Often in the writing community, people define plot by conflict. "Story = conflict"--or so they say. In reality, goals, not conflict, are the true foundation and framework of plot. It's by changing and evolving the protagonist's goal that you truly progress the plot, not by how much or how little conflict you have.
This isn't to say conflict isn't important; it most certainly is. I still consider it a critical element (most of the time). But more important than that, is actually the goal, which is where true plot starts, anyway.
You can't have conflict, until you have an antagonistic force. The antagonistic force is a form of opposition--it's something in the way of the protagonist's pathway. In other words, it's something in the way of the goal. So, you can't have a real antagonist, until the protagonist has a goal.
Okay, already some of you who are new around here, are chomping at the bit to tell me I'm wrong. You want to tell me you can think of great stories where the protagonist wasn't pursuing a goal. She was just enjoying her life, until something interesting happened.
And that's one of the problems with talking about goals in the writing community: most of us have a narrow idea of what a goal is. Too many of us envision big or aspirational goals, but that's actually only one type of goal.
At the most basic level, there are, in fact, three types of goals: to obtain something, to avoid (or stop) something, or to maintain something.
The protagonist does not necessarily have to strive to obtain something (aspirational). He can want to avoid something (like a natural disaster). Or she can want to "just enjoy her life" (until the antagonist gets in the way of doing that).
When it comes to the foundation of plot, it all starts with a goal (whether or not you are aware of it).
The goal is also the framework for the whole plot of the story.
Are there other important elements? Absolutely.
But the goal is likely the most important.
If the protagonist isn't trying to do anything, then what happens, doesn't really matter, because nothing is at risk or at stake, because there is no true antagonist, because there is no true goal.
This isn't to say, though, that all successful stories have amazing plots. They don't. Plot is one key part of story. Character is another. And theme is another. And we might even add setting and worldbuilding as well.
But even in a story that has a simple, low-stakes plot, the goal is almost always the most important plot element.
The goal can change. It can be added to. It can be abandoned. It can be achieved. But it needs to exist.
If it's abandoned or achieved, then usually a new goal needs to come along to get the plot moving again.
Often big goals break up into smaller goals. If your character wants to win an art contest, there are likely smaller goals that fit within that: maybe she needs to take art lessons, practice, create her masterpieces, save up enough money to enter, and be present during the judging.
Typically these will be the steps the character plans to take. Planning is the goal's close cousin.
In order to win the art contest, she plans to take lessons, to practice daily, to create her entry pieces, to save enough money from work . . .
These help give the story a sense of direction; they help set up expectations in the audience, so they can get invested in the story and anticipate the directions it could go.
Plot turns (aka turning points or plot points) are important as well. They work by changing the direction of the story. The story was going one direction, and then BAM! info is dropped or an action taken, and now the story is going a new direction.
What people don't realize, though (and what I've only realized in recent years), is that plot turns work by shifting the goal and/or the plans to get the goal.
A plot turn doesn't just change the direction of the story because . . . that's what it does--it changes the direction of the story by shifting the goal and plans.
Goals as the Framework of Interstellar
For example, in Interstellar, Cooper is living his life on the farm and investigating gravitational anomalies. His goals are to grow corn, and figure out what these anomalies are about. This leads him to Plot Point 1 (the major turning point of Act I), where NASA invites him on a mission to find a new home planet, to save the human race (ideally, those alive on Earth). He agrees to go.
His goal has shifted from growing corn and investigating gravitational anomalies, to going to space to look for a new home planet for humankind.
That's his goal for Act II, Part I. And his plans are to visit several potential planets.
Until the next major turning point, the midpoint. . . .
At the midpoint, Cooper has (seemingly) successfully found a planet they can live on, and then learns that there is no Plan A--everyone on Earth was left to die.
This shifts his goal. Now he wants to get back to Earth ASAP. He plans on finishing up on Mann's planet--unloading everything necessary--and then returning home.
