Do You Know What A Plot Is?

Creative Writing Tips ?

What a plot is and what a story is can be sometimes confusing. If you think they are the same? They are not. A plot is the outline of your story. The story is everything included.

I will illustrate the difference by asking you to visualize two pictures?

1. Visualize a skeleton.

Then

2. Visualize a body.

The skeleton is your plot. It's the outline of your story. It won't be visible when we flesh it out but it will still be there, holding your story together.

The body is your story. It's everything, which our story will contain, including the plot. The story is the plot fleshed out.

What does it mean to 'flesh it out?'

Let me show you.

I'll take a brief plot?

A man meets a woman and they fall in love. They encounter great difficulties because their family are against the relationship.

This is the outline of the story.

Now we are going to flesh it out and make it into a story. Fleshing it out means adding things to make this basic plot into a story. To do this we will add the rest of the ingredients such as?

  • Setting ? Where will our story take place

  • Dialogue ? What will be said and by whom

  • Characters ? How many characters will our story contain? Who are they? What is their role?

  • Problems ? What and how many problems will the couple encounter

  • Goal ? What is the couple's goal?

  • Conflict ? What is the conflict?

  • Climax ? How is the conflict going to come to its peak?

  • Ending ? Will their love win in the end?

  • And anything else I'll need in my story

Once we have written up all these ingredients, this will be our plot fleshed out into a story.

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers' funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Writing For The Web: Where To Get Article Ideas

A friend and I were talking the other day about... Read More

Business Writing: 10 Great Authors

Great business writers combine narrative skills with sound judgment to... Read More

Whats in a Name? Giving Birth to your Characters

So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up... Read More

Top Seven Mistakes Writers Make and What to Do About Them

Writers often get stuck because they make assumptions about writing,... Read More

Five Keys To A Successful Query Letter

Do you know what a query letter is? If so,... Read More

How to Write a Short Story

Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the... Read More

Writing Without Style

Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More

Realize Your Book Dream In 2005!

If you haven't realized the success you wanted last year,... Read More

The Magic of Layout in Your Story

"The Magic of Layout..."???Okay... "magic" might seem a bit over... Read More

Interviewing an Author: Dont Be Left Speechless

Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More

Keep your Book Dream Alive

Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More

Dreading the Writing Assignment? Outlines to the Rescue

Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More

Which Comes First - Short Story Or Novel?

A writer writes. Bet you've heard that one... Read More

The Makings of a Personal Essay, Really

Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist

Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More

Get Creative In The Great Outdoors

Summer's here and the time is write for dancing in... Read More

Increase Your Web Traffic By Using Keyword Articles

If you have an online home based business you know... Read More

Why Researching Is Good, And A Failure To Do So Is Not

What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More

Learn How To Write Poetry!

A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More

How You Can Become a Certified and Profitable Proofreader

A certified proofreader is one that has taken a few... Read More

A Writers Inner Battle

There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More

Overcome Writers Block with Snake Dancing

Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More

Should You Hire a Ghostwriter?

Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they... Read More

Ferreting Out Work

FERRETING OUT WORK You keep hearing that there's work out... Read More

Publication Road

The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More

What Can Go Into A Plot?

Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More

To Tell If You Are A Literary Snob

"I don't know if I should put 'writer' on my... Read More

Do The Unfamiliar To Keep Your Writing Going

One of the best ways to blow someone's winning streak... Read More

Ten Quick Tips for Inexperienced Writers

One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More

Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 5 of 6

PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means... Read More

Good Writing

Good writing is like sex. Two people are involved ?... Read More

A Beginners Guide to Writing a Novel

No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More

Who Else Wants To Make $3546 By Simply Pressing a Button!

If you have been online for any length of time... Read More