Overall Plot Structure

Don't expect a detailed analysis of plot structure in this article - that will come later in this section on writing a novel's plot. The purpose of these opening articles is to break you into the subject gently, and all I want to talk about here is plot structure in its broadest form.

More specifically, I want to talk about the number three. Three is the magic number of plot - not just novel plots, but short story, movie and stage play plots.

Every story (every good story, anyway) has a beginning, a middle and an ending - or three distinct and entirely separate phases.

In a play, they are often called Act I, Act II and Act III, and the curtain usually comes down between each one.

In a novel, a plot is divided into chapters, not acts, though it is usually possible to pinpoint the precise moment when the beginning gives way to the middle and the middle becomes the ending. Plot structure is kind of neat like that, once you know what you are looking for.

In more human terms, the beginning, middle and end of a novel - or the three act structure of a play - can be summarized as follows:

1. The main character makes a decision to act.
2. The action itself.
3. The consequences of the action.

An Example of Plot Structure

Using the classic example of a "boy meets girl" plot, the 3 steps will look something like this:

1. The boy meets the girl and falls hopelessly in love with her. He makes the decision that he must either make her his or die trying.

2. So he sets out to win her heart. This being a plot in a novel, though, nothing comes easy. He takes several steps forward but even more steps back, and he eventually loses her. (In an opera, this would be the point where the curtain comes crashing down at the tragic end to Act II.)

3. Actions have consequences in fiction, and in a novel this usually takes the form of the central character changing. In other words, the boy recognizes his flaws, changes his ways and wins the girl. Big kiss, stirring music, the end.

And that is all there is to say about the overall structure of a plot. From the briefest short story to a 1,000-page novel, from a night at the opera to an afternoon at the multiplex, this classic three act structure is what unites all stories - including your novel.

Of course, it doesn't tell you much about how to actually plot a novel (but don't worry because we'll be getting down to that very soon).

What it does do, though, is enable you to take your initial idea for a plot and make sure that, in its crudest form, it has all the fundamentals in place.