Plot Diagram illustrates the typical development of a book plot. It consists of the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. The exposition is the beginning of the story where the setting and the characters are first introduced to the reader. The setting is where the story takes place. Rising action represents the development of the story through the series of conflicts faced by the main characters. This leads to the climax or the peak of the story, where the main events occur. The falling action are the events that lead to the end of the story, i.e. how everything gets settled and main characters ‘recover’ from the main conflict. The resolution is the end of the story.

Most novels and books follow the above plot structure since it is most natural for story telling and human comprehension. At the same time, there are a few books and movies nowadays that try to break through this traditional narrative approach to writing literature. The below plot not only shows the stages of the plot but also the degree / severity of the conflicts.

Plot Diagram