Lesson 4: Plot
In simple terms, plot is what happens during your story. It's the sequence of events that happen to, and because of, your characters from the beginning to the ending of your novel. In this lesson, I'll discuss the beginning, middle, and climax and ending of your story, as well as subplots.
(For more information on plot development, see Writing the Breakout Novel, chapter 6, and Bird by Bird, pages 54-63.)
Beginning
The opening scene of your novel, beginning with your opening line, should hook your readers. It should be compelling by giving your readers a hint of what they can expect from the story. Your story probably won't begin at the beginning, but rather at a high, or low, point in the main character's life. It will likely be an active event, either externally or internally. You'll pique the readers' interest by introducing them to your main character and the problem she will face. The opening scene, as well as all others, will advance the story through the development of character, plot, and theme, but it will focus primarily on one of those elements. In other words, though plot is always present, it may not always be the most visible element in a scene if it doesn't best serve the purpose of advancing the story in the direction you wish.
Your beginning scene must not only grab your readers' attention, it must engage their sympathies for your characters, and the problem she faces must not be easy to solve. If a character's life, emotional or physical, is in danger, we must first care about that character for her life to really matter enough for us to turn the page.
