[This section is mostly theory. To apply it, see the check list of Plot elements. You can skip this section entirely or just come back to it and use it as a reference.]

You've come up with an idea for a story, brainstormed all the cool elements you'd like to include and mapped out the relationships of the "good guys," the "bad guys" and everyone in between so that you know how their motives all differ from each other (providing conflict) and how their goals are at cross purposes (so that they can't avoid each other). You've even come up with your core sentence, determining the heart of the story you plan to write, and the main themes you'll be dealing with.

So how do you actually turn that into a story?

The Purpose and Function of Story

All stories are fundamentally about conflict. Two (or more) forces, each trying to change the world around them in contradictory or at least incompatible ways, come into conflict. The strengths and weaknesses of each are weighed and the implications of each are considered, and a winner is finally chosen and the results are projected. In a way it's almost like a scientific experiment. In fact, some years ago, I rambled on my much-neglected blog about how I thought storytelling could be considered mankind's first science. (http://japartridge.blogspot.com/2007/08/mans-first-science.html) I've learned a lot more about how stories work since then, but I am just as convinced now as I was then that this is true. In fact you can pretty much see it in the story's shape.

2 Plots, 3 Stories, 4 Parts

Every complete story has two plots which I refer to as the Outer Plot and the Inner Plot.

The Outer Plot – is simply the sequence of external events that provoke the protagonist into acting. The outer plot goes something like:

Act 1: A problem occurs which the protagonist may first try to avoid or deny until it affects him personally by changing his circumstances. By the end of Act  1 he cannot go back to anything like his old life until he fixes the problem.

Act 2: The protagonist first struggles to avoid or fend off the problem's effects or the antagonist's attacks while trying to figure out the true nature of the problem. The protagonist will be gathering (sometimes unknowingly) the knowledge/weapons/skills/allies/resources /etc. he will need to ultimately face the antagonist/problem, but probably won't be able to attack the antagonist/problem directly at this point. If he does, he will fail badly because he is completely unprepared.

Act 3: At the mid-point of the story, the protagonist has gained some insight into the true nature of the problem or a weakness of the antagonist and formulates a method or plan to attack. The protagonist goes on the offense, making progress toward his goal while paying increasing costs at the same time.

Act 4: After having been stripped of nearly all of his resources, the protagonist comes face to face with the antagonist and, while at the very point of losing, pulls one last trick out of his hat in a desperate all-or-nothing attempt to defeat the antagonist.

The Inner Plot—(Theme) While the protagonist is dealing with the conflict of the Outer Plot, this is mirrored by a similar struggle taking place within the protagonist. The outer struggle tests the protagonist's abilities and methods to overcome the external conflict, while the inner struggle tests his values and his understanding of himself, his relationships and place in the world. How he responds to this inner struggle and how he feels about the results determines which of the three basic story types or Character Arcs the story falls into.

The Positive Change Arc: The protagonist starts out with a misunderstanding about himself, his world or life in general. This may sometimes be caused by or associated with some significant past personal event. We shall refer to this misconception, or aspect that must change, as The Lie.

The Lie leads to a weakness or a fear or some form of self-destructive or self-defeating behavior which the protagonist must overcome in order to obtain the thing he needs (The Truth) to be truly happy. This change in behavior usually exacts a price often by forcing him to choose between the thing he thinks will make him happy (his goal) and the thing he needs. Sometimes he may get both, but that outcome usually isn't clear until after his leap of faith.

The Inner Plot is all about how the protagonist discovers the power of The Truth to overcome The Lie and then sets himself free by learning to commit to it. This is the most common inner plot and is often used with an "everyman" protagonist who functions as a stand-in for the audience.

The Flat (Steadfast) Change Arc: It is generally agreed that the Main Character should change over the course of the story. That does not mean, as is often assumed, that the character must have a deep personal revelation where their view of the story problem or of themselves changes and that this change is required to solve the story problem.

In the Flat Change/Steadfast Arc, the protagonist already has the correct approach to the story problem and knows The Truth. Everyone else, however, lives according to The Lie—or variations of The Lie. In this type of story it his commitment to it, his willingness to pay the cost of it and his ability to apply it that is being tested.

While the outer plot remains unchanged, the inner plot almost seems as if it consists of only an Act 3 and Act 4. If the objective of the positive change arc is for the protagonist to solve the problem by discovering The Truth and change himself, the objective of the flat change arc is for the protagonist to save everyone else by demonstrating the power of The Truth.

The Negative Change Arc: The protagonist not only doesn't know The Truth, he never learns it. As The Lie pushes him further and further from The Truth, the protagonist clings to The Lie even tighter, determined to pay any price to achieve his Goal or go down fighting. He usually fails to accomplish his Goal, but if he does, it is an empty and meaningless victory for which he's sacrificed everything that could have made him truly happy. He usually fails to see how The Lie has harmed him, but even if he does he will still be powerless to comprehend or implement The Truth. These stories are tragic cautionary tales where the protagonist destroys himself and often the people around him by acting according to The Lie.

Story Outcome & Story Judgement

When considering whether or not the protagonist accomplishes the overall story goal and defeats the "bad guys" (what Dramatica theory calls Story Outcome) and whether or not they resolve their personal issues by freeing themselves from The Lie (Story Judgement) it should be obvious that there are four possible endings.

Story Outcome: Success & Story Judgement: Good -- this is a story ending in triumphant victory. The bad guys are defeated, good guys are awarded medals.

Story Outcome: Failure & Story Judgement: Bad -- this is a story with a tragic ending. It's usually only satisfying to the reader if the view point character is the villain.

Story Outcome: Failure & Story Judgement: Good -- this can be a bitter-sweet story where the character discovers that what they thought they wanted wasn't really what would make them happy. They succeed personally by failing to achieve the overall story goal or discovering that it was the wrong goal and giving it up entirely.

Story Outcome: Success & Story Judgement: Bad -- this is the pyrrhic victory where the characters get what they want only to discover that it doesn't make them happy or that they paid too high of a price to succeed. This may be a "Bad" story or a bitter-sweet one.

So What?

Most writers just write whatever ending seems right for the story and that's just fine. But having a more precise understanding of the types of outcomes available and how the reader may feel about it gives you the ability to fine tune the response you want. If nothing else, the additional clarity can help writers communicate with other writers more clearly.

Stay tuned for... Plotting: Beginning Your Plot (The 8 Key Scenes, with an optional 9th)