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

Revision as of 19:39, 22 January 2025

Revision as of 07:57, 2 February 2025

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

{{nutshell|A plot summary should consist mainly of details essential to understanding the story.}}

{{ombox|text=This page is not considered a [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|Wikipedia guideline]], but [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction]] is. Whenever possible, the guidelines should be followed. Furthermore, [[WP:PLOT|policy]] states that a plot summary should not swamp an article.}}

An encyclopedia article about a work of [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction|fiction]] typically includes, but [[WP:NOTPLOT|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.

==What plot summaries are not==

{{shortcut|WP:PLOTSUMNOT}} A plot summary is not a recap. It should not cover every scene or every moment of a story, nor should it attempt to re-create the emotional impact of a scene. 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.

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==