Writing a Plot Summary

The Plot Develops from Conict The plot of a story is made up of a series of events. These events are usually driven by some type of conict, or struggle between opposing forces. The protagonist, the main character in a story, may struggle against another character, his or her environment, a supernatural force, or against an inner conict concerning a difcult choice he or she must make. Conict causes the characters to engage in actions and to make decisions which directly inuence the outcome of the story. The events in a story are usually not random or accidental; one action follows another because of what has happened before. As we plot the story we trace both the causes and effects of the characters decisions. A well-written plot draws us into the story, making us want to nd out what is going to happen to the characters. Conict is central to plot, because without it nothing much would happen. Uncertainty about the outcome of the protagonists success or failure in dealing with the conict creates interest for the reader. Start with a Plot Diagram Before writing a plot summary it is helpful to organize your thoughts by creating a story map or outline in point form. You should do this as you read (or re-read) the story. On your story map note the title and make brief notes about the setting and main characters. Then identify the problem or conict in the story. Because the events listed on your plot diagram must all relate to the main conict, you must clearly understand the problem and who is involved in it. In many stories there will be more than one type of conict, however, there is usually one central conict the protagonist must face. Ask yourself, What problems does the main character experience? and Which of these problems is most important? After identifying the main conict, or problem, list the events related to the problem in the order in which they happen. Be careful to avoid describing everything the protagonist does in the story. In deciding whether an event in the story should be included in the story map ask yourself, Does the event develop from the central conict? If it does, include it, if not, it is not a key plot element. Finally, in the section for the solution, indicate whether or not the conict has been resolved in favour of the protagonist or the antagonist, or whether it is left unresolved. Writing Your Plot Summary The story map contains all the information you need to write a plot summary. The next step is to use your notes to write a well-developed paragraph. At the beginning of your paragraph state the title and author of the short story. To give the reader some background on the story you may then include a brief description of the setting and main characters, but make sure to avoid lengthy descriptions. Identify the conict or problem the characters are engaged in, and then summarize the events related to the problem in the order in which they occur in the story. Make sure to re-tell the events in your own words and use transition words to demonstrate how one event causes or leads to another. In your nal sentence, indicate how the problem in the story has been resolved. Your paragraph should be at least eight sentences long.

English 8 -How to write on plot

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Sample Student Writing

Will F. Jenkins Side Bet Plot Summary (Meets Expectations Minimal Level)

1.
The story Side Bet is about a man and a rat stuck on an island after the ship they are on sinks in a storm. The island is made of rock. There are no trees or animals living on the island and so there isnt any source of food for the man. The sun is very hot and there is no shade for the man. At night the stars are very bright and the man feels like they look like the eyes of a snake staring down at him. The only food on the island is a bag of biscuits and some water the man saved from the ship. The rat eats some of the mans food and this makes the man really mad. The man doesnt think he will ever be rescued but he tries to live for a long time anyway. He even decides to try to kill and eat the rat, but he is too weak and cant catch him. The man makes a re to keep the rat away from him when he is starving to death and a ship sailing by sees the smoke and rescues the man. The man pays the people on the ship to leave fty kilograms of biscuits for the rat so he will live longer.

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2.

