ABSTRACT
A story is usually just a chronicle of events with the events ordered in a temporal sequence from the past forward. Even here, individuals usually generate at least some meaning as to how the events relate to each other-the who, what, where, when, why, and how. On the other hand, a plot, much more than a story, generates meaning about the events’ relationships. Unlike a story, the plot will almost always not include everything that happened concerning the events and not every event, but only those events and details that bear on the important aspects of their relationships. And even among the events described, some will be emphasized, some discounted or barely mentioned. Also, unlike the story, the plot may not be described in a temporal sequence from past to the present and beyond but will convey meaning of the very temporal sequence it may not literally follow.
