Writing a Plot Summary
The Plot Develops from Conﬂict
The plot of a story is made up of a series of events. These events are usually driven by some
type of conﬂict, 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 conﬂict concerning a difﬁcult choice he or she must make. Conﬂict causes the characters
to engage in actions and to make decisions which directly inﬂuence 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 ﬁnd out what is going to
happen to the characters. Conﬂict is central to plot, because without it nothing much would happen.
Uncertainty about the outcome of the protagonist’s success or failure in dealing with the conﬂict
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 conﬂict in the story. Because the events listed on your plot diagram must all relate to
the main conﬂict, you must clearly understand the problem and who is involved in it. In many
stories there will be more than one type of conﬂict, however, there is usually one central conﬂict
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 conﬂict, 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
conﬂict?” 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 conﬂict 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 conﬂict 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 ﬁnal 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
Prepared by Seaquam
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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 isn’t 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 man’s food and this makes the man really mad.
The man doesn’t 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
can’t catch him. The man makes a ﬁre 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 ﬁfty 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 conﬂict 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 ﬁlled with twentytwo biscuits. The conﬂict between the two adversaries begins when the man ﬁnds 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 ﬁrst 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 conﬂict 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 ﬁnishing 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 ﬁre to repel the rat, who eagerly waits for the man’s death so
he can feed on his body. At the climax of the story the man’s life is saved when a
passing ship sees the man’s ﬁre and comes to rescue him. During the falling action
the man decides to honour his bet to the rat, who without the ship’s intervention would
have been the last survivor. The man pays the ship’s crew to leave ﬁfty 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
Not Yet Within
Expectations
Meets Expectations
(Minimal Level)
Fully Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
SNAPSHOT
The writing features
problems with style, form,
and mechanics that make
it difﬁcult to determine
the purpose and meaning.
Reﬂects little knowledge of
plot and writing conventions
and techniques.
The writing is generally
clear, with a beginning,
middle, and end. Development may seem uneven.
The writer has difﬁculty
controlling the form and
style. Tends to tell about
events rather than “show”
them.
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
ﬁnesse. Features some
complex, engaging ideas,
language, structures, and
techniques. Relies on
“showing,” not telling.
• little sense of audience
• some sense of audience;
• good sense of audience
• strong sense of audi-
MEANING
• sense of
audience
• understanding
of the topic
• plot
• conﬂict
• main incidents/
or purpose (unfocussed)
• inadequate or inaccurate
retelling of the story
• lacks chronological
sequencing
• details, examples, or quotes
not clearly linked to the
plot
events
• voice and tone
• syntax
• word choice
• techniques
• voice and tone inconsistent
• simple sentences and
coordination; limited range
• beginning
• structure and
sequence
• transitions
• ending
CONVENTIONS
• spelling
• sentence
structure and
punctuation
• usage
• voice and tone may be
•
• basic vocabulary; may
•
FORM
•
•
• development
• support
STYLE
•
make errors; repetitive as
well as colloquial
immature style
• beginning unclear
• sequencing is often
•
•
confusing
few transitions; may
seem disjointed
weak ending
little impact
includes most incidents of
the plot
easy-to-follow,
chronological
development with a
simple understanding of
conﬂict and elements of
plot
simple details, examples,
or quotes sometimes
linked to plot incidents
•
•
inconsistent
some sentence variety;
often problems with
subordination
some variety in word
choice; not concise
direct, conversational;
difﬁculty expressing
abstract ideas
• organization adequate but
ineffective
• connections among ideas
often unclear
• transitions awkward
• conclusion often short or
formulaic
• 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
ence; engaging
• includes all the major
•
•
• 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
• organization carefully and
•
•
logically structure
transitions make
connections clear
explicit, logical
conclusion
incidents of the
plot with possible
interpretation/inference
efﬁciently developed
around relatively
mature understanding
of elements of plot;
attempts to interpret
well-chosen details,
examples, and
quotations
• creates and sustains
•
•
•
effective voice and
tone
syntactic maturity
effective, economical
word choice
takes risks, often
showing originality
and inventiveness
• structure appears
•
•
natural and
spontaneous
well-chosen transitions
create unity
ending has some
“punch”
• frequent noticeable
• noticeable errors that
• few errors; these do not
• few errors; these do not
errors in basic sentence
structure, spelling, and
usage that distract the
reader and may
interfere with meaning
may cause the reader to
pause or reread; often
surface errors could be
ﬁxed by careful
proofreading
affect meaning; appears
to have been carefully
edited and proofread
distract the reader (may
only be noticeable when
the reader looks for them)
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