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World-building is an excellent start to crafting the mold in which you pour your story, but it lacks the substance to create the story itself. On top of the world-building lies the plot—the essence of your story. World-building is just the flavouring. That doesn’t make it any less important, however, but a story cannot stand on world-building alone.
Every story needs a plot.
> **plot**
> _noun_
> The main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.”
> - [OxfordDictionaries.com](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plot)
A plot is a sequence of events that make up the story. It is the magical element of a story that sucks the reader in and lets them live in the world. Within a plot, the reader can enjoy and appreciate your world-building and characters. Plot is how your story plays out.
For the purpose of clarity, let’s define the elements in this article:
- **Story:** The entirety of all the elements included, from beginning to end.
- **Plot:** The sequence of events throughout the story.
- **Plot-line:** The general path of the plot.
- **Plot Course:** The theme of the plot.
## Plot-Lines
While plots can be intricate in nature—sometimes holding many subplots—the paths that underline the plots are quite simple. We’ll call them plot-lines. Plot-lines are the overview of the plot—the direction through which a plot flows. And there are basically two plot-lines a story can follow:
#### The Event
In The Event, the character/s mind their own business, going about their lives, when something happens that disrupts their world. The character/s don’t go looking for action. The Event can be something the character/s yearned for or don’t mind having happen, or something the character/s might not have wanted at all. The Event happens without the character/s trying to make it happen.
- A lucky strike, an opportunity, a blessing, a curse, an apocalypse, an accident.
#### The Adventure
The Adventure is opposite to The Event. In this plot-line, the character/s look for or try to make The Adventure happen. Waiting for The Event, or trying to hide from it, can be part of The Adventure, but the character/s reach a point where they actively seek it and influence what they can to make it happen.
- A quest, revenge, repentance, seeking love, building a utopia, bringing about dystopia.
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## Plot Courses:
A plot course is the general theme of the plot that follows the plot-line you’ve chosen. A plot course allows you to flesh out the plot-line. You can then determine the sequence of events for the plot with the plot course.
There are many ways to go about a plot course, and you probably already have an idea for your plot. Just in case you don’t or you’re doubting it, the plot courses below can help you think about the direction you wish to take the events of your plot. The plot courses can also help you find which direction is best for your story and help you with the genre you choose for the story. One of the plot courses might just strike out at you as the better fit for your story, or give you an idea for the plot course you want to convey.
Let’s take a look at some plot courses to go with the plot-line. These aren’t the actual names for them, but rather names that summarise the plot courses and make it easier to remember.
#### The Quest
In The Quest, the character/s strive to find something—an item, a person, meaning, closure, etc. The plot focuses on the search and the character/s as they develop throughout the story. This plot course is highly character-oriented, with little focus on world-building in the actual story, although it is still needed.
> Ben has heard rumours of a forbidden island. He sells his possessions to buy a ship and sets sail in search of it. After years at sea, following many leads on where the island may be located, he comes across a whirlpool. The ship is too small to sail from it and gets sucked in. Ben finds himself washed up on the shore of an island. The stars are unfamiliar. Has he found the forbidden island?
#### The Goal
The Goal is where the plot is the main driver of the story. The reader is taken along a journey with the character/s to discover how the events progress toward a specific goal. The character/s serve to move the plot, focusing on the events that unfold toward an objective which completes the story. World-building features prominently in this plot-line.
> The troll on the mountain has awoken. The city of Moria, resting in the valley below, is in danger from it. Jane and her rangers must find the rare Ocaccia flower that blooms only once a year in the meadow on the other side of the mountain. The petals of this flower will send the troll back to sleep for another thousand years. The troll’s minions hunt after the rangers on their journey over the treacherous mountains to retrieve the flower and save Moria.
#### The Chase
The Chase is usually full of action and focuses on characters equally as it does with plot. In this plot course, the story develops like a chase—to acquire something or someone, usually with a time limit or some other factor that demands the character/s complete the chase as soon as possible.
