Summary

The website content provides an overview of eight common plot devices used to enhance storytelling, offering insights into their effective application.

Abstract

The article titled "8 Plot Devices & How To Use Them In Your Stories" serves as a guide for writers seeking to employ narrative techniques to propel their stories forward. It emphasizes the importance of plot advancement while maintaining character development. The author, who identifies as more plot-driven, outlines the significance of careful plot device usage, such as plot twists, foreshadowing, red herrings, flashbacks, quests for an object, love triangles, deathtraps, and cliffhangers. Each device is described with attention to its potential impact on the reader and the story's progression, highlighting the need for buildup, subtlety, and the avoidance of predictable outcomes to ensure the devices are both dramatic and earned.

Opinions

The author believes that while plot devices are essential, they are not always easy to implement effectively.
A good plot twist should be well-earned and built up throughout the story.
Foreshadowing is a subtle art that can enhance a story's depth without driving it, often only fully appreciated upon a second reading.
Red herrings should be used with care to avoid making readers feel deceived.
Flashbacks are a useful tool for revealing backstory and can contribute to both the main plot and subplots.
The quest for an object is a versatile plot device that can drive the narrative in various genres.
Love triangles, though a classic trope, are seen as a timeless source of conflict and drama.
Deathtraps are viewed as an effective means of revealing a character's resourcefulness and escalating tension.
Cliffhangers are recognized as a powerful way to maintain reader interest and ensure anticipation for the next installment in a series.

8 Plot Devices & How To Use Them In Your Stories

Use these tips to help move your story forward

Photo Creation by CarlosDavid.org for iStock

As writers, we use plots to advance our stories. As a writer, I am more plot-driven than character-driven.

So, while I find it easier to move through the novel, I need to pay attention to the characters as well. That’s not to say using plot devices is easy for me, because it isn’t.

By studying clever plot devices, you’ll gain a solid background to use them in your stories. From there, you can take them in your direction.

8 Plot Devices to Use in Your Stories

1. Plot Twist

The plot twist is the best-known of all plot devices. It usually proves the reader’s assumptions wrong so far. This is a scene or moment where the plot takes a dramatic turn.

A good plot twist requires buildup. So make sure it’s not only dramatic but also ‘earned’.

“Plot is just a fancy way of saying ‘and then.”

Erica Jong

2. Foreshadowing

This is another classic scenario. Foreshadowing is a plot device that hints at something to come. This can be a big reveal or twist. Usually, readers won’t recognize foreshadowing until they reach the end of a book. That means that foreshadowing doesn’t drive a story as much as other plot devices do. But when done well, it can boost a subplot or highlight some interesting details in the story.

3. Red Herring

Red Herring is the opposite of foreshadowing. Here we mislead the reader. We create something false to distract them from the truth. Usually, it’s a specific person is a suspect for a crime.

Mystery and crime fiction authors love to use this device to keep people from figuring out the main twist too soon. However, they must do so carefully, so readers don’t feel cheated!

“Conflict is the place where character and plot intersect.”

Nancy Kress

4. Flashbacks

Don’t you love flashbacks? They are pretty much what they sound like. Here a character recounts something that happened in the past, which of course sheds light on the present. It’s this

reason authors use flashbacks in mysteries and thrillers as well.

Flashbacks not only build to a reveal but also a sub-plot.

5. Quest for an object

This type of plot can take many forms. Some refer to it as the ‘Fetch Quest’, the ‘Big Dumb Object’ quest, or even the MacGuffin.

No matter what you call it, the essence of this device remains the same. Characters must embark on a quest to deliver or discover a certain object — usually with special properties or meaning.

6. Love Triangle

The proverbial “love triangle” has been around forever. It always occurs when one character cannot decide between two romantic prospects. This always results in conflict, drama, and a thrilling final decision. Hence why it works as a plot device in all sorts of genres, not just romance novels.

“A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise… Because this is how life is full of surprises.” Isaac Bashevis Singer

7. Deathtrap

What is the deathtrap device? We’ve all seen it. It involves characters in a life-threatening situation, often created by a villain, and for the characters to get out of it using their skills.

It’s an excellent way to show a character’s strengths and escalate the plot. It forces action! This can lead to a turning point or even the story’s climax.

8. Cliffhanger

Just about every reader is familiar with the cliffhanger. This plot device is when anything intriguing happens at the end of a chapter (or even the end of a book in a series!). Things remain unresolved to keep readers going, hoping they’ll find out the answer.

These plot devices should help you open and close your book, and add that secret sauce in the middle.