But at Plot Point 2, the next major turning point, Dr. Mann blows up part of the ship. Cooper can't make it back to Earth, so abandons that goal. His new goal (and plan) is to go to the black hole to collect data to try to send back to Earth.
He does that successfully at the climax, saving everyone. And the story goes into falling action.
This is the "framework" of the plot of Interstellar. We may say the overarching goal of the story (and Cooper) is to save humankind--first by growing corn to help feed people, then by exploring space to find a new home, then by returning to those on Earth who are dying, then by going to the black hole to collect valuable data to help people get off planet.
Even if you have a story with basically one overarching goal, it will often break down into act-level goals (or sometimes we may think of them as act-level plans).
Within each act, there is also a halfway turning point--these commonly show up as the inciting incident, Pinch Point 1, Pinch Point 2, and the turn that takes us into the climax. I personally call them Turn A, Turn B, Turn C, Turn D. These are generally smaller turns than the major act-level turns (Plot Point 1, midpoint, Plot Point 2, climax). They are medium-sized, but still impactful.
They still turn the story, just less intensely.
This means they still shift the goal and/or the plans, but in medium-sized ways.
We see this happen in Interstellar.
At Turn A, the inciting incident, Cooper decodes the gravitational anomaly in Murph's room, and gets the coordinates to NASA. This subtly shifts his goal to find the location, which gets him on track to hit Plot Point 1.
At Turn B (Pinch Point 1), Cooper's goal within the act is to go to Miller's planet, which ends up being a disaster, so then he re-evaluates and decides to go to Mann's planet. Notice the subtle shift in direction. Notice this gets us on course to hit the midpoint.
At Turn C (Pinch Point 2), Dr. Mann reveals he is lying about how habitable his planet is and tries to kill Cooper. This also changes the goal, in a smaller way. Cooper thought he had succeeded in finding a habitable planet, but it turns out he hasn't. Now Dr. Mann wants to take the ship, which is the only way Cooper can get back to Earth. This gets us on course to hit Plot Point 2, where Mann blows up part of The Endurance.
In Act III, at first Cooper and Brand plan to go to Edmunds' planet to start Plan B, but at Turn D, Cooper drops from The Endurance, choosing to head for the black hole instead, while Brand goes on without him. This gets us on course for the climax.
So at every key turn, the goal and/or plans shift.
This is arguably what is most important in plot.
Are there antagonists, conflicts, and consequences throughout the acts of the film? Absolutely! But Cooper's goals (and plans) provide the foundation and framework of the plot.
You can see this with almost any successful story.
Even those that have very little antagonism, conflict, or consequences.
While Interstellar is loaded with those things, I can take you to a story completely on the other side of the spectrum--and the other side of the world--that isn't.
It's even sometimes been called "plotless."
But it's not that it has no plot, it's just that it has a very low-conflict, low-stakes plot.
It's more focused on character and worldbuilding, than on a riveting plot.
That's okay.
But you know what it does have?
Goals!
That shift with each turn!
Goals as the Framework of My Neighbor Totoro
Let's talk about My Neighbor Totoro.This is a famous film from Japan, made by Studio Ghibli in the 80s.
And even though "not much happens," it still follows this framework. And it works--this film is beloved by many, through generations, all over the world.
And it doesn't have life-and-death situations, astronaut betrayals, or deep dives into a black hole.
Let me show you the framework of Totoro.
The story opens with sisters, Satsuki and Mei, and their father moving into a new house that is rumored to be haunted. The goal for the act is to move in, while keeping a lookout for spirits (and maybe scaring some out).
As they begin looking through the old home, they glimpse something--soot sprites--and their dad asks them to find the stairs to the attic (smaller goal). At Turn A, they find the stairs, and attic, and Mei finds (and sort of "catches") a soot sprite; then an elderly neighbor explains that the sprites will leave the home if they see those living in it are nice, smiling people. So now another goal is added: get the soot sprites to leave.
