Elements of a Plot: What Is a Story Plot?

Plot is a catch-all literary term for the sequence of events found in plays, TV shows, films, short stories, and novels. The plot of a story answers the question, “What happens?” Plot points act as the critical milestones in a narrative that steer the main character through an inciting incident, conflict, and resolution—just three elements of plot that may equate to the simpler terms beginning, middle, and end. Stories told in the first person point of view or third person can have rich plots that enthrall the reader with major conflicts, twists and turns, and dynamic subplots.

Consider the following plot elements of a story and where they take place in the narrative:

1. 1. Exposition: The exposition of a story is the world-building found at the beginning of a storyline. Readers meet the main character and understand their needs and environment. An example would be the brawl between the servants of the Montague and Capulet families in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1597), which outlines the feud between these two groups.
   
2. 2. Inciting incident: The inciting incident marks a crucial turning point. It’s usually the moment at which the protagonist makes a decision, learns new information, or begins a journey. In J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997), the inciting incident is when Harry learns he is a wizard and will start school at Hogwarts, away from his wicked aunt and uncle.
3. 3. Rising action: This part of the story introduces the central conflict and the events that will lead characters to addressing and overcoming the friction. In James Baldwin’s Another Country (1962), the falling action is each of the main characters’ ongoing and secret affairs with one another in various apartments and parts of New York City.
4. 4. Climax: The climax is the central turning point, often the dramatic high point of a story and an event that characters cannot undo, which means it dictates their future actions. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), the climax is the trial that finds Tom Robinson guilty of sexual assault, shattering Scout’s perceptions that the teachings and goodness of Atticus reflect the rest of the world.
5. 5. Falling action: The falling action follows the climax and details the events characters take in the wake of change. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1989), the falling action is when Stevens meets with his life’s only love, Miss Kenton, and expresses regret for not acting on his affection earlier.
6. 6. Denouement: The denouement is the end of the story; it may tie up loose ends or bring readers a happy ending. Sometimes it acts as an epilogue; in Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001), the denouement consists of Briony’s reflections on her writing and actions as a teenager.

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