> Ben comes home and finds a note attached to the fridge. A ransom for Jane’s life. And he has only seven days to fulfil the ransom—both the $500k cash and the objectives. Ben doesn’t hesitate to report the kidnapping. His time has just been reduced to five days as a result. He sets off in his car toward the first objective—picking up a large package with unknown contents. Four days left. The second objective demands he meet with someone and deliver the package. Three days now. The bank still won’t release the money from his savings account.
#### The Rescue
In The Rescue, the character/s are in need of rescuing from a situation—physical, meta-physical, emotional, or mental. The plot follows the character/s through the story, how they react to and handle the events. This plot course is character-oriented and can be full of suspense, action, and mystery.
> Jane has been in a car accident which has caused some brain damage. She now lies in hospital, trapped in a coma. The dreams she has are vivid and terrifying. She sees Ben and her family, but they don’t see her. She hears them, but they don’t hear her. She can’t get out. A maze forms in the dream as Ben reads her book on solving puzzles—one he was working on for years. He guides her through the maze to the centre where she finds the door out.
#### The Escape
On the opposite side is The Escape. This plot course shares similarities with The Rescue, but instead of waiting to be rescued, the character/s escape a situation by themselves or by their own devices. This plot course is also more focused on character/s and their reactions to the events of the plot.
> Ben and Jane have found themselves trapped on a ship in a bottle. The seawater is rough and deep, the ship anchored to the glass below. A wicked warlock had shrunk them out of jealousy and put them in this bottle. Air won’t last forever and they try to brave the strong seas to reach the cork at the neck of the bottle. Using shards of plastic and wood from the ship, Ben and Jane begin to tear open the cork, bit by bit. As soon as they break through, the spell will break.
#### The Payback
In The Payback, the character/s have been dealt an injustice—either actual or to their own perspective. The plot follows the character/s through a story of revenge to right the wrongs done to them. Character development takes centre-stage in this plot course.
> Ben has taken a family heirloom from Jane and this has caused her much dishonour among the tribe. With the heirloom, Ben flees to the hills away from tribal grounds. Jane must hunt him, retrieve the heirloom, and return with Ben’s head to restore her honour. The elders give her blessings and set her off to hunt. But Ben is just as good a hunter as Jane, and avoids her tracking. She stalks him, wanting nothing more than to kill him, until she watches him take care of an orphaned litter of wolves. The mother of which she had killed two days ago for her pelt. The winter approaches. What will she hold higher—life or honour?
#### The Riddle
In The Riddle, the plot drives the character/s and their development through the events that take place. This plot course focuses on the character/s who try to find the answer to a problem in a certain amount of time or under certain situations. Mystery and suspense usually make up the tone of this plot course.
> Jane has received a mysterious phone call while at work. She discards it as a prank, forgetting about it until her shift ends. The laboratory she works at is empty and locked down—with her inside. Another phone call comes in and gives her a clue. She races through the building to figure out where the clues are and what the puzzle is as a whole. She can only be let free once she has solved it.
#### The Rivals
The Rivals plot course is very focused on character/s, usually including two main characters, but there can be more. In this plot course the characters are at opposing ends of a situation and with their interactions with one another. Events put them up against or with each other to see how they react.
> All Jane wanted was to keep the Kingdom of Ankhar at peace. She works hard for stability and progress of the kingdom’s economy and public services. But Ben, her brother and next in line for the throne, seems to try everything he can to disrupt this. He believes the kingdom should choose its leader. He entices riots and civil unrest, bordering close to acts of treason and war. Jane doesn’t want to have him hanged, but the nobles are becoming more restless with this discourse. Her kingdom lies in jeopardy, as does her brother.
#### The Risen
The Risen is a plot course of triumph over handicaps, disabilities, poverty, oppression, etc. More commonly known as the “underdog,” the character/s rise up despite their strife, and achieve a goal or success in their endeavour. This plot course focuses on the character/s and their reaction to the events of the plot.
