Elements of a Narrative

Elements of Narrative Characters are important to a narrative They can be people or animals or non-humans that take part in the action of a story. For example an alien species could be a character if it reoccurs consistently in the story. Or a car if it is moving on it’s own and tries to interact with the other characters.

Types of Characters Characters can be two types A protagonist which is the main character or characters in a story that the action from the plot focuses on or the conflict surrounds. The other type of character is called an antagonist which is a minor character that act upon or revolve around the protagonist or protagonists.

Every story needs a place Every story begins with the place, time, weather and historical period. These are where the action of a story occurs. Settings can change within the same story, but usually they are confined to 3 or 4 main locations.

The events The events of a story are know as the plot. The plot is the main events of which a story can be divided into. There are four parts of the plot

Exposition

Part 1 of a Plot The first part of a plot is called the Exposition or trigger. The Exposition is the beginning of the story where the characters, setting, and the conflict are introduced. The conflict begins with some action that the character reacts too.

Rising Action Exposition

Rising Action Rising Action is the main part of the story. The conflicts become larger and more obvious. These conflicts influence the characters words thoughts, and actions.

Climax Rising Action Exposition

It’s the Exciting Part The exciting part of a narrative or story is called the Climax The climax is the part of the story where the conflict or tension is the greatest. Tension is when the excitement is the highest.

Climax Rising Action Resolution Exposition

And Finally….. At the end of a narrative or story is the Falling Action The falling action is the part of the story where the conflict is resolved not solved Resolved means that all or part of the conflict has been ended. But there could still be difficult situations to confront by the characters later

What is your problem? The conflict is the problem or struggle that opposes the protagonist. Usually the conflict is another character, or force of nature. There are two types of conflict external and internal

Types of Conflict External Internal An external conflict is one that occurs in outside the protagonist Like moving an asteroid before it hits the earth and destroys buildings and people An internal conflict is one that occurs inside the protagonist Usually it is a desire, need, or emotion For example, the hero is worrying about their loved ones while they are destroying the asteroid.