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

Revision as of 01:20, 6 January 2025

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==Ways of organizing a plot summary==

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

The plot is usually placed in 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> If it makes the plot easier to explain, events can be reordered; for instance, a [[backstory]] can be mentioned before the point at which it is revealed in the storynarrative, or an ''[[in medias res]]'' opening scene of a film might not be mentioned at the beginning of the plot summary. If the summary follows the order in which events are presented in a nonchronological narrative, out-of-universe language such as "the story begins in", "the story backtracks to", or "the story skips ahead to" might be useful.

The plot section should usually avoid commentary. Anything that is not a straightforward description of the plot must be [[WP:ATTRIBUTEPOV|attributed to a source]].