Elements of the Short Story Plot, Character and Narrator

Plot Plot is the series of related events that make up a story or drama. Climax Falling Action Rising Action Resolution Exposition

Exposition opening of the story characters and their conflicts are introduced

Rising Action The main character takes action but encounters more problems or complications

Climax key scene in the story—the most tense, exciting, or terrifying moment reveals the outcome of the conflict

Falling Action Events that wind down the action towards the resolution.

Resolution final part of the story the conflict is resolved

Conflict Conflict is the struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces. Conflicts may be External Internal

Types of Conflict External conflict happens on the outside of a character Character vs. character Character vs. group Character vs. something nonhuman Internal conflict occurs within a single character Character vs. self

Timing and Pacing Sometimes, writers might manipulate time to control our emotions. They might slow down time to emphasize a moment of danger speed up time to skip over events that don’t move the story along

Flashback Flashback—a scene that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backward and tell what happened at an earlier time. Flashbacks can provide background information Present strengthen our understanding of a character Past

Flash-Forward Flash-Forward—a scene that interrupts the present action of the plot to shift into the future. Flash-forwards can create dramatic irony. The readers know what will happen in the future, but the characters don’t. Present Future

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is the use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot. Foreshadowing can make a story more exciting by increasing suspense.

Setting Setting is the time and place of the story Provides background Where characters live and act Includes: the locale of a story people’s customs—how they live, dress, eat, and behave Weather, time of day, time period (past, present, future) Writers select images to describe the setting They use the 5 senses – taste, touch, sight, smell, sound

Setting, Mood and Tone Setting can also create mood, or atmosphere. It can affect the way we feel about the characters. Setting can also express a tone, or attitude toward a subject or object.

Character Development Writers build characters by revealing speech appearance private thoughts others’ reactions actions

Speech First-person narrators reveal their personal traits as they tell their own stories (using pronouns like I, me, and we) tell us what they think and feel Be aware that some first-person narrators mislead or lie to the audience.

Speech Dialogue can reveal a lot about characters and their relationships with each other. Pay attention to what characters say and don’t say how characters respond to each other [End of Section]

Appearance Pay attention to language the writer uses to describe the characters’ looks, clothes, and demeanor.

Private Thoughts Writers can take us into the characters’ minds to reveal their thoughts and feelings. As you read, note whether the characters’ thoughts and feelings match their speech and actions.

Actions What characters do and how they treat each other often reveal the most about them. Observe characters’ actions to determine what their personality is like what motivates them how they deal with conflict

Direct and Indirect Characterization Direct Characterization—Writers tell us directly what characters are like or what their motives are. Indirect Characterization—Writers show us characters (through speech, appearance, private thoughts, other characters’ reactions, and actions) but allow us to decide what characters are like.

Main Characters Protagonist—the main character of a story. The action of the story revolves around the protagonist and the conflict he or she faces. Antagonist—the character or force the protagonist struggles against and must overcome. Subordinate characters add depth and complication to the plot.

Flat and Round Characters Flat characters have only one or two character traits that can be described in a few words have no depth, like a piece of cardboard Round characters have many different character traits that sometimes contradict each other are much like real people, with several sides to their personality

Static versus Dynamic Characters change or grow as a result of the story’s actions learn something about themselves, other people, or the world as they struggle to resolve their conflicts The changes that a dynamic character undergoes contribute to the meaning of the story. Static Characters do not change or grow are the same at the end of a story as they were in the beginning

Motivation Motivation—what drives a character’s actions. It explains behaviors reveals personality is often based on character’s fears, conflicts, needs Motivation can be inferred by observing characters’ behavior, speech, actions.

Narrator A writer’s choice of a narrator, or person that tells the story, determines the point of view of the story—the vantage point from which the story is told. The three main points of view are Omniscient First person Third person limited

Omniscient Narrator When the omniscient point of view is used, the narrator is not a character in the story knows all can tell us everything about every character

First person Narrator A first-person narrator is a character in the story uses first-person pronouns such as I and me tells us only what he or she thinks and experiences A first-person narrator is sometimes called a persona.

Third person limited Narrator When the third-person-limited point of view is used, the narrator gives one character’s thoughts and reactions uses third-person pronouns (he, she, they) tells little about other characters

Voice Voice is the writer’s distinctive use of language and his or her overall style. The writer’s tone and choice of words (diction) help create the voice. In fiction, narrators can also be said to have a voice. A narrator’s voice can affect our view of characters and events.