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Plot isn't as simplistic nor as mysterious as we writers tend to make it out to be. Stated simply, a plot is nothing more than what happens in your story. It consists of a number of scenes placed in an order that inspires the story. Stated mysteriously, a plot consists of the core elements of a story which drive the movement of the story to its conclusion. These elements can include events, characters, dialogue, emotions, etc. So how do you begin to build the plot of your novel? Assuming you have a basic idea, the most direct way to building a plot is to follow the basics: have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Let's take a look at these ... The Beginning This is where the reader is introduced to the main characters, the lives they live, and how things have always been. It's similar to the before photograph on a weight loss commercial. You see what life is like before the conflict kicks in and the story takes off. We get to know and care about the main characters in this section. We always get to appreciate what's important in their lives, their beliefs, their wants and hopes. And at the end of this section, we're introduced to what threatens this life as is it, and what will be a stake for the rest of the story. The goals of your characters are established, and form the story's push. The Middle The middle of your story is often considered the most difficult to write. This covers the greatest number of pages. It's in this vast landscape that you challenge your main characters with new obstacles that threaten everything they believe in, all the way down to their very lives. Obstacle after obstacle is thrown at your characters. Each one making the situation bleaker. Subplots unfold. Antagonists get the upper hand. Heroes appear mere mortal in the eye of the storm that swirls around them. All the challenges rise and rise until they reach a point where things can't possibly get any worse. The End Here, your story reaches its climax, that point where everything comes together and your main character either overcomes the obstacles against him or her, succumbs to the obstacles, or walks away with neither a win nor a defeat. It's far more common for the main character to be triumphant at the end. This is simply because that's the way readers generally prefer endings. We want to see the bad guys lose and the good guys win. You'll also use this section to wrap up any loose ends in your story and subplots. Caveats When we speak of obstacles, overcoming obstacles, and being triumphant, this doesn't mean every story is an action thriller. An obstacle can be almost actionless. For instance, you could have a teacher up for the principal's position at a school and suddenly anonymous letters begin arriving that accuse the teacher of improper relations with her students. That's an obstacle that must be overcome if the teacher wants to be the principal. So don't force yourself to only think in terms of physical confrontations or battles to the death. And finally, when we talk about plotting a novel, you must understand that there is no singular way to tell a story. Sometimes they're told backwards. Sometimes they're told over generations. Sometimes they're about a single character. Sometimes they're about an entire country. Using the beginning, middle and end approach offers you as much flexibility as you want. It provides the skeletal structure to your plot, and allows your imagination and creativity to fly free from there.
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