“Unraveling the Mystery: How Understanding Story vs. Plot Can Transform Your Writing!”
As an example, the original Alien (1979) doesn’t explain the origin of the Xenomorph and explores little of the Nostromo crew’s history as well—because the “Monster in the House” survival plot doesn’t require all that story to be included. That fabula has expanded through other media throughout the years since the movie’s inception, but it wasn’t needed in the first film. Its syuzhet focused on an alien aboard the ship and the crew’s fight to survive the encounter.
The same can be said for other elements of the story: There’s never an explicit mention of what’s in the box in Se7en (1995) because the plot doesn’t require it. In fact, the audience can figure it out thanks to John Doe’s comments in another part of the plot, making the truth very apparent. If we followed the fabula, we might see him take Tracy’s “pretty head,” but the syuzhet doesn’t need that scene to make the intended impact.
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