The Beginner's Guide to Plot Structure

BEWARE! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIES MONSTERS UNIVERSITY AND RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. I'M SORRY IF I RUIN ANYTHING FOR YOU.

This idea just occurred to me the other day because when I started trying to use real plot, I couldn't find a simple explanation of the plot points all in one place. I had to go back and forth between two or three blog posts at once, trying to figure it out. So now, for all my people who are trying to puzzle through the concept of plot points, here you go. This is for you.

Overview

If you don't get all of this the first time through, that's okay. I'll try to write it so that it's easy to understand the first time through, but if it doesn't make sense, just go through it again. There's no shame in re-reading it for clarity. Also, you know how I love to include gifs in my posts, but this will probably be hard enough to comprehend, so I don't think anyone wants the added distraction of gifs. So any added humor will be all pictures. Now let us proceed with the first part of the story:

The Normal World

True, the Normal World isn't actually a plot point. But it's your starting point. It's the edge of the pool before you climb up to the diving board. Before you can rip the whole world apart and put it back together, you have to show everyone what it started off like, whether it was already good (like the beginning of Up), or bad and about to get better (like the beginning of The Hunger Games). You have to show the Before before you can get to the After.

Your characters, having tea with you, having no idea what's coming to them.

Examples: Mike Wizowski is a kid who is constantly disregarded, and he wants to become a Scarer;
the Guardians are busy protecting childhood like they should, and everything seems to be going well.

The Inciting Incident

This is the diving board. The whole story jumps off from here. Whatever happens to the character here gets the character's attention and changes the Normal World. There is a difference between the Inciting Incident and the Key Event (which are normally the same plot point in the story) but I'm not going to go into that for two reasons:

   One: This is a post for beginners, and the difference between the Inciting Incident and the Key Event is a complicated subject.

   Two: I don't really understand the difference myself. *cough*

Examples: After finally getting into Monsters University, Mike learns that only those who past the end-of-semester test will be allowed into Hardscrabble's scaring program; Pitch Black appears at the North Pole, causing the Guardians to recognize the threat he poses.

The First Plot Point

This one's sometimes called the Doorway. It's a point that the MC(Main Character) has to pass, and once he passes, he can't go back.

Examples: Having been kicked out of the scare program, Mike bets Hardscrabble that he can win the scare games, and if he can't, he will be expelled; Jack Frost is invited to join the Guardians on their mission to stop Pitch black.

The First Pinch Point

Warm up your evil laughter, my friends. I'll start. Bwahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa!!! Now we get to torture the characters!! Okay. With that out of the way, let me explain. The pinch points are where the bad guys do something, um, bad. Whether they burn down a couple villages or cut all the hair off the MC's favorite doll, somehow or another they have to remind us that they exist.

Examples: Mike, Sully and their team come in last for the first part of the scare games; Pitch Black attacks the Tooth Palace and steals everything that was in it, threatening one of the Guardians.


The Midpoint
(quick note to avoid confusion later: the midpoint is the second plot point)
I'm probably going to end up saying this a lot, but this is one of my favorite parts! The midpoint, or turning point, is the very middle of the story, the thing the whole story hangs on. This is the moment where the characters learn some new information that completely changes the way they see the conflict. The gaaaaaaaasp moment. Normally at this point, their goal will change, or the stakes are raised, making them need to fulfill the goal twice as much. They really need to do something, and fast.

Examples: Mike's team goes to Monsters, Inc. and see the variety of scarers there are, giving them new motivation to win the scare games; Pitch Black shows off his army of nightmare horses and uses them to successfully kill Sandman. One of my favorite turning points is from Guardians of the Galaxy, where they learn that the orb they've been carrying contains a destructive Infinity Stone, something they need to keep safe, not sell.

Turning point be like

The Second Pinch Point
For the second time, the villain reminds us that he's still alive and taking names, and the characters are reminded just how much they need to get rid of this guy.

Examples: Hardscrabble talks to Sully and undermines his faith in their team's ability to win; Pitch Black attacks the Easter Bunny's Warren in Jack Frost's absence and destroys all the eggs.


The Third Plot Point
The third plot point is also called the Dark Night of the Soul, and it's the part where the MC is at his/her very lowest, the darkest part of the story. It normally comes right after what seemed like a victory for the good guys, and if you're also trying to do character arcs, this is the part where the character's flaw is fully exposed to them and they realize how much they have to change. This is another one of my favorite parts of the story(I am dark and heartless, I know).

Examples: Mike loses the scare games, and he escapes to the human world to prove his scariness, only to discover that none of the children there are frightened of him; rejected by the Guardians and feeling responsible for the loss of the eggs, Jack runs away to the Antarctic to be alone.

The basic feel of the third plot point

The Climax
This is where it all comes down to it. We've put it off long enough; it's now time for the hero to face the villain. They pull out all the stops. They grab all their friends. Only one of them can walk away from this.

Examples: Mike and Sully perform an epic scare to power a door so they can get back to their own world; Jack and the other Guardians, along with the children, face Pitch Black and make sure that the children will never be scared of him again.


Wrapup
This is just the ending sequence. Again, yeah, this isn't really a plot point, but it's important. We can't all be Studio Ghibli and cut to the credits thirty seconds after the villain is defeated. Once the villain has been defeated, we've got to wind down a little bit before the book can come to a close. Let the readers know what happened to the MC's grandfather in the invasion, reunite with friends after the battle, that kind of thing. Let them all go home. If necessary, the MC can share a kiss with his girlfriend.

Examples: I'm pretty sure you know what the end of a story looks like, but here we go anyway: Mike and Sully work their way up the ladder to become a scarer and a scare coach at Monsters, Inc.; Jack becomes an official Guardian and continues in his quest to bring fun to the children of the world.


Bonus Plot Point: The False Climax
If you've already got a basic feel for the other plot points, here's another one. The false climax is the big showy climax right before the extra battle that no one knew was coming. Just as the characters thought they had got him, and they're just starting to relax, ha ha! The villain pounces again! Now the true climax has begun. Normally it has slightly different and higher stakes from the false climax. It normally happens because the heroes missed some important detail of the villain's plan.

Example: The Incredibles get Kari's message thanking them for sending a replacement they never sent and return home in a panic to discover that the replacement is Syndrome, who wasn't dead after all (Incredibles).


And that's it! This was a lot harder to simplify than I thought, so hopefully it still makes sense. If you still don't get it, you might want to go to K.M. Weiland's Story Structure Database, a section of her website where she breaks down movies and books and points out their structure and plot points. Believe me, it helps.

Did you find this helpful? Are there any parts of the story you need me to clarify? Let me know in the comments.

Visit me on Instagram and Twitter for writing humor throughout the week, and I'll see you next time!