The basic of all plots is the story. A story is a series of events centred on the actions of one character. A story is about the character facing a difficulty

The basic of all plots is the story. A story is a series of events centred on the actions of one character. A story is about the character facing a difficulty, and demonstrating which action the character took to overcome that difficulty. Sometimes some of the first attempts at action fail, causing further difficulties. Stories are an innate part of how humans think. There is a lot of solid research suggesting that there is a part of our brain that automatically transforms times series of events into stories, automatically, and without our knowing it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_brain_interpreter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_brain_interpreter The story is the basic organizing principle of our memory, our justice system, pretty much all of society. See also: http://bigthink.com/overthinking-everything-with-jason-gots/your-storytelling-brain http://bigthink.com/overthinking-everything-with-jason-gots/... If I had to describe humans to aliens I'd say: "Creatures with a loss aversion that create stories."