We tend to use the words plot and story interchangeably,
don’t we? It’s easy to think of them as the same thing. In fact, I bet most
writers, editors, and other professionals in the world of fiction don’t clearly
understand the distinction. Yet it’s very simple, and grasping it will make
everything you write so much easier that you’ll be shocked. Here’s the
difference:
• Plot is your
protagonist’s physical journey.
• Story is your
protagonist’s emotional journey.
Your novel (or short story, play, or screenplay) will
contain both. The plot will be what happens to your protagonist; the story will
be how your protagonist changes inside.
Simple, isn’t it? And yet by keeping these two words
separate and carefully using them only when we mean the physical (plot) or the
emotional (story), we can bring a whole new level of clarity to everything we
write.
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