A plot refers to the logical sequence of events that happen throughout a story. 

It prompts the question, “What happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story1?” 

Fig. 3.1: Plot Diagram4 

This is a plot diagram. 

Most fiction stories follow a similar pattern that looks like a mountain. There are five essential parts in a plot1. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. 

• In the beginning, we meet the characters and learn about the setting. 

• Then, during the rising action, the story begins to speed up, and we learn about the challenges the characters face.

• These challenges build up and lead to the climax, the most exciting part of the story. This is often the point where the story can go in any direction. 

• After the climax, the story begins to reach its end. During the falling action, we feel at ease because we know where the story is going.

• At the end, during the resolution, the solutions to the various challenges are found.5

Let us take a closer look at each part1: 

Practice identifying the different components of the plot mountain: 

To understand how to use each of these parts to analyse the beginning, middle and end of the story, refer to an example of a plot diagram given below for the story ‘The Thunderbolt Kids.’ 

Below is a  Plot Diagram for the story ‘The Thunderbolt Kids:’