Learn the 10 key differences between plot and story in fiction writing and how each contributes to the overall narrative structure, impact, and reader experience.
Plot and story are two fundamental components of every narrative story. Have you ever heard of these concepts? Let’s look at them briefly to clarify their meaning: the plot is the sequence of events in their natural chronology, that is, the temporal order in which they occur, regardless of how they are presented in the story by the author. The plot , on the other hand, refers to the way in which the story is narrated, that is, the order chosen by the writer to arrange the events and intertwine the stories. Therefore, the premise to keep in mind is that in a narrative text the events do not necessarily have to be told in chronological order; the author can reorganize them in a different way to make the story more dynamic and engaging.
Plot and story in a narrative text
In fact, each text responds to specific narrative techniques that an author can choose to use in writing.
- Analepsis or flashback : It occurs when a previously occurred event is recalled;
- Prolepsis or flashforward : This occurs when the story of a subsequent event is anticipated;
- Story in medias res , that is, in the middle of things : This occurs when the beginning of the story is already in the middle of the narration.
Plot and story: examples
Let’s now look at two practical examples of plot and intrigue to understand in detail what we are talking about:
- Luca first went to nursery school and then to elementary school where he had many friends; but then when he went to middle school he couldn’t make any. –> Fabula: chronological succession of events
- Luca couldn’t make friends, he was in middle school. However, as a child, in nursery school and elementary school he had managed to make many. –> Plot: narration in medias res with flashback
How to tell them apart
The first thing to ask yourself when reading a text, therefore, is: what is the exact chronological narration of the events? If the events flow in a linear way, the plot and the story most likely coincide .
If, on the time axis, the events flow at a different pace than the story, the plot and the story do not coincide . To be able to navigate between the two time axes, the best thing to do is to use a concept map .
