Writer
Dreamer
Rather than focus on how complex I think its how intriguing it is since complexity does not always mean interesting it can often be a put off.
Action A leads to action B. Action B leads to action C. Action C leads to action D.
That's the plot.
What's the difference between a great simple story and a mere string of scenes?
Hey Firefly, what's a plot twist? As you understand it.
Honestly, the more I try to think about this, the more I get confused about what the word "plot" even means. I mean, I have an idea of it in my mind, but when I try to break it down and define what it actually IS, I can't seem to do it. Looking around the interwebs, most explanations of how to "plot" don't even seem to be about plot at all, the they seem to be about structure-which I always thought was a completely different thing. It feels to me like plot is more a confusing web of entirely different concepts rather than one single thing. Is it pacing? Reveals and plot twists? Goal/conflict/stakes? Causation and consequences?
A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality.
I find this to be a good working definition of plot. But the rest of the quote is not what I typically associate with "story" - I'm more familiar with the idea that a story is about the character's internal change over the course of the novel.
So I like the idea that the "plot" is the "WHY" of the through line.... The story is the series of events, but the "Plot" is the big question that keeps reader's reading to find the answer at the end.