1. ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

2. PLOT Series of related events that make up a story. Logical series that has a beginning, middle, and end.

3. Introduction The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

4. Rising Action Where the events on the story become complicated and the conflict is revealed.

5. CONFLICT Struggle between opposing forces. Conflict

6. Internal Conflict Struggle within one’s self. Must make some decision, pain, etc.

7. External Conflict Struggle with a force outside one’s self.

8. MAN vs. MAN External struggle between two or more individuals.

9. MAN vs. HIMSELF Internal struggle concerning emotion and decision.

10. MAN vs. Circumstance External struggle between fate or life.

11. MAN VS. SOCIETY Struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of people.

12. CLIMAX Turning point of the story; emotional high point. For the character, not the reader. Climax

13. FALLING ACTION Events that lead to resolution. Falling Action

14. RESOLUTION/ DENOUEMENT Outcome of the conflict. Resolution

15. Characters Protagonist: the character in which all events revolve. May not be a good guy.

16. Antagonist: opposes the protagonist May not be a bad guy. Flat character: have one side. Round character: complex characters with many sides.

17. Setting /Description Time and location in which the story takes place. Place: Where is the action? Time: When is it taking place? Weather: Is it rainy, sunny?

18. Social Conditions: What is the daily life of the character’s like? Mood/Atmosphere: What is the feeling created?

19. Figurative Language Simile- comparison using like or as. Metaphor- comparison using is or form of is. Personification

20. Point of View (POV) Angle in which the story is told Innocent eye: through the eyes of a child Stream of consciousness: inside the head of the character. First person: told by the protagonist. Uses I, me, we.

21. Omniscient: author can move from one character to another: Limited: Third person-Use they, he, she. Only sees the thoughts of one character. Objective: A camera following the characters. NO comment on their thoughts.

22. Theme The controlling idea or its central insight. Underlying meaning. Examples: Love is blind, believe in yourself, don’t judge a book by its cover.

23. Flashback Flash to an earlier time or event in the story.

24. Foreshadowing Give clues about what is going to happen in the story.