Elements of Fiction

Plot Plot is the events that tell the story. Every plot is a series of events that are related to one another.

Plot Diagram

1.Exposition (Introduction) The beginning of a short story. The characters are introduced. The setting is described (geography, time) Conflict is introduced

Point of View Who is telling the story? Third Person Omniscient: The narrator tells the story from an all-knowing perspective  Unlimited scope: reader knows everything everyone in the story is thinking and doing  Loss of intimacy: the reader isn’t drawn into the story

Point of View Who is telling the story? Third Person Limited: Third person, told from the viewpoint of one character in the story.  The narrator restricts his knowledge to what one character sees and does.  The reader’s perception of other characters is affected by the narrator’s prejudices and personal limitations

Point of View Who is telling the story? First Person: Story is told from point of view of one of the characters who uses the first person pronoun “I.”  Reader feels as if he is “in” the story  A strange or fantastic story is easier to believe if told by someone who is supposedly part of the story  The reader can see, hear, and know only what the narrator sees, hears, and knows

Characters There are at least two main characters in a story  Protagonist – the main character in the story; he or she may not be the good guy, but is the main character  Antagonist – the character that opposes the protagonist; he or she may not be the bad guy, but always opposes the protagonist

Characterization Every character can be characterized as one of the following:  flat - the reader doesn't know or learn much about the character over the course of the novel  round - the reader knows and learns many things about the character over the course of the novel  static – the character doesn't change over the course of a novel  dynamic – the character changes greatly over the course of a novel

Character Motivations The plot is developed through the internal and external responses of the characters:  Intellectual motivation  Emotional motivation  Physical motivation  Status seeking

Character Motivations The plot is further developed through unique human qualities  Courage/fear  Ambition/laziness  Honesty/dishonesty

Setting The setting means where and when a story takes place It includes the time the story takes place  present (now)  past (before now)  future The setting includes important details or objects in the environment  Abandoned warehouse  Beautiful mountaintop

Conflict The problem(s) the main character has to resolve. Types of conflict:  Internal: Man vs. self  External: Man vs. man Man vs. society Man vs. nature Man vs. machine

2. Initial Action The first event that begins the story

3. Rising Action This part of the story begins to develop the conflict(s). The story gets interesting

4. Climax The turning point of the story. The main character’s conflict must be resolved. The main character changes in some way

5. Falling Action The conflict(s) and climax are resolved (ended)

6. Dénouement The story comes to an ending

Putting It All Together 1. Exposition 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4. Falling Action 5. Dénouement Beginning of Story Middle-to-End of Story End of Story