How to Create a Plot Diagram for a Smooth Writing Journey

Plot is the foe of many a writer.

It can be challenging to figure out what exactly happens in your story, but without a series of unfortunate events, your character will never get the opportunity to blossom into the amazing person they could be.

Which is why it’s up to you—the writer—to choose a plot that will help your character grow! Never fear, a handy plot diagram can help you stay on the right path and ensure effective plot development.

In this article, we’ll offer you a clear plot diagram definition and guide you on how to create a plot diagram for yourself.

What is a plot diagram?

A plot diagram is simply a visual organizer that represents the events in your story. It gives you a rough idea of your story’s progression at a glance, making it easier to find your way.

Most of us don’t embark on a difficult journey without a little planning, and a plot diagram will give you the same sense of security as a well-studied map.

Plot is the series of events your character experiences during the course of your story. The story is why what happens matters.

To create an emotionally resonant narrative that will grip the hearts of your readers, it’s essential to build your plot in such a way that it suits your character’s growth.

What’s that? You can just change a plot willy-nilly? Why, yes, you can.

In fact, you should expect your plot to change quite a bit! It’s common to try on many different plot arcs with many different story beats before you settle on a plot direction, so do not fear allowing your ideas to evolve. Just pick a starting point and go.

As Ernest Hemingway famously said, ‘All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’

Easier said than done, but if you break your story down into its key moments—which we refer to as story beats—then it does become much more manageable to gain clarity on your vision.

Remember, story beats are the big, important moments. These are the events that form the backbone of your story. They are the trail markers on your character’s long and winding journey.

We recommend using the following beats to create a plot diagram for your story:

The opening

At the very beginning of your story, you are introducing your reader to your world. Invite them into your story with confidence, setting the stage for the exciting events that are about to unfold.

The inciting moment

An event occurs that sets your story into motion. This is the inciting moment. Ideally, this moment arrives as soon as possible! Do not make your reader wait or you may lose their attention. This launches us into the central conflict of the story.

Rising action

As your hero reluctantly departs on their metaphorical journey, the events of the plot should increase in intensity in order to add pressure to the situation. This allows your conflict to build and intensify while the stakes grow ever larger. This portion of the story takes up quite a bit of the journey, so do not fear if you have a lot of ideas—just save the most dramatic moment for your upcoming climax!

The midpoint

As you might assume, the midpoint arrives at the middle of your story. This is an opportunity to add a key twist, a reveal, or a reversal that shakes up your story and reinvigorates your character with renewed passion toward reaching their goal. You know that moment when a rollercoaster track latches onto the car and catapults it skyward? That’s the momentum we want for your story from a good midpoint. Take advantage of the midpoint with a key plot beat and you will easily avoid the dreaded saggy middle!

The climax

This is the moment the entire story has been building toward. At the climax, our hero faces not only their antagonist but their greatest fears and finds out if they have succeeded in reaching their goal. Here’s an insider tip: they don’t always succeed! And yet the climax leaves them irrevocably changed, and the central conflict of the story concludes.

Falling action

While falling action is a much shorter phase than rising action, there are some key events that need to take place after your climax. Your character has prevailed in one way or another, but now it’s time to have those final puzzle pieces fall into place for the new life that awaits them.

The resolution

Sometimes referred to as the dénouement, the resolution to your story arrives at the end. This is the time for tying off any remaining loose ends. Take advantage of the opportunity to astonish your readers one last time with some bittersweet revelations of the heart or a final surprising twist.

An example of a plot diagram

To help you identify these key points in your story, let’s look to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is one of the Hero Books we recommend for inspiration at The Novelry and an excellent example of strong story structure.

The opening

At the opening of The Handmaid’s Tale, the major characters are introduced. We meet Offred and Ofglen as they venture out for a shopping trip, which conveniently allows the reader a thorough and detailed view of the setting. We learn this story takes place in the near future, in a nation called Gilead where women called handmaids are forced to bear children for couples who cannot conceive. This opening gives us a strong sense of the world we have entered and the challenges the main character faces as a handmaid in such a place.

The inciting moment

Offred arrives at her assigned family to be impregnated, which launches the central conflict. While the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy, wish to conceive a child using Offred’s body, Offred desires freedom and independence from this dystopian power structure.

Rising action

The Commander begins inviting Offred to join him in his study late at night, saying he wishes to get to know her. These visits escalate in their frequency and intensity, culminating in a visit to Jezebel’s, a gentlemen’s club. Meanwhile, Offred learns that Ofglen is part of a secret community with the code word ‘Mayday’ that wants Offred to spy on her Commander. Offred also has several encounters with Nick, the Commander’s personal guard. These events create a rising sense of urgency in the story as secrets are revealed and the stakes rise.

The midpoint

When Offred fails to conceive, Serena Joy bribes Offred with a picture of her daughter, who was taken from her, to sleep with Nick, who Offred later learns is part of the resistance. Offred accepts the bribe and soon suspects she is pregnant, which lends a fresh urgency to the story as Offred does not want to give up her child as she is expected to do.

The climax

All handmaids must attend ‘Salvaging,’ a public execution that happens routinely, this time of two handmaids and a wife for undisclosed crimes. Later, a male guardian accused of rape is brought in front of the handmaids to be beaten to death, but Offred later learns from Ofglen that this man was a member of the resistance.

