Wikipedia:How to write a plot summary: Difference between revisions

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{{Wikipedia how-to|WP:PLOTSUM}}

{{ombox|text=This page is not considered a [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines| Wikipedia guideline]] on Wikipedia, but '''[[MOSWikipedia:PLOT]]'''Manual andof '''[[MOS:FAIRStyle/Writing about USEfiction]]''' areis. Whenever possible, the guidelines should be followed. But most importantlyFurthermore, the[[WP:PLOT|policy]] pointstates isthat thata plot summariessummary shouldn'tshould not swamp an article. This '''''is''''' [[WP:PLOT|policy]].}}

An encyclopedia article about a work of fiction typically includes, but should never be limited to, a summary of the plot. This will give context to the sourced commentary that should also be present. The plot summary should be thorough yet concise, distilling a large amount of information into a brief and accessible format.

As explained in [[Wikipedia:Plot-only description of fictional works]], an '''encyclopedia article''' about a '''work of fiction''' frequently includes a '''concise summary''' of the plot. The description should be thorough enough for the reader to get a sense of what happens and to fully understand the impact of the work and the context of the commentary about it. On the other hand, however, the plot summary must be concise because Wikipedia's coverage of works of fiction should be about more than ''just'' the plot. Plot summaries that are too long and too detailed can also be hard to read and are just as unhelpful as those that are too short. Finding the right balance requires careful editorial discretion and discussion.

==The purpose of a plot summary==

The purpose of a plot summary is to condense a large amount of information into a short, accessible format. It is not to reproduce the experience of reading or watching the story, nor to cover every detail. For those who have not read or seen the story, it should serve as a general overview that fills in on the major points. For those who have, it should be detailed enough to refresh their memory, no more.

==What plot summaries are not==

{{shortcut|WP:PLOTSUMNOT}} A plot summary is not a recap. It should not cover every scene andor every moment of a story. A summary is not meant to reproduce the experience of reading or watching the work. In fact, readers might be here because they didn't understand the original. Just repeating what they have already seen or read is unlikely to help them.

Not only should a plot summary avoid a scene-by-scene recap, but there's also no reason that a plot summary has to cover the events of the story in the order in which they appear (though it is often useful). The point of a summary is not to reproduce the experience—it's to explain the story. If the original is nonlinear or experimental in its structure, then the article should state that fact in prose, not through regurgitation of the plot.<ref>For some stories—''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'', for instance, or ''[[If on a Winter's Night a Traveler]]''—presenting events in the order of the original would not be helpful. The events in these stories are presented nonlinearly, and much of the experience is based on untangling the plot. For the purpose of an encyclopedia, we do not want to add to mystery—we want to explain it. <br /> For something like ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'', where the original order is there for a dramatic reason, we might note that the story is structured in a particular way, and we'll surely want to explain what parts of the story are treated as big revelations.</ref> In fact, for a confusing story, we should assume that some of our readers will look the story up because they didn't understand it. Just repeating what they have already seen is unlikely to help them.

Do not attempt to re-create the emotional impact of the work through the plot summary. Wikipedia is not a substitute for the original.<ref>As emotionally moving as the end of ''Hamlet'' is, the final fight does not need to be described in exquisite detail that attempts to re-create every emotional beat of the scene. Our article should not try to be a replacement for actually reading the play.</ref>

==The purposeWays of organizing a plot summary==

==How are plot summaries used on Wikipedia?==

A plot summary is generally used to provide a concise description of the work in question, to allow the reader to understand the discussion related to that plot, and to illustrate points within an article. Where a specific plot point has been commented upon by academics or the media, it is necessary to describe that plot point.

