What purpose should a well-crafted plot serve?

A well-crafted plot should have five main components:

1. Exposition (or background information): give the reader context as to the who, what, where, when, and why of the story

2. Rising Action: this is the events that lead up to the turning point of the story; they set up the story to get to the point of no return

3. Climax: the turning point, or point of no return, is when the story changes. It's called a climax because it's the highest point in the story.

4. Falling Action: this is the events that occur after the climax, which eventually make their way to the final component of the plot.

5. Resolution: this is essentially the ending. Conflicts are usually resolved and the reader leaves the story with the main theme in mind.