself, man vs. supernatural, and man vs. woman.
All plots must have an internal and an external conflict. These conflicts should be wrestled with and resolved by a main character. Great plots are borne of making characters suffer. If your character isn’t suffering, then you don’t have a plot; instead you have a string of incidents.
In terms of structure, plot begins in the world before anything happens. This is not a static place. Many authors make the mistake of starting with a main character getting out of bed. But unless there’s a monster under that bed, this most likely is not the true beginning of the novel. Another common error is the cliché beginning. No “once upon a times” or “dark and stormy nights,” and such. A plot begins just before everything changes.
When everything changes, the main character is forced into a decision. This decision launches the main character on a journey. The worst possible thing that could happen to your character is a good place to start. All authors have a natural tendency to protect their heroes. This must be avoided.
Effective novel plots have a point of no return at the center of the novel. This point irrevocably commits the main character to change. For example, in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett realizes that she is irreversibly in love with Mr. Darcy. In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the mid-point is at the Rivendell when all the characters commit to the quest, forming the fellowship.
After the mid-point the action continues to rise, and the character rises up to each challenge. During this time it looks like the main character is figuring it all out. Yay. But now disaster upon disaster hits, plunging the character to the emotional low point of the story. This low point is the darkest moment of the plot.
Finally, the climax arrives. All the moments of the journey have led up to this one. The hero must come to the brink of losing everything and then resolve the conflict. One common mistake of the climax is not making the stakes high enough. Another is to let a secondary character resolve the conflict.
Finally, the end. The resolution of the novel needs to be short in length compared to the rest of the novel. Dragging out this portion of the novel annoys readers. Tie the loose ends and wrap it up.
Wow! I had to read this twice.