plot device
Story-advancing technique
A plot device is a narrative element introduced primarily to advance a story rather than for its own sake.
The term often carries a whiff of criticism—suggesting something convenient or artificial: The long-lost twin was a transparent plot device.
Common plot devices include coincidences, overheard conversations, discovered letters, and MacGuffins.
Some, like the ticking clock or the love triangle, are so well-worn they verge on cliché.
Motivator irrelevant in itself
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
- Chekhov's gunNarrative necessity principle
- deus ex machinaUnlikely last-minute story rescue
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
flash-forward · frame story · unreliable narrator · in medias res · exposition · backstory · character arc · motif
Surprising disclosed truth
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
- reversalComplete change of direction
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- subversionUndermining established authority
misdirection · red herring · unreliable narrator · whodunit · retcon · betrayal · double cross · hidden identity
Prophetic indicator
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- hintIndirect suggestion
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
- portentSign of future calamity
warning · foreboding · presage · harbinger · sign · precursor · setup · plant
Event starting main conflict
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- triggerWhat initiates action
- conflictOpposition between parties
- call to adventureNarrative catalyst for journey
quest · revelation · discovery · death · betrayal · prophecy · ticking clock · ultimatum
Decisive final confrontation
- finaleConcluding part of performance
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- culminationHighest or final point
- confrontationDirect hostile encounter
denouement · final battle · revelation · catharsis · falling action · anticlimax · last stand · face-off
MacGuffin
Motivator irrelevant in itself
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
- Chekhov's gunNarrative necessity principle
- deus ex machinaUnlikely last-minute story rescue
flashback · flash-forward · frame story · unreliable narrator · in medias res · exposition · backstory · character arc · motif · archetype
revelation
Surprising disclosed truth
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
- reversalComplete change of direction
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
subversion · misdirection · red herring · unreliable narrator · whodunit · retcon · betrayal · double cross · hidden identity · frame-up
omen
Prophetic indicator
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- hintIndirect suggestion
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
portent · warning · foreboding · presage · harbinger · sign · precursor · setup · plant · Chekhov's gun
inciting incident
Event starting main conflict
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- triggerWhat initiates action
- conflictOpposition between parties
call to adventure · quest · revelation · discovery · death · betrayal · prophecy · ticking clock · ultimatum · challenge
showdown
Decisive final confrontation
- finaleConcluding part of performance
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- culminationHighest or final point
confrontation · denouement · final battle · revelation · catharsis · falling action · anticlimax · last stand · face-off · reckoning
artifact
Human-made historical object
microfilm · map · grail · relic · formula · documents · key · amulet · crystal · orb
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- plotstoryline, climax, narrative, rising action, falling action
- plot elementsprotagonist, antagonist, conflict, climax, rising action
- story elementsstory, hero, villain, protagonist, antagonist
- Shakespeare disguisesRosalind, cross-dressing, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Portia
- Father-Daughter ThemesKing Lear, Cordelia, Atticus Finch, Scout Finch, Elizabeth Bennet
plot devicecharacter development
Protagonist's psychological growth
character-driven plot · character study · psychological depth · character arc · emotional truth
plot, device, devise, plotting, plotted, devices, devising, devised, plotter