What makes a plot complex

Let us take another look at Aristotle's celebrated definition of complex action: 'A complex action is one where the change is accompanied by such reversal or recognition or both.

If, however, it is just that, then how is it different from the change of fortune? Clearly this is too limited a definition of peripeteia and it would perhaps be pertinent to consider two other definitions. Humphrey House [2] defines it as a 'reversal of intention'.

This definition takes into account the 'thought' or the dianoia exercised by the character. House describes it as 'holding the wrong end of the stick'. Peripeteia is therefore the turning of the stick thinking that it is the right end. The ignorance behind any peripeteia is not mere ignorance. It is the ignorance arising out of error. The other definition is more recent. Frank Kermode [3] defines it as a 'disconfirmation followed by a consonance; the interest of having our expectations falsified is obviously related to our wish to reach discovery by an unexpected route.

It has nothing to do with our reluctance to get there at all. So that in assimilating the peripeteia we are enacting that readjustment of our expectations in regard to an end'. This points out the pleasure we receive from peripeteia which is quite different from the straightforward following of a narrative to its end, or in other words, mere change of fortune.

Having defined peripeteia and identified its characteristic pleasure, we must also consider what this pleasure actually consists of. This is the element of surprise or wonder [Gk. The source of wonder is often the tragic recognition or anagnorisis. Recognition has been variously defined.

In Aristotle it is the recognition of persons through tokens, artistic contrivances, memory, reasoning including false inferences and lastly, arising out of the events themselves as in Oedipus Rex.

Aristotle defines this anagnorisis as a change from ignorance to knowledge. In terms of Humphrey House's analogy, it would mean the realization that you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick. House himself defines recognition thus, 'The discovery of the truth of the matter is the ghastly wakening from the state of the ignorance which is the very essence of hamartia. Aristotle likes best the recognition which arises out of the events themselves, as in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex.

The whole play is a step by step unravelling of Oedipus's true identity and Oedipus's holding the wrong end of the stick, as it were, in trying to discover his identity without knowing that the results will be catastrophic. At second best, he places those tragedies where reasoning effects the recognition. Together with these definitions, we could compare the slightly different angle from which Terence Cave [4] views recognition.

For him it is a stumbling block to belief which disturbs the decorum. At that point, I will stop and work on that other aspect until I know enough to return to the first one and complete it. Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Helping Writers Become Authors Write your best story. Change your life. Astound the world. Home Start Here! Weiland Site. May 1, by K. There are two major but entirely symbiotic aspects to a story.

Plot And what makes a plot, you ask? Theme Out of plot arises theme or is it the other way around? Reader confusion could arise from any number of issues within your story. Sign Up Today Sign up to receive K. About K. Weiland KMWeiland K. Comments Kiersten Lillis says. May 1, at am. Weiland KMWeiland says. Evelyn says. May 1, at pm. I just want to circle this comment in red so everyone will be sure to read it.

Lambert says. Usvaldo says. I have no illusions here,??? Roy says. Josiah DeGraaf says. Lara Hitchcock says.

May 2, at am. May 2, at pm. Albina says. Do you always use a thesaurus when you write? May 3, at am. May 3, at pm. Err on the side of the side of active, and use a good mix of sentence lengths. Saja bo storm says. Andreas Moser says. Gabriella L. Garlock says. Tiffany Dickinson says. Paul Worthington says. Walking is good for clearing out the complexities in itself. Chip Eagle says. Good and useful article and comments. Thanks KM and the comment crew. Jason Bougger says.

May 4, at pm. Caitlin Lambert says. May 13, at am. Rosy says. June 16, at am. June 16, at pm. Tom Youngjohn says. July 3, at am. Zinsser was addressing how professionals should write to their clients.

Madison MadiGrace. September 16, at pm. September 17, at am. Whichever you choose, know that both simple and complex plots may be delivered through multiple types of structures, but in the end, they are either simple or complex.

And now you hopefully know the difference between the two and can use that knowledge to help you develop your stories and decide whether you want or need the plots to be simple or complex. Whichever you choose, one is not better than the other. They are just different ways of telling your story. Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies.

Follow Ken on Twitter KenMovies. Genre-Specific Notes. Preparation Notes. Learn More. Blog Featured. Did you know that there are only two types of plots in stories? We've previously covered his six golden rules of storytelling. Plot Character Thought Diction Song Spectacle We applied them to screenwriting, as Aristotle's frame of reference was through poems and the stage. Simple Plots The simple plot is defined as a unified construct of necessary and probable actions accompanied by a change of fortune.

Once again, it's simple. But it works. Complex Plots The complex plot is defined as one where the change of fortune is accompanied by a reversal of fortune, recognition, or both. It depends on what type of story you want to tell. Facebook Comments. Free Download! Screenwriting Resources:. On Sale! Top 16 Screenwriting Books. Recent Posts.

In a short story, however, these elements will be necessarily abbreviated. For example, where rising action might have many complications in a novel, it might only have one complication in a short story. Stories have been told for thousands of years, and as they have evolved, they have started to fall into patterns, patters we call plot types or story types. These types tend to be about the same underlying, universal values and share similar structures, characters, and what Robert McKee calls obligatory scenes.

While plot types are related to genre, they also transcend genre and have been consistent throughout history, dealing with the timeless, universal values behind stories. We fully explore these values, each of these ten plot types, in our complete Plot Types guide here.

While all plots have a set structure, they can have many shapes or arcs. These arcs can be visualized in a plot diagram, like those below. Here are some of the most common story arcs, visualized in plot diagrams.

For more on each of these, check out our complete story arcs guide here. Rags to riches is one of the most basic plot diagrams. A character starts in a bad place at the start and things get better and better.

This is a relatively simple plot diagram. Another of the most common arcs, double man in a hole is also one of the most popular shapes for stories, appearing in many bestselling novels and blockbuster films. Another story arc with a happy ending, one especially popular in romantic comedies, is the Cinderella arc.

All stories do not follow this exact shape, and by forcing stories into this shape, we only cause confusion. The one requirement is that a story must move, there must be some kind of change, but the shape that story takes is widely variable. For more on this, including the six main shapes stories can take, plus the three bestselling story arcs, check out our full story arc guide here.

Most great stories, if you dissect them, are made up on not one but two or three plots. You have:. If you want to learn more about how to use subplots, I recommend checking out our full subplot guide here. By the way, K. Weiland has an incredible database of stories in which she breaks down the plots of movies and books alike. Check it out and enjoy.