In one of my favorite Miss Marple adventures, one of the suspects is cleared of suspicion when he provides an alibi–and announces that the plot dilutes! Which I love. The idea, that is, not the reality of a diluted plot.

Plot is not one of my favorite parts of writing–I love the people, the place, and the problem so much, that I have been impatient with the need to plot. Right up until I figured out that readers actually LIKE plot! Who knew!

Well, I did. Because I love a really well-written, nicely plotted story. Take Agatha Christie. Or Elizabeth Peters. Or my current rave: Kate Atkinson.

And thus I put all my energy into learning how to plot.

And it led me, once again, back to our old friend Aristotle, specifically dramatic structure he describes in The Poetics.

I have adapted his teaching to the purposes of contemporary literature and am talking about it in this video and in the next two as well.

In brief, what I have to say is–

According to Freytag, a drama is divided into five parts, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement.

Exposition: The elements of the story and the main characters are introduced and fleshed out. The problem is presented and explained.

Rising action: In the rising action, a series of related incidents build toward the point of greatest interest. These events are generally the most important parts of the story since the entire plot depends on them to set up the climax, and ultimately the satisfactory resolution of the story itself.

Climax or crisis: The climax is the turning point, which changes the protagonist’s fate. If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point; now, the plot will begin to unfold in his or her favor. If the story is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist, often revealing the protagonist’s hidden weaknesses.

Falling action: During the falling action, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action may contain a moment of final suspense, in which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt.

Dénouement, resolution, revelation or catastrophe: The dénouement comprises events from the end of the falling action to the actual ending scene of the drama or narrative. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader.