Situation: A dramatic situation is unstable. It will not stay as it is, and it has at least two possible outcomes, one desirable and one undesirable.

In a plotted story, the situation contains the germ of conflict, leading to change.

In an unplotted or circular story, the situation at the end is the same as at the beginning, but the reader understands it better.

If you start your story with a situation in mind, look for a character who has a stake in the outcome.

A story will often pass through multiple intermediate situations, some of them unexpected, on the way from beginning to end.

#shortfiction Damon Knight