✍️ xTiles Plot Diagram Template 📖
Creative writing needs time, talent, determination, and as many supportive tools as possible in order to be effective and bring the desired outcome. A story plot diagram or plot structure diagram is one of these graphic organizers, making the lives of writers easier. However, you can go one step ahead and use a pre-designed template to make the task a bit more easier.
The xTiles Blank Plot Diagram Template belongs to our writing templates collection. It helps to organize the work process, deal with a bottleneck, polish your style, and, in the end, provide an engaging story. This tool is perfectly suitable for professional writers especially those who only start or have to write a story due to specific circumstances.
What is a plot diagram template?
A plot diagram is a visual tool used to map out the key elements of a future story’s structure. The most common version is a plot pyramid, showing how the story builds tension and then resolves it.
A story’s plot typically develops over five stages – exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. If these key components are written properly, they work together well to create a compelling narrative arc. We will take a look at every part of the plot diagram through examples from well-known stories to understand what they are and how they work.
A writer starts with the exposition (introduction), where readers step into the story’s setting for the first time, meet the main characters, and get essential background information – Harry Potter is introduced as an orphan living with his cruel uncle, aunt, and cousin, we hear the prologue explaining the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, or the Bennet family is introduced and their financial struggles are described.
Then, the story gradually but naturally moves into the rising action so that it won’t feel strange for a reader. Here, a series of events builds tension and presents various complications. Characters frequently deal with growing difficulties or conflicts throughout this stage, which propels the narrative and keeps readers interested. For example, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the rising action starts when Harry begins to receive his Hogwarts letters. In The Lion King, it happens when Scar orchestrates Mufasa’s death and blames Simba, leading Simba to flee Pride Rock. In Frozen, the rising action happens when Elsa’s ice powers accidentally cause eternal winter in Arendelle, forcing her to flee.
As the tension of the story reaches its peak, we arrive at its climax – the turning point when the primary conflict arises and the protagonists encounter their most difficult obstacles (Simba returns to Pride Rock to confront Scar, Romeo kills Tybalt in a duel, or Winston Smith’s betrays Julia under torture).
The dropping action, which follows this crucial point, demonstrates how the characters deal with the fallout from the climax and start to work out their differences. For example, in Frozen, the dropping action is when Anna sacrifices herself to save Elsa, which leads to the eternal winter end, and Elsa learning how to control her powers. Anna and Elsa’s relationship is repaired, and the kingdom celebrates their reunion. In Shrek it happens after Shrek stops Fiona’s wedding to Lord Farquaad, they confess their love, and Fiona’s curse breaks, and they return to the swamp to begin their life together.
Finally, the story reaches its resolution, also known as the denouement, where all loose ends are tied up and readers learn the ultimate fate of the characters. This final stage provides closure and often reveals the deeper meaning or lessons within the story. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the resolution is Harry returning to Dursleys for summer, but now knowing he belongs to the magic and has loyal friends like Ron and Hermione. In the 1984, Winston, completely broken by the Party’s torture, accepts Big Brother and loves the Party.
A plot chart diagram template is a tool that provides designated spaces for each stage of the story, along with additional features to streamline the process, such as rich content integration, backlinks, notes, and tasks. These features help you easily find what you need and ensure that the story structure remains solid and cohesive, free from logical issues or flawed cause-and-effect relationships.
The xTiles template for plot graphs doesn’t resemble a pyramid or mountain, which is considered to be a traditional form of this tool. Instead, it provides a consecutive structure, where you go from one stage to the next one step-by-step. This design doesn’t interfere with the visual representation of a story plot. On the contrary, it enhances comprehension, as our brains tend to think in a linear way.
Benefits of a story diagram template
Character development might stand some mistakes, but missing motivation and logical explanation for their decisions and actions, make them repulsive for a potential reader. That’s where graphic organizers like a plot diagram template come into play. These visually appealing tools serve an important function – helping writers to create a story and character arcs that are interesting to follow.
They bring numerous advantages, whether you’re a student or professional writer, whether you’re working on short stories or epic.
A plot diagram helps writers maintain consistency throughout their narrative while ensuring each story element serves a purpose. This is very important for stories of all sizes. Probably, even more crucial for short ones, as missing something important on a few pages might be easy to track for a reader, while epic narrative genres might round some corners.
