Story and Plot-How They Differ

[Walter Cummins]

 

Although people often use these terms interchangeably, for a closer comprehension of how short stories are made, it’s useful to define each one specifically. The best distinction I’ve found is that of E.M. Forster as restated by Janet Burroway:

A story is a series of events recorded in their chronological order.

A plot is a series of events deliberately arranged so as to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance. 

That plot arrangement may often ignore the chronology to adjust the timing of revealed information for maximum impact. The placement of backstory is a common example of such reordering. While backstory is usually considered as the story before the story, it’s more accurately what happened in the chronological story before the starting point of the plot arrangement. The plot may open with a situation in the middle of the story that creates questions about what happened chronologically.

 If you recall my piece on backstory, I began with a paragraph in which Harvey buys a cheap wine to bring to Ophelia’s party as a deliberate insult. That raises the question of why he is angry with her. The backstory example I concocted explains that in the past Ophelia upset Harvey by constantly referring to his ex-wife, Vicki, when he brought a new woman, Rosamond, to one of her previous parties.

 The chronological story would begin with the events of that earlier party and then move to Harvey seeking revenge with what happened to his attempt, which we don’t know yet, leading to the conclusion of the story. A alternative might begin with Harvey’s divorce and Ophelia’s angry reaction to it. In that case, the story sequence would be Harvey and Vicki getting divorced, Ophelia upset, Harvey bringing Rosamond to Ophelia’s party, Ophelia’s deliberately calling her Vicki, Rosamond breaking up with Harvey, Harvey plotting  revenge, Harvey insulting Ophelia by bringing bad wine her next party, and then what happens next, which still hasn’t been imagined.

 Those story elements offer the several plot arrangement possibilities. For example, it could start with the scene of Ophelia calling Rosamond Vicki, followed by his plotting to get even, buying the cheap wine, and so on, perhaps with the insertion of Ophelia’s reaction to his divorce as backstory.

 Or to make the emotions more emotionally overt, the opening could be Harvey deliberately spilling the wine on Ophelia’s lace tablecloth and she slapping his face. Would he spit wine at her? If so, what happens next would have to be highly charged.

 An example of that opening: “When Harvey knocked over the glass on Ophelia’s lace tablecloth, he said, ‘Oops,’ but the others in the room could tell it was deliberate. After a gasp everyone just stared at the spreading stain, and Harvey wondered what he would do next. If Ophelia slapped him he might throw the rest of the wine in her face, spit on her.”

 Here’s an optional opening: “When Harvey left the lawyer’s office after he and Vicki signed the divorce papers, the two of them glaring at each other, he found a message from Ophelia on his phone, two words in capitals: YOU BASTARD! With a slash left, he deleted.”

 Either choice would mean a different plot structure with a unique sequence of events and placement of backstory. As a result, tone and pacing would vary greatly, the spilling starting at a height of the tension, with some immediate action to follow. Ophelia’s text, which isn’t a dramatic scene, calls for Harvey’s thoughts about why she is so furious and his reaction to her, contemplation rather than action.

 Others involved in the sequential story are Harvey’s ex-wife Vicki and Rosamond, who broke off with him after Ophelia’s undermining. The plot arrangement could give either a role, even a crucial one.

 Let’s say the ex-wife calls Harvey to defend Ophelia, which ends up changing the written short story into a three character dynamic, with Harvey driven to have insights about his relationships with both women. Or Rosamond could become the catalyst, her assertions forcing Harvey to reconsider what kind of a man he’s been.

 Whatever plotting choices the author makes the chronological story wouldn’t change. At this point the outcome awaits the results of Harvey’s insulting Ophelia at the party.

 All of these choices are not unusual in short story writing. The author often doesn’t know the core chronological story in advance, just coming up with a situation and then writing more and more to develop it and see where it’s going to lead. It’s a version of I don’t know what I’m going to say until I’ve said it. 

 That’s the way it’s gone for me and other short story writers I know. In fact, knowing the chronological story often comes last. The start is the raw situation. Then a plot emerges, events depending on other events that can be arranged in a variety of plot sequences until an ending emerges. Finally, once the short story is written, the chronological story becomes clear. Ironically, the plot precedes the story.

 The unwritten Harvey-Ophelia story is an example. For me, it began with the idea of a scene of Harvey buying the cheap wine to get back at Ophelia. Then, because I had to come up with a reason for him to want revenge, I invented what happened at the previous party. But I still have no idea what his plan will lead to. Perhaps if I concocted a scene in which the ex-wife calls, she will say something to prime my imagination.

 We write to discover. If I knew the chronological story at the beginning, I’d have no reason to bother telling it.