What is a story plot? A story plot is as complex and as simple as we are ourselves. But, for manageability sake, the story plot, as we know it today, has been broken down by experts into thirteen proven categories, which themselves have thirteen subcategories we'll call 'plot splicers'. But they all share a common denomination; they involve all aspects of the human condition and the human emotions. This subject, next to characterizations, is a long and involved one and will probably carry us over into a lot of months. But, for time's sake, I'll try to make each one brief. We will only periodically interrupt the series to answer pertinent email comments and questions.

A prominent screen writer once lectured, "After writing movies for thirty five years, I am more convinced than ever its only about story." His declaration is in line with Aristotle, who said, "Storytelling is through the permission of your audience. But, in order to hold their attention, your story has to have a core." His disciple, Sophocles, expanded this to, "Spin your characters fortunes into tragic webs, unseen by them but apparent to your audience, who watches as the characters enmesh themselves, step by step, into irrevocable disaster."

So where do we separate 'story' and 'plot'? I guess that we can do that with an illustration saying, "The king died and then the queen died." That's a story. But to say, "The king died and then the queen died of grief," is a plot. A good story is a good story is a good story and every good story must have a plot.

So what creates plots? Human emotions and conditions create plots -- millions of them.

Vengeance is at the top of my list. It is the man-eating shock of all of our emotions and it tears at our innards. It is an obsessive emotion and when you use it as the core of your plot the emotion must be exposed, described and told for what it is -- a consuming, all encompassing passion. What triggers vengeance? Well, I would guess that a good dose of deception might do that. Perhaps a deception born out of trickery, double-dealing, fraud, cheating, all of which could carry with it honesty or dishonesty. Deception as a sub-plot carries with it the added bonuses of conflict and tension, which would round out your story. And, while your at it, throw in a love story subplot. The director, Sidney Pollack, when asked what he looks for in a story, his comment always is: "I look for the love story. If the story doesn't have one, then I can't tell it on film."

Betrayal and vengeance go hand in hand and so it stands as second on my list. Betrayal brings out the rawest of human emotions; it creates the strongest of reactions. In the human mind, it's an emotion that is rarely forgotten. Many acts of cruelty in mankind, whether to one's self or others, are committed and justified through the vengeance of betrayal. Murder, treason, rape, assassination, extortion, blackmail, arson, the list goes on and on ad infinitum.

Love and Hate is the first cousin to vengeance and betrayal. Those two emotions need no definitions. I'll bet that, as writers, you could make a lifetime career out of writing on this subject. It's the grist and fodder of our American phenomenon, the soap opera, as well as the backbone that holds the multi-billion dollar 'Romance' industry together. As I see it, a good love and/or hate story requires the fine art of pace, which constantly expands and contracts with dilemmas as the text progresses; it should never be static and it should have a life of its own. Ah, the emotions and circumstances that love and hate stir up! It would take us all nine lives of a cat to write about them.

Remember, there are no hard and fast rules about creating a plot. If you can think it up and it has sensible appeal, it'll fly.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Thank you again for your responses to this feature. The bulk of the email were questions on writing techniques and possible publishing outlets. Part of this article addresses some of those requests. In time, we will get to the others. Contact us on site; http://www.4pointspress.com or direct your email to the Editor.