Plotwise

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In terms of the narrative's structure, this relates to the sequence of events and the thematic elements that are intertwined within the story
2. Relating to how a story is structured, this involves the arrangement of events and their thematic implications throughout the narrative
3. In reference to a narrative, this pertains to the organization of events and the associated thematic elements that contribute to the overall story

Etymology: "Plotwise" is a plain compound: "plot" joined to the suffix "-wise," which has long been used in English to mean "in the manner or direction of" (as in "clockwise" or "otherwise"). Put together, the word describes something arranged in the manner of a plot, which is why it appears in literary discussion about how events are ordered and how they carry meaning across a story. The base "plot" is itself a word that has moved far from its first sense. It goes back to Old English "plot," meaning a small piece of ground, so a plot of land came before a plot of a novel. The narrative sense developed from the idea of a scheme or layout, a pattern laid out in advance, and "plotwise" carries that sense of deliberate arrangement into the discussion of stories.

Synonyms: narratively, story-wise, in terms of plot, as for the plot, with regard to the plot