Will F. Jenkins Side Bet Plot Summary (Exceeds Expectations) The central conict in the story Side Bet concerns the struggle for survival between a man and a rat shipwrecked on a rocky island, lacking both vegetation and water. Thrown upon the barren island in a storm, the man manages to rescue from the wreckage of the ship only a keg of water and a canvas bag lled with twentytwo biscuits. The conict between the two adversaries begins when the man nds a hole gnawed in the canvas bag and realizes a rat has eaten part of his precious food stores. The man tries to outwit the rat by tying the bag of biscuits to a stick, but the rat proves his cunning by rst chewing through the rope attached to the bag to get to the food and later dragging the bag away from the man in an attempt to hide the food himself. The man develops an intense hatred for the rat, but also respects his resourcefulness. He realizes that he must kill the rat and eat him. By doing so he will prevent the loss of any more biscuits and increase his life for days. The man comes to see the conict between he and the rat as a game; with the victor winning the side bet of life. In playing this game the man becomes obsessed with thinking of how to capture the rat. He makes a bow and arrow, but is so weak from starvation that when he shoots the rat, the arrow merely bounces off. After nishing the last of the food, the man concedes that he has lost the bet, and will die. He uses the last of his effort to make a re to repel the rat, who eagerly waits for the mans death so he can feed on his body. At the climax of the story the mans life is saved when a passing ship sees the mans re and comes to rescue him. During the falling action the man decides to honour his bet to the rat, who without the ships intervention would have been the last survivor. The man pays the ships crew to leave fty kilograms of biscuits for the rat. At the conclusion of the story the man sails away reassured by the thought that he paid the side bet.

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Quick Scale: Grade 8 Writing A Plot Summary

Writing is usually required to be carefully revised, edited, and proofread.
Aspect
SNAPSHOT

Not Yet Within Expectations

The writing features problems with style, form, and mechanics that make it difcult to determine the purpose and meaning. Reects little knowledge of plot and writing conventions and techniques.

Meets Expectations (Minimal Level)

The writing is generally clear, with a beginning, middle, and end. Development may seem uneven. The writer has difculty controlling the form and style. Tends to tell about events rather than show them.

Fully Meets Expectations

Exceeds Expectations

The writing is clear and carefully developed, with some sense of audience and purpose. Some variety and engaging features. May overexplain in places, telling rather than showing.

The writing creates an impact, with a sense of vitality, economy, and nesse. Features some complex, engaging ideas, language, structures, and techniques. Relies on showing, not telling.

MEANING

little sense of audience

or purpose (unfocussed) inadequate or inaccurate retelling of the story lacks chronological sequencing details, examples, or quotes not clearly linked to the plot

some sense of audience;

little impact includes most incidents of the plot easy-to-follow, chronological development with a simple understanding of conict and elements of plot simple details, examples, or quotes sometimes linked to plot incidents

good sense of audience

includes all the major incidents of the plot clearly and chronologically developed demonstrating good understanding of the main elements of plot relevant details and examples

strong sense of audience; engaging

sense of audience understanding of the topic plot conict main incidents/

events

includes all the major

incidents of the plot with possible interpretation/inference efciently developed around relatively mature understanding of elements of plot; attempts to interpret well-chosen details, examples, and quotations effective voice and tone syntactic maturity effective, economical word choice takes risks, often showing originality and inventiveness

development support
STYLE

appropriate voice and tone varies sentences varied word choice; some
complex vocabulary some risk-taking to create effects; uses a variety of stylistic or rhetorical techniques

voice and tone syntax word choice techniques

voice and tone inconsistent simple sentences and

coordination; limited range

voice and tone may be

inconsistent some sentence variety; often problems with subordination some variety in word choice; not concise direct, conversational; difculty expressing abstract ideas

creates and sustains

basic vocabulary; may

make errors; repetitive as well as colloquial immature style

FORM

beginning structure and sequence transitions ending

beginning unclear sequencing is often

confusing few transitions; may seem disjointed weak ending

organization adequate but

ineffective connections among ideas often unclear transitions awkward conclusion often short or formulaic

organization carefully and

logically structure transitions make connections clear explicit, logical conclusion

structure appears
natural and spontaneous well-chosen transitions create unity ending has some punch

CONVENTIONS

frequent noticeable
errors in basic sentence structure, spelling, and usage that distract the reader and may interfere with meaning

noticeable errors that

may cause the reader to pause or reread; often surface errors could be xed by careful proofreading

few errors; these do not

affect meaning; appears to have been carefully edited and proofread

few errors; these do not

distract the reader (may only be noticeable when the reader looks for them)

spelling sentence structure and punctuation usage

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