===Ways of organizing a plot summary===

{{shortcut|WP:PLOTPRESENT|WP:PLOTTENSE}}

The mostplot commonis organizationusually ofplaced a plot section is generallyin a self-contained section (designated by {{nowrap|1=<code>== Plot ==</code>}} or sometimes {{nowrap|1=<code>== Synopsis ==</code>}}). By convention, [[story plot]]s are written in the [[narrative present]]—that is, in the [[present tense]], matching the way that the story is experienced.<ref>At any particular point of the story, as it unfolds, there is ''now'', and hence a ''past'' and a ''future'', so whether some event mentioned in the story is past, present, or, future changes as the story progresses; the entire description is presented as if the story's ''now'' is a continuous present.</ref> ProvideIf ait comprehensivemakes the plot summary.easier Forto articlesexplain, thatevents docan notbe havereordered.<ref>For asome dedicatedstories—''[[Memento cast(film)|Memento]]'', sectionfor instance, asor key''[[If characterson area introducedWinter's Night a Traveler]]''—presenting events in the plotorder of athe filmoriginal orwould playnot withbe ahelpful. knownThe cast,events listin thethese actors'stories namesare inpresented parenthesesnonlinearly, afterand them,much Characterof ([[Actor]]),the whereexperience applicable.is Ifbased iton makesuntangling the plot. muchFor easierthe topurpose explain,of eventsan canencyclopedia, bewe reordered;do fornot instance,want ato [[backstory]]add revealedto latermystery—we inwant ato novelexplain canit. be<br put/> first,For orsomething anlike ''[[inMemento medias res(film)|Memento]]'', openingwhere scenethe oforiginal aorder filmis canthere befor describeda wheredramatic itreason, wouldwe occurmight later.note Athat nonchronologicalthe narrativestory structureis canstructured bein madea chronological;particular forway, someand workswe'll ofsurely thiswant nature,to theexplain originalwhat nonchronological structureparts of the plotstory isare of interest to commentators, suchtreated as forbig ''[[Pulprevelations.</ref> FictionA (film)#Plot|Pulp Fiction]]'' or ''[[Memento (film)|Mementobackstory]]''. In these cases, it can be usefulmentioned tobefore includethe apoint briefat out-of-universewhich summaryit tois explainrevealed howin the nonchronological narrative, isor presentedan ''[[in themedias workres]]'' beforeopening presentingscene theof chronologicala summary.film Plotmight summaries shouldnot be writtenmentioned fromat the realbeginning worldof perspectivethe byplot referringsummary. toIf specificthe workssummary or parts of works ("Infollows the firstorder book",in "Inwhich Actevents II")are orpresented describingin thingsa fromnon-chronological thenarrative, authorout-of-universe orlanguage creator'ssuch perspectiveas ("Thethe authorstory introducesbegins in", "Thethe story describesbacktracks to")., This givesor "the summarystory askips more grounded tone and makes it more accessibleahead to" thosemight unfamiliarbe with the source materialuseful.

The plot section should usually avoid commentary. Anything that is not a straightforward description of the plot must be supported by a [[WP:RS|reliable]] [[WP:PSTS|secondary]] source.

This section may contain commentary on the work, as in ''[[Candide]]'', though this is not required and great care must be taken to avoid [[WP:OR|original research]]. For example, to describe an alleged deficiency in a plot as a "gaping [[plot hole]]" expresses an opinion that cannot be included in Wikipedia as if it were an established fact; it requires [[WP:ATTRIBUTEPOV|attribution to a source]]. In general, commentary is better suited to a Themes or Reception section.

==What to cut==

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[[Michelangelo]] is said to have created ''[[David (Michelangelo)|David]]'' by "taking a block of marble and cutting away everything that was not David". Writing a plot summary is a similar process—you take a long work, and you cut out as much as possible. The question is, what do you cut?

The basic structure of many narrative plots includes a lengthy middle section during which characters repeatedly get in and out of trouble on their way to the climactic encounter. Many episodes of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', for instance, involve the main characters getting captured and escaping repeatedly in the middle portion of the adventure. Although such events aremay be exciting to read or watch, they often clutter a plot summary with excessive and repetitive detail. Cutting less important ones can make the plot summary tighter and easier to understand. Identify the significant story beats; often, briefly stating that the plot progresses from situation A to B rather than delineating ''how'' it gets there, i.e. skipping to the results of a sequence or even entire subplot, is a practical rule of thumb for staying at an efficient high-level overview.

''Necessary'' detail, however, must be maintained. A summary of ''[[Odyssey]]'' as "Odysseus, returning home from the Trojan War, has many adventures which he uses his wits to escape until he reunites with his wife and kills the men who were trying to take over his kingdom" would omitbe almosttoo allsuperficial offor understanding the importantwork's passagesimpact and confuse the readerscommentary. EvenOn thoughthe theyother may know howhand, the ''Odyssey'' ends,contains it'svarious hardscenes towhere saypeople thatrecount theymyths understandto theeach workother which have welllittle enoughimportance to appreciatethe itsmain contextplot, and impactthus might be skipped entirely.

The three basic elements of a story are plot, charactercharacters, and themethemes. Anything that is not necessary for a reader's understanding of these three elements, or is not widely recognized as an integral or iconic part of the work's notability, should not be included in the summary.

The ''Odyssey'' contains various scenes where people recount myths to each other which have little importance to the main plot. If most of these are left out or consist of only a sentence or two, that is not a problem as long as they help to keep the focus on the main story. In works less vital to the foundations of academia and the founding of the Western literary tradition, details and lengthy subplots could be left out due to being relatively unimportant.

The three basic elements of a story are plot, character and theme. Anything that is not necessary for a reader's understanding of these three elements, or is not widely recognized as an integral or iconic part of the work's notability, should not be included in the summary.

===Length===

{{shortcut|MOS:PLOTLENGTH}}

There is no universal set length for a plot summary, though it should not be excessively long. Well-written plot summaries describe the major events in the work, linking them together withwhile fairly brief descriptions ofminimizing the less-important scenes or paraphrase dialog.

