And somewhere in the plot, this conflict often results in a significant shift in the balance of power. A character must make a choice, and because of that choice, the character changes. Built into that last statement is the concept of consequence. Consequence makes all the difference when it comes to plot. Vladimir Nabokov's wonderful, simple example shows the difference between a plot and a mere sequence of events.
Stories usually let the reader relax a bit after the climax.
That's kind of them, but the story shouldn't just roll over and go to sleep. Keep the story alive to the end, and make the last sentence the best one in the story. I've now said all I care to say about the theory of short fiction. These rules that I've just listed, and many more that I haven't, have served the art form for millennia, since stories were first swapped around the primal campfire. About truth Be significant.