When an author maps out key events and character developments before writing, they can identify potential plot holes or weak points in their storytelling. This structured approach allows writers to create more engaging narratives by ensuring proper pacing and maintaining tension throughout the story.
Furthermore, plot diagrams serve as valuable revision tools, enabling writers to step back and evaluate their work objectively. When working on a story plot for a long time, it might be easy to forget what the first intention was. Text sometimes can be very tricky and might take as far from the needed destination.
A plot diagram template can help identify whether each scene contributes meaningfully to the overall narrative, whether character motivations remain consistent, and whether the story’s emotional intensity builds appropriately toward the climax. For beginning writers, these diagrams can also serve as training wheels, helping them understand the fundamental elements that make stories compelling and memorable.
The visual nature of plot diagrams makes them particularly useful for collaborative writing projects, allowing multiple writers to share a common understanding of the story’s direction and structure. They also prove invaluable in educational settings, helping students analyze literary works by breaking down complex narratives into manageable components while developing their own storytelling skills.
Finally, when regularly using a plot diagram template, writers learn many ways to develop their characters’ arcs to apply later to their own creative writing.
How to create a great plot with a plot diagram template
Story plot development usually starts a long before you buckle up and start writing. It takes some time to come up with the ideas (not all of them appear from nowhere as writing is hard work) and look for interesting components you may try to use in your text.
With the research part, you can rely on the xTiles Web Clipper. Every time you stumble upon something useful when surfing the internet, just save it and send it to your xTiles Inbox. It also can be done via your smartphone, using the xTiles mobile app.
Once you’ve gathered your inspiration and materials, the next step is to organize your thoughts into a cohesive structure. This is where we go to the xTiles Plot Diagram Template. If you want to use something you saved in your Inbox or your notes in your new project, simply open the Inbox through the menu left to your avatar, use the drag-and-drop feature, and move it to the needed text box.
First of all, outline your main idea. What story it is going to be? What’s its main theme? What do you want to say by writing this story? Also, list your main characters, adding specifics such as their age, background, beliefs, fears, etc. If in the course of writing, new characters appear, add them to this list too. It will help you coordinate their development.
Then, we need to outline the exposition. Introduce your characters, setting, and the initial situation. You can add rich content to present your ideas comprehensively, after all, this plot diagram is for your convenience only. Be as detailed as needed to produce a well-structured novel.
The next step is to move on to the rising action, where conflicts and challenges begin to emerge. Use your saved ideas and research to enrich these sections with vivid details and compelling twists.
Now, we approach the most intense and pivotal moment in your story – the climax. Fine-tune the tension and stakes, and add the necessary details. At this stage, it’s important to ensure that the situation resonates with the characters.
Then, unfold the consequences of the climax in your falling action section. Finally, tie up the loose ends in your resolution to take the whole story to the logical conclusion.
Tip: If writing is your job, you can set tasks directly from your plot diagram template through built-in xTiles tasks. They will be conveniently gathered into one list.
If needed, share your story plot diagram with your friends or editor to get the feedback needed to resolve potential issues or fix inconsistencies.
You can customize your plot diagram in xTiles to make it resonate with the story theme. For example, you’re writing a gothic story about vampires. Choose gloomy dark colors. Ensure it helps you to immerse fully into your story every time you open it to start writing.
Benefits of upgrading your xTiles plan
The xTiles Plot Diagram Template is free, but if you want extra features to develop your stories better, you can upgrade your xTiles plan. Here’s what you’ll get:
Rich Story Development with the Expanded Template Library: Map out, plan, and write using our wide gallery of advanced templates for writers!
World-Building Hub with Unlimited Storage Space: Keep all your story elements in one place – from character relationships to magical system rules, and historical events to map sketches. Tag story elements and find any detail about your world instantly. No more digging through scattered notes or multiple files.
Track Story Development with the Timeline View: See your whole narrative at a glance. Track rising action, identify plot holes, and balance your story arcs. Perfect for making sure your pacing works and your story hits all the right beats at the right times.
Collaborate with Writing Community: Share your plot outlines with beta readers, writing groups, or editors. Get feedback directly on specific scenes or plot points. Collaborate with co-writers while keeping your story organized and your creative vision clear.
Ready to take your storytelling to the next level? Upgrade your xTiles plan today!