The [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]] provides general guidance on length, with allowances for exceptions. The [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Film#Plot|Film style guideline]] and the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Novels#Plot|Novels style guideline]] both specify 400 to 700 words for full-length works. The [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Television#Plot section|TV style guideline]] specifies a maximum of 200 words for entries in episode lists and up to 400 words for standalone episode articles. The [[Wikipedia:VG/CONTENT|Video game style guideline]] advises no more than approximately 700 words.

While longer descriptions may appear to provide more information, a concise summary may be more informative if itcan highlightshighlight the most important plot elements. By focusing attention on the larger structures of the plot and leaving out unnecessary trivial detail, a shorter summary can often be helpful to enablehelp the reader to better understand the work.

==Maintenance over time==

HavingAt writtensome point, a concise plot summary, authorsis mustlikely to be waryedited ofby someone else; editors do not [[WP:OWN|excessive attachmentown]] to their golden prose. At the same time, "plotchanges bloat"should isbe aclosely serious problemmonitored. Plot bloat is the gradual expansion of a plot summary over time by wellWell-meaning editors whomay dobe not have the advantageunaware of the prior discussiondiscussions aboutor theconventions preferredregarding levelplot ofsummary detaillength. forPlot thisbloat particularis work.thus Periodica reviewsserious andproblem. reassessmentsHowever, byplot newexpansions editorsshould arenot essentialbe tosummarily maintainingreverted Wikipediawithout articlesexplanation. andConsider towhat maintainingchanges plotmight summary sectionsbe inworth particularkeeping.

==Characters, locations, etc.==

For especially large or complex fictional works, certain elements may be split off into sub-additional articles per [[WP:SS]]. Such related articles should be clearly cross-linked so that readers can maintain their understanding ofunderstand the full context and impact of the work.

InSuch thean casesarticle where wemay have articles on characters, locations, and other parts of a fictional work, we often have a section thatwhat amounts to a fictional biography. These sections are, essentially, just a different kind of plot summary. For instance, an article on [[Prince Hamlet|Hamlet the character]] as opposed to [[Hamlet|''Hamlet'' the play]] would just summarize Prince Hamlet's individual plot arc through the play. This works just like any other summary – again, you come up with a thesis statement, and defend it with evidence from the play. Perhaps youYou might begin the section with something like, "The play charts Hamlet's tragic downfall as he pursues revenge against his uncle Claudius", and then you'd summarize the events that contribute to that tragic downfall, using all the same guidelines you would in general.

==Spoilers==

{{main|Wikipedia:Spoilers}}

By the nature of being an encyclopedia covering works of fiction, [[WP:DISC|Wikipedia contains spoilers]]. It is traditional for Wikipedia articles on fiction (including [[WP:FA|featured articles]]) to summarize the work's plot in the section fairly early on (often immediately following the lead, though in other cases after a background section or list of characters and the actors who play them). InformationNothing should not be intentionally omittedhidden from summariesthe reader in an effortorder to avoid "spoilers" withinruining the encyclopedia article. (Spoiler warnings were used early in the projectsurprise, butnor theshould consensusa ofspoiler editorswarning was that this practice was unencyclopedic so their use has beenbe discontinueddisplayed.)

However, when summarizing a plot and choosing what details to include, editors should use discretion. The advantages of exhaustive coverage of the work are in dynamic tension with the desire to preserve the artistic qualities of the work for readers.<ref>This standard parallels the dynamic tension between the policy that [[WP:NOTCENSORED|Wikipedia is not censored]], and the practice of not tolerating sensationalism or offensiveness for its own sake.</ref> Wikipedia should contain potentially "spoiling" detail where it substantially enhances the reader's understanding of the work and its impact, but be omitted when it merely ruins the experience of the work of fiction for our readers.

==Citations==

{{Shortcut|WP:PLOTCITE}}

{{Further|WP:PLOTSOURCE}}

Citations aboutmay theor may not appear in a plot summary. The work of fiction generally (thatitself is, citesthe addressingprimary the commentarysource, impactand ordoesn't otherusually real-worldneed relevanceto ofbe thecited work)for aresimple plot details. [[Wikipedia:No original research#Primary, secondary and tertiary sources|secondarySecondary sources]] noare differentneeded fromfor citationscommentary, ofbut non-fictionalthat topics.generally Allshouldn't interpretation,appear synthesisin or analysis of thea plot must be based upon some secondary sourcesummary.

Citations about the plot summary itself, however, may refer to the primary source—the work of fiction itself. For example, primary sourceInline citations are appropriaterequired when includingdirectly notable quotesquoting from the work, citing the act/chapter/page/verse/etc. of the quote within the work. For consolidated articles, discussing a work published or broadcast in a serial form, a citation to the individual issue or episode is appropriate and should be included to help readers to verify the summary. Plot summaries written purely from other summaries risk excessive loss of context and detail. While consulting other summaries may be helpful in narrowing down on what the major plot elements are, be sure to consult the primary source material to make sure you get it right.

==Case study: Little Red Riding Hood==