Plot drift, or narrative drift, is a phenomenon in storytelling in which the
plot
Plot or Plotting may refer to:
Art, media and entertainment
* Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction
Music
* ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava
* The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003
Other
* ''Plot' ...
of the story deviates from its apparent initial direction. The phenomenon can affect written works, although it is often more noticeable in performed media such as
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
shows or
movie
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s. Plot drift is generally (though not always) seen as contrary to good storytelling technique.
A sign of plot drift can be the increased introduction of new characters and settings near the end of a story.
A contrary literary technique might include the apparent introduction of plot drift, only to later reveal a connection to the rest of the story.
Narratology
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