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The pursuit of a goal is the engine of storytelling
(mohamed_hassan / Pixabay)

An interesting way to find out what a character’s goal is by answering these two questions:

WHAT’S HAPPENING? and WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?

It is quite common, when we start to write, to confuse the plot and the storyline. But
there is a nuance that differentiates these terms when we use them in narrative theory.

The storyline explains WHAT HAPPENS in our narrative. It is about putting the events
that move the story forward in order.

The plot explains WHY things happen. It is the story explained from a cause-and-effect
point of view. In essence, things happen for a reason and everything that happens has
consequences.

Let’s look at an example with a movie that we all know: The Lion King (Roger Allers
and Rob Minkoff, 1994).

Storyline: Simba, a young lion heir to the throne, is forced into exile when his father dies,
and his uncle takes over the kingdom. With help from his friends and lessons from his
father, Simba is later encouraged to return and claim his rightful place in the kingdom.

Plot: Simba is a young lion heir to the throne. His uncle Scar, from the royal family, tries
to trick him in order to stay in power. With the help of hyenas, Scar hatches an evil
plan to kill Mufasa, Simba’s father and current king, and make Simba believe that he
is responsible. As Simba is just a child, scared and feeling guilty, he is driven from the
kingdom thinking that he has killed his father. Pursued by three hyenas, who intended
to kill him on Scar’s orders, Simba flees into the jungle, where he meets Timon and
Pumba, who rescue and adopt him. They quickly become friends. Meanwhile, everyone
believes that Simba is dead, and it is therefore Scar who takes control of the kingdom.