Falling action

Offred goes shopping, and a new Ofglen meets her. Her former friend is dead, supposedly from suicide because the secret police, the Eyes, came for her due to her activities with the Mayday resistance group. Serena Joy discovers Offred and the Commander went to Jezebel’s and sends Offred to her room for punishment. Offred sees a black van from the Eyes approach, and Nick reveals that they are really Mayday members come to save her. Offred chooses to leave, either for freedom or prison, she does not know which.

The resolution

The final part of the novel is called ‘Historical Notes,’ in which a college professor reveals that this entire story is a transcript from the Gileadean era based on cassette tapes left behind by an unknown handmaid.

It can be very helpful to practice identifying these core elements of plot in other stories. Once you make a practice of looking for these elements, the underlying structure of the stories will be more readily apparent.

You’ll want to give these parts of your story some thought as you prepare to make a plot diagram, but even if you don’t have the answers yet, you can still create one right now.

How do you create a plot diagram?

Now that we’ve explored the components of a strong plot, we’ll take you through the steps to create a simple plot diagram.

The most common type of plot diagram is based on Freytag’s Pyramid, which is named after Gustav Freytag, a nineteenth-century German writer who described his visual method for organizing plot as a triangle with specific story markers along the way.

Our model expands on the basic Freytag Pyramid to provide easy-to-fill blanks for creating a foolproof map of your story.

Remember, your process is unique, and the key to success is discovering what works for you, but following these steps can give you a great starting point to explore using visual organizers to make your writing journey fun and easy.

1. Select a story idea

It’s quite common to have a wealth of ideas, and rest assured that you can diagram as many stories as you’d like! Just select one to begin with.

2. Draw a diagram

Start with a simple plot line in your notebook, on a scrap piece of paper, or on your screen. The events of a plot are always connected by a thread. You are creating a map of that thread to remind you of the way as you write. No drawing skills required! The uglier the drawing, the better. Our goal here is to use visual thinking as a tool, not to compete with Da Vinci. Grab your favorite writing utensil and start making marks!

3. Label your diagram

Label your plot diagram with the plot beats we provided for you above. Just copy them simply onto the line you’ve drawn and you’re all set. No need to overthink, but do pay attention to the spacing and alignment of the beats along the line, as they indicate when the event should occur in your story. For example, the inciting moment is quite close to the opening, while the rising action takes up a lot of real estate on its own.

4. Add blanks for your story beats

For any remaining blanks, brainstorm solutions that would suit the plot diagram. Remember to consider antagonists, setting, subplots and theme as opportunities to drum up new and exciting plot beats.

5. Fill in the blanks

Now that you have a framework and labels, it’s time to fill in the blanks with your story’s details. Restrict yourself to one short phrase or sentence for each component of your plot diagram. What we want is a condensed view of our story. The other details can live in your notebook. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers! This visual framework will help you figure out what ultimately belongs in each of these spaces.

6. Play with it

Allow yourself to play and guess at solutions. Fill in the blanks as many times as you’d like. Use the plot diagram as a tool for thinking and you will get the most use out of it. Consider your antagonist, setting, subplots and themes for opportunities to strengthen the structure of your plot, but remember to stick to the core story beats! We want a concise view of the story.

7. Start writing

When you feel your plot diagram represents your vision for your story, it’s easy to dive into writing the draft. If you ever get lost, just refer to your map, and be open to modifying it along the way!

Other types of plot diagrams

There are many different approaches to story structure and therefore many different styles of plot diagrams that you can explore. As we say at The Novelry, tools not rules. Keep that in mind as you explore these visual organizers. Select the tools that work best for you, and above all, have fun exploring!

Three-Act Structure

All stories have a beginning, middle, and end, but beyond that simple structure, you can utilize a three-act diagram to further plot the beats of your narrative. Three-act structure provides a helpful representation of how the story is distributed, with 25% for the first act, 50% for the second act, and 25% for the third act.

Hero’s Journey

American author Joseph Campbell first recognized a pattern in mythology that he coined as the monomyth, or the Hero’s Journey. This pattern focuses on the distinct pattern that a hero follows during a story in order to be tested and reborn. This model is especially helpful in SFF stories, but can be applied to any character’s journey of growth and transformation.

Storyboards

Storyboards have long been used in film and television to plan the narrative arc of characters on screen. They can also be used for narrative fiction. Create a simple grid of boxes for the beats in your story, or even for the chapters themselves, and enjoy having a simple visual reference to refer to as you write!

Why use a plot diagram?

When we’re writing a story, it can be challenging to hold the entire narrative in our minds at once, but it’s essential to see this big picture clearly to make our stories match our vision.

A plot diagram gives you an eagle’s eye view of your journey so you can make big moves.

Unhappy with the current climax? Change it out! Not excited about your midpoint? Try moving the beats around!

A plot diagram is meant to be filled in, scratched out, and reworked many times in order to arrive at a destination that feels good for you and your story.

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Once you have a plot diagram to refer to, it’s easy to make changes that might otherwise have been daunting. All you have to do is scribble a few new words rather than rewriting entire chapters.

A plot diagram also gives you a map to completing your draft.

As novelist Barbara Kingsolver said:

The plot is the architecture of your novel. You wouldn’t build a house without a plan. If I wrote without a plot, it would just be a pile of bricks.
—Barbara Kingsolver

Creating a plot diagram gives you an opportunity to get a strong sense of your character’s overall journey and how the story will ultimately unfold.

Even if the details are vague, investing the time in this strategy will give you a stronger sense of direction for your writing, and ultimately, drawing is fun!

The more fun we have with the work of writing, the better the work will go.

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