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

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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>

===Ways 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 most common organization of a plot section is generally 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> Provide a comprehensive plot summary. For articles that do not have a dedicated cast section, as key characters are introduced in the plot of a film or play with a known cast, list the actors' names in parentheses after them, Character ([[Actor]]), where applicable. If it makes the plot much easier to explain, events can be reordered; for instance, a [[backstory]] revealed later in a novel can be put first, or an ''[[in medias res]]'' opening scene of a film can be described where it would occur later. A nonchronological narrative structure can be made chronological; for some works of this nature, the original nonchronological structure of the plot is of interest to commentators, such as for ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)#Plot|Pulp Fiction]]'' or ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]''. In these cases, it can be useful to include a brief out-of-universe summary to explain how the nonchronological narrative is presented in the work before presenting the chronological summary. Plot summaries should be written from the real world perspective by referring to specific works or parts of works ("In the first book", "In Act II") or describing things from the author or creator's perspective ("The author introduces", "The story describes"). This gives the summary a more grounded tone and makes it more accessible to those unfamiliar with the source material.