The Elements of Fiction What makes a story a story

Characters Characters are the ‘people’ (can be animals, robots, etc.) that the story talks about. Memorable characters come alive for us while we read. Characters are either major or minor Major characters are who the story revolves around Minor characters help or inhibit the other characters for short periods of time

Characters Characters are either round (realistic) or flat (stereotypical) Round characters come to life; they have strengths and weaknesses and are unique Flat characters use archetypes or stereotypes; these characters are often symbolic of good, evil, laziness, stupidity, charity, etc. Characters are either static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing). Static characters do not learn and become better or worse as the story goes on; they are the characters who can keep banging their heads against a wall but never learn to stop Dynamic characters change and become better or worse as the story goes on; they are the characters who learn from the experiences they have

Characters Protagonist vs. Antagonist Protagonist is the character presented with a problem This is NOT always a ‘good’ character The Antagonist is the character/thing creating the problem for the protagonist This is NOT always a ‘bad’ character

Characters Readers can learn about characters in many ways, including: Physical traits Dialogue Actions Attire Opinions Point of view There are no limits on the types of characters who can inhabit a story but all have the same set of emotions as the reader

Point of View Objective Point of View Writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer. Third Person Point of View The narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.

Point of View First Person Point of View In the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story We need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient. A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.

Point of View As you read a piece of fiction think about these things: How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. Narrative The narrator of the story tells the reader things, directly or indirectly; they are not speaking to another character Dialogue This is when two characters interact

Conflict The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The conflict is what creates the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is the character in the story who has the conflict (problem). The antagonist is the character causing or aiding the problem. Types of conflict: Person vs. Person Person vs. Nature Nature vs. Nature Person vs. Machine Nature vs. Machine Person vs. Self Person vs. Society Person vs. Disease

Setting Setting is the description of environment (whether it is in a forest, car or a building and all that surrounds that location) and time (year, day, hour) Writers describe the world they know. Sights, sounds, colors, and textures are all vividly painted in words as an artist paints images on canvas. A writer imagines a story to be happening in a place that is rooted in his or her mind. The location of a story's actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is the setting. Setting is created by language. How many or how few details we learn is up to the author. Setting can add an important dimension of meaning, reflecting character and embodying theme.

Plot If an author writes, "The king died and then the queen died," there is no plot for a story. But by writing, "The king died and then the queen died of grief," the writer has provided a plot line for a story. A plot is a series of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story. The plot draws the reader into the character's lives and helps the reader understand the choices that the characters make. A plot's structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged. Writers vary structure depending on the needs of the story.

Plot Exposition - information needed to understand a story; it tells what has happened in the past to characters or past events that are important for the reader to know Complication - the driving force/event that begins the major conflict. It is where the problem begins. Climax - the turning point in the story that occurs when characters try to resolve/fix the complication/problem. Resolution - set of events that bring the story to a close. Plot is not always a straight line from the beginning to the end of a short story. The shifting of time is the way we learn what happened and why, and it keeps us interested in the story. But good stories always have all the plot elements in them

Theme Theme is a topic or idea that is mentioned throughout the piece of writing Image the author, thinking ‘What major idea do I want to explore in this writing?’ The theme IS NOT the conflict or plot! For example: In ATL, the theme of brotherhood In To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of empathy (walk a mile in someone's shoes) In Romeo and Juliet, the theme of fate In Ray, the theme of overcoming great odds