> Ben had lost his legs in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. He was only fifteen years old. His life was ruined. He can’t see a future, can’t see a point to trying anymore. He meets with his psychologist again, and Dr. Jane once more asks him to paint her something. For weeks now, their sessions have focused on art therapy. Ben has tried to get an exhibition with his art, but only receives rejections. He keeps trying, each rejection beating him down further. Until he receives a letter in the mail—an invitation to a grand gallery opening, all expenses paid for. His gallery opening.
#### The Temptation
The character/s in The Temptation stumble upon something or someone significant to the world and face temptation in what to do with the information. The world-building in this plot course can be as prominent as the character/s and plot, but isn’t necessarily always so. The focus is often strongly oriented toward the character/s.
> Jane finds Ben’s letter to his parents, hidden in a safety deposit box under her name. It’s been a year since his death, and his parents were devastated. She and Ben’s brother have become close, but revealing the letter to him may just break their relationship. Ben’s parents, on the other hand, might be willing to move the trust from Ben’s estate into her name—as it should have been the moment he died. They would finally know that she didn’t kill him. But Ben’s brother is set to inherit the trust in a year.
#### The Transformation
The Transformation can be a physical or non-physical transformation of the character/s throughout the story. World-building may have a significant role in this plot course, with the focus on the character/s’ reaction to The Transformation. This plot course can also include the transformation in culture reflected on the character/s, such as rite of passage and coming-of-age.
> For years, Ben has struggled with illness—both physical and mental—with no relief. Upon a desperate chance, he visits a traditional healer who lives deep in the valley to the north, surrounded by volcanoes. The healer gives him a crystal and tells him that when he lets go of the demon he carries on his shoulders, the crystal will activate. Not knowing what he means, Ben decides to stay in the valley and help the healer with his crops. Gradually, his body begins to work as it once did before the pandemic struck. The crystal glows a bright white, the light getting stronger with each day. Until he realises that there’s something growing from his back.
#### The Sacrifice
In The Sacrifice, the character/s come to a conflict where the only resolution is sacrifice—either physical or non-physical. In this plot course, the character/s are centre-stage and the plot follows their development through the events.
> Jane takes Ben to the hospital for his next test. She prays that it will be positive news. After two years of treatment, Ben’s heart still struggles to pump. With his rare blood type, donations are impossible to come by. The waiting list grows longer by the day. Again, the news comes sour. His heart is weakening. The doctors advise her to make him comfortable. She can’t let him die. He’s too young—his life hasn’t even started yet. She would rather give hers.
#### The Discovery
Discovering secrets, knowledge, history, identity, etc., are what drive the focus in The Discovery. Character/s and their development, along with world-building, may play equal roles in this plot course.
> After years of diving and searching, Jane has finally found the Lost City of Atlantis. Her partner Ben has always been the one most interested in finding Atlantis and has invested his entire fortune to their search. But Jane does not want to share the find with him. As the investor, he will be named the discoverer and she will be known in history as his assistant. She cannot allow this so she resigns, citing that there is no Atlantis, and pretends to return to her job as an archaeology professor at a university. She waits for Ben to lose his money until she can find the city and claim the title she has sought after for decades.
#### The Rise or Fall
In The Rise or Fall, the character/s either rise into power or fall from a position of power. This plot course follows the character/s through the events of the plot, showing how they rise or how they fall as well as how the character/s react to this. World-building can be a significant aspect of the story, showing the importance of the rise or fall of the character/s in the world.
> The Empire of Sol has stood tall for aeons, defying all attempts to break it apart. Empress Jane’s apparent immortality keeps it strong, ruling the star system with an iron hand wrapped in a velvet glove. She is fair and rational, but strict. Under her rule, the system has seen peace and prosperity, as well as safety from invading nations and corruption. But her immortality is fading and the strength of her rule with it.
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The examples included aren’t complete, and are just to give you an idea of what each plot course may be. Feel free to use the examples if they’ve inspired you. I hope these plot courses have helped you with your plotting and given you ideas for that story burning in your mind.
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<center><sup>Copyright © 2018 Anike Kirsten</sup></center>
<center><sup>All rights reserved.</sup></center>
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