Fill it in on the page
Type straight into the diagram: the story's title, characters, setting and conflict, then a box for each of the five parts of the plot.
Free · private browser tool
Free Plot Diagram Template
Fill in a plot diagram online: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, or a three-act story arc. Print it or keep writing in Plot.
Plot diagram
Map your story's plot, part by part
Choose a shape, fill in the five parts and print the sheet or keep it. Start with the example if you want to see one done.
Your diagram
Who is here, and what is normal before the trouble starts?
What events build the conflict and raise the stakes?
Where does the conflict come to a head? What is decided?
What happens as a result of the climax?
How does the story end, and what has changed?
Opens as a new Plot project once you sign in or create a free account. Inkwell keeps this copy for 24 hours.
Print it blank for a class, or filled in. The sheet stays in this tab. Open it in Plot, copy it or download it to keep it after a refresh.
View and select the text
# Plot diagram ## 1. Exposition Not filled in yet\. ## 2. Rising action Not filled in yet\. ## 3. Climax Not filled in yet\. ## 4. Falling action Not filled in yet\. ## 5. Resolution Not filled in yet\.
Useful output, not a score
What this tool gives you
A pyramid or a story arc
Use Freytag's pyramid, the classroom plot diagram, or switch to the three-act story arc films use. Your words stay in their boxes when you switch.
Print it or keep writing
Print the sheet filled in or blank for a class, download it as text, or open it in Plot and write the story from it.
How to use it
- 1
Choose a shape
Pick the plot diagram for a short story or a novel study, or the story arc for a film or a novel with a late climax.
- 2
Fill in the five parts
Start with the climax, the moment the conflict comes to a head, then work back to the exposition and forward to the resolution.
- 3
Print or open it
Print the worksheet, copy or download it, or start the draft in Plot with the diagram as its outline.
Questions writers ask
What are the five parts of a plot diagram?
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. The exposition sets up the characters and their world, the rising action builds the conflict, the climax is the turning point, the falling action shows what follows, and the resolution ties off the story.
What is the difference between a plot diagram and a story arc?
The classroom plot diagram, based on Freytag's pyramid, puts the climax in the middle with a fall as long as the rise. A three-act story arc rises for most of the story and puts the climax near the end, which is how most films and novels are shaped.
Can I print a blank plot diagram?
Yes. Leave the boxes empty and choose Print: the fields print as lines to write on and each part gets a box. Fill in the example first if you want a model to hand out beside it.
Is my diagram saved?
It stays in this tab while you work. Open it in Plot to keep it in your projects, or copy or download it before you leave the page.
Defined in the glossary
Plot Structure
The shape of a story's events: how it sets up a problem, raises the stakes, turns, and resolves. Three-act structure is the most common model in film; Freytag's pyramid, the hero's journey and the eight-sequence approach are others.
Exposition
The background information an audience needs to follow a story: who the characters are, what happened before and how the world works. Strong writing dramatizes it inside scenes; weak writing stops the story to explain.
Rising Action
The series of events between the inciting incident and the climax, where obstacles and complications build tension and raise the stakes. It is usually the longest part of a story.
Climax
The point of highest tension in a story, where the central conflict comes to a head and the protagonist's final choice decides the outcome. It comes near the end, after the rising action and before the resolution.
Falling Action
The part of a story after the climax and before the resolution, where the consequences of the climax play out, loose threads are tied and the tension eases toward the ending.
Conflict
The struggle between what a character wants and whatever stands in the way. External conflict pits a character against another person, society, nature or technology; internal conflict is a struggle inside the character. Conflict is what forces characters to make choices, and choices are what move a story.
Inciting Incident
The event that breaks the protagonist’s ordinary world and forces the main story to start — early, concrete, and hard to ignore.
Three-Act Structure
A common story shape: setup (Act One), confrontation (Act Two), and resolution (Act Three), with major turns at the act breaks that re-aim the protagonist's goal and cost.
Denouement
The final part of a story, after the climax, where the remaining questions are answered and the audience sees the characters' new normal. The word is French for untying: the knot the plot tied is finally undone.
Keep working with the draft
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Enter your script's page count and get all fifteen Save the Cat beats on the right pages, grouped by act, with a beat sheet template you can copy.
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Open toolTurn the diagram into a draft, with each part as a heading to write under.