At Plot Point 1, the family has successfully moved in, and during a frightening windstorm, they use loud laughter to scare anything away--the soot sprites vacate the home. Goals accomplished.
After this, we get a minor goal to successfully visit their mom in the hospital (this is basically the B Story beat). The conflict is low, but the goal is met, and at Turn B, Mei's new goal is to follow an acorn trail and catch forest spirits. While spirits evade her at first, she eventually follows them and finds Totoro (the king of the forest spirits) at the midpoint. Goal accomplished.
This segues into a new goal for the next segment: Now Satsuki wants to meet Totoro, too.
After a rainy afternoon, the girls decide to go to the bus stop to give their dad his umbrella, so he doesn't have to walk home in the rain (additional goal added).
At Turn C, as it gets later and later, Totoro arrives, and Satsuki gets to meet him. Just after, their dad arrives, and they give him the umbrella. Goals accomplished.
Before parting, Totoro gave the girls a gift--seeds. Their new goal for the next segment is to plant the seeds and help them grow.
At Plot Point 2, Totoro shows up again and helps the girls grow the seeds. They are successfully sprouting in the morning. Goal accomplished.
At the beginning of Act III, the girls are helping their elderly neighbor pick veggies in her garden. The neighbor explains that her veggies are full of nutrients and help people stay healthy. Mei wants to take the corn she picked to her mom in the hospital, so she can get well. Mei's new goal.
Just after this, Satsuki receives a worrisome telegram about their mother in the hospital--she needs to try to contact her dad right away, but she doesn't have a phone. She goes to a neighbor's and manages to call him. Goal accomplished. She learns her mother won't be coming home this weekend as planned; her health has taken a downturn.
At Turn D, Mei, heartbroken, runs away. She determines to walk to the hospital to deliver the corn herself, so their mom can get well--but the hospital is over three hours away. Satsuki can't find Mei, and panics. The whole village begins looking for her. The goal is to find her.
After searching and searching, Satsuki realizes she can ask Totoro for help. She does just that, and he helps her find Mei. With a ride from the cat bus, they deliver the corn to the hospital. Climax: goals accomplished.
Low stakes? Yes. Low conflict? Yes.
But it still has the framework and structure of a basic plot.
The goals shift at each key turning point (and at the right time).
Though it may feel "plotless" to some, it still has the most basic foundational plot element: goals.
On a simplistic level, the plot still works because of that.
So goals are the true foundation and framework of plot.
Make sure that your protagonist has clear goals, and that they (or their plans) shift at each key turning point: Turn A, Plot Point 1, Turn B, midpoint, Turn C, Plot Point 2, Turn D, and the climax.
Like this info? Want to learn more from me and other professionals? Now is your chance 😉 Later this month, I will be participating in WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit. This is a FREE online event. More info:
🚗 Your Free Ticket to the Speculative Fiction Writers Summit!
Hi everyone,
If you're reading this article, you likely have a story you want to write (or maybe you just really like Interstellar or Totoro, and I mean, who would blame you?). You also likely care about writing it right.
Well, I'd like to invite you to WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit—a free, 4-day online event happening August 20–23.
This summit brings together over 30 top authors, book coaches, and publishing insiders to help you write that story right.
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- K.M. Weiland, award-winning author & story structure expert, on weaving plot, character, and theme
- Sue Campbell, author marketing coach & mindset expert, on setting goals that actually get your book written and your author platform built
- Gabriela Pereira, founder of DIY MFA, on using character archetypes to deepen your protagonist
- Rachael Herron, bestselling author, on the truth about traditional vs. self-publishing
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Honestly, this lineup looks amazing (and it's hard to believe it's free). I'm honored to be part of it.
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TL;DR:
WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writers’ Summit 2025 (August 20–23) is a free, 4-day online event for fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and genre-bending writers (though any writer can benefit from it). These sessions go deep into craft and publishing.
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