Plotting and structuring a story

In literary as in all other art, structure is all-important, felt, or painfully missed, everywhere — that architectural conception of work, which foresees the end in the beginning and never loses sight of it, and in every part is conscious of all the rest, till the last sentence does but, with undiminished vigor, unfold and justify the first —a condition of literary art, which. . . I shall call the necessity of mind in style.— WALTER PATER.

I do not believe in hard and fast rules for the construction of stories. Methods of work must vary with individual temperaments. My own way of work naturally seems to me the most logical, but I realize that this is a question which each writer must decide for himself. Personally, I find it necessary to know the general course of a story, and above all to know the end before I can begin it.— ARID BATES.

It will be best for the student first to master, through practice, plotting and the development of plot. Let the first practice work be merely the origination of plots with no attempt to develop them in detail, writing them simply as synopses. Later some of these ideas may be worked over and in the light of subsequent knowledge. Do not work overlong at one time on any one plot. Aim at first rather to write many of varying grades than merely a few good ones that are worked over and repolished. Each new plot will offer new angles which may be found applicable to other plots and themes.

My model is Euclid, whose justly celebrated book of short stories, entitled The Elements of Geometry, will live when most of us who are scribbling to-day are forgotten. Euclid lays down his plot, sets instantly to work at its development, letting no incident creep in that does not bear relation to the climax, using no unnecessary word, always keeping his one end in view, and the moment he reaches the culmination he stops,— ROBERT Bess, The Bookman, March, 1897.

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Many stories, few plots

the Simplicity of a short story plot is necessary and advantageous

WHAT CONSTITUTES A PLOT

PLOT DEVELOPMENT

Plot variation

DON'TS FOR  PLOT-BUILDERS

The Structure Of The Short Story

CONTINUITY of action

PUTTING IN THE PUNCH- idea under plot

KINDS OF short story PLOT

Writing Fiction Plot

Plasticity of the scenario

Hackneyed Themes

economy in the structure of a short story

incident

DRAMATIC ACTION

chapters in a short story

the Selection of Details

ANTI CLIMAX, its use and abuse

INCIDENT HINTS

Step outline example,"The Ambitious Guest."

stages of the plot

BUILDING UP THE PLOT

CHOICE OF PLOT

odds and ends

writing techniques

writing people

ORATORY

story components and attributes

literature history and criticism