Today we’re talking about a topic that might seem a bit technical, but is actually the foundation of any good storytelling: plot and plot. You may have heard these terms in your school years, but what do they really mean and how do they influence a story? Let’s try to understand everything simply and clearly.
Plot and story: what are they?
The plot is the chronological order in which events unfold in reality. Think of it as the thread that follows the natural sequence of events: first one event happens, then another, and so on. The plot, on the other hand, is the order in which these events are presented in the story. This means the author has the freedom to play with the order of events, changing the sequence in which they are revealed to the reader.
If a story begins with a character finding a treasure, but we later discover that the treasure was found after a long adventure, the plot is different from the fabula. The fabula tells us that the adventure follows the discovery of the treasure, but the plot might show us the discovery of the treasure at the beginning and then tell us about the adventure that led to it.
Plot and story: an easy example
Let’s take the fairy tale of Snow White, which we all know. If we were to follow the story, the events would happen like this:
1. Snow White loses her mother and lives with her stepmother.
2. The stepmother orders the huntsman to kill Snow White.
3. Snow White finds refuge with the seven dwarfs.
4. The stepmother, disguised as an old woman, poisons Snow White with an apple.
5. A prince wakes her with a kiss and they get married.
In this case, the story is told in chronological order, just as it would happen in real life. This type of narration is called “linear plot” because the order of events follows that of the plot.
But is writing with a linear plot always easy?
And here’s the kicker: telling a story in chronological order isn’t always easy. For children’s books, fairy tales, and fables, a linear plot works well because it’s easier to follow, especially for children who listen to stories read aloud. But when it comes to more complex texts, like multi-part novels, following a linear plot can become monotonous. Authors must find other ways to hold the reader’s attention.
When story and plot don’t coincide
Now let’s talk about those cases where the plot and the story don’t coincide. Authors sometimes choose not to follow chronological order to make the story more intriguing or to create suspense. How do they do it? They use two main narrative techniques: analepsis and prolepsis.
1. Analepsis (or Flashback): This is a leap back in time. Imagine that in the middle of the story, a character begins to remember past events. This is a flashback, which allows us to discover what happened before the point we are at. For example, in Homer ‘s Odyssey , the narration does not follow chronological order. It begins in the middle of the story and then jumps back to tell us about Odysseus ‘s past adventures ;
2. Prolepsis (or Flashforward): This is the opposite of analepsis. Instead of going back in time, it anticipates future events. For example, in Gabriel García Márquez ‘s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude , the opening scene tells us that the protagonist, Colonel Aureliano Buendía , will be facing a firing squad. This anticipates a future event and creates curiosity: how will he get there?
Managing spoilers isn’t easy. If not used carefully, they can create false expectations in the reader, who may then be disappointed when the story unfolds differently. It’s a delicate balance: you have to pique their curiosity without ruining the surprise. This is especially true in humorous texts, where teasing the ending can work well because, even if we already know how it will end, the fun lies in seeing how the character gets there.
On the other hand, you could try another narrative technique: cross-cutting . This strategy allows you to play with the chronological order of events, creating temporal gaps between the plot and the story.
To see how much you can experiment with your writing and time shifts, I recommend Raymond Queneau ‘s Exercises in Style . In this book, Queneau tells the same story 99 different ways, altering not only the plot but also the linguistic and stylistic choices. One variation follows the chronological order, while another completely reverses it, starting from the end and working back to the beginning.
Take, for example, variation number 1, Notations : here the events are told in linear order, from the young man on the bus to the argument with the neighbor, up to the free seat. In contrast, variation number 5, Retrograde , tells the same story backward, starting with the young man and his friend and moving back to the crowded bus.
These exercises demonstrate how the order of events can be manipulated to create different effects. Stop and think for a moment: is the plot you’ve chosen for your text really the most effective? We often tend to follow an order that seems natural to us, without asking ourselves if there’s a better way to tell the story.
Try breaking your story down into individual events and rearranging them. Write each step on a piece of paper and experiment with different orders: you might find that a new plot gives your narrative unexpected strength.
You have an idea, maybe even a draft, but you feel like something’s not working. Your story could be more compelling, more intense, more unique… but what can you do? You don’t have the time to work on it, or you don’t know where to start to reorganize the plot and make the plot truly effective. Maybe you’re worried that your story won’t have the right impact, that it’ll remain an unfinished idea, or that your audience won’t find it as engaging as you’d like.
Don’t let this roadblock slow down your project. A story can only come to life with the right structure and narrative. If you don’t have the time or tools to do it yourself, why not rely on a professional? Ghost Writing helps you transform your idea into an extraordinary tale, with complete discretion and full rights.
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