(Requested by: jhoespersonalhoe)

The plot is the storyline. It's what happens in the story...
...Okay my description is total crap.

Google says "Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a [story] depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story."

This is how I, HobisHearteu, do plots.

1.)       First things first, you need to put everything partaining to your story out on paper/a screen.
           •Write out all of the scenes that you have in your head
           •Re-write your pre-existing ideas so that everything is in the same place (same notebook, document, folder, notes page, whatever you use)
           •(The character details and stuff are unimportant)

2.)       Once you have all of your ideas out, you'll need to arrange them in chronological order. This means put them in order of when the scenes took place.
           •Don't overthink it.
           •Put them in the order that you want them to happen in, even if it doesn't make complete sense
           •Don't worry if it seems like there's something missing yet
           •On a computer or phone, you can use copy and paste to move the whole scenes around
           •On paper, you can lay each scene out on separate pieces of paper (you can cut paper to save trees if you want) on a table or floor. Then just physically move them around

***Instead of moving entire scenes around, you can list the scenes out on a separate document and name them accordingly. Then just switch the names around (makes it simple) and refer to the originals as needed.

3.)       Now, look at the scenes. It's important for your story to flow smoothly, so figure out where you're lacking.
           •Mark (circle/highlight/*) where there's missing scenes.
           •Mark where two scenes don't transition smoothly.

4.)       Spend some time conjuring scenes that can fill in the blanks that you noticed previously and then place them in their correct spots in the plot.
           •This may take a while, so don't rush it

5.)       Now that you have a complete plot laid out, you need to make sure it follows some type of climax guidelines. In school, we learned something along the lines of:
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution/Denouement
           •You don't have to follow it exactly, but that's just the basic structure.
           •It's imperative that you have these parts

             •Basically, the exposition is introduction what is to come
           •Somewhere in the beginning, it needs to be clear that there's something in store for later. Bring up the issue, or what may become an issue later.
             •I advise that if you start out the story with BAM! action, make it a prologue or forward. Then after that, ease into the story with a good exposition.

           •Rising action just means the events that lead up to the climax (smooth transitioning)
           •It doesn't have to be a constant rise in tension. It can rise a bit, then fall, rise and fall. In the end, it should reach the peak climax in the story

           •Climax is important, so be sure to have a peak climax in the first place. If you don't, you have to fill in that "plot hole" (Take your time with this).
You can fix it by:
           •Taking the most important scene of your storyline and making it super dramatic
           •Coming up with a whole new scene that will fit well within your pre-existing plot
           •If you do have a climax, ask yourself, "Is this climatic enough?" If not, add emphasis.
           •Make sure that your storyline isn't constantly climatic. Readers oftentimes get bored when the climax(es) seem never-ending.

           •The purpose of the falling action is so that you can smoothly transition to the resolution. Calm things down and let your reader breathe

           •The denouement is what should satisfy your reader; some type of solution, or the start to a solution of a sort.
           •It doesn't have to be a literal problem-solution deal. I use the word "resolution" loosely. It can mean whatever you want as long as it's satisfactory
           •The purpose of some stories is to leave the reader totally unsatisfied. If that's your goal, that's okay, too.

6.)       Your storyline should be solid at this point. All you have left to do is read over and make sure you're satisfied, and repeat any of the steps if it's necessary.

Let me know if y'all have any questions!