Story Elements

Characters Antagonist Protagonist The main character in the story The character or force in conflict with the protagonist. “Good Guy” “Bad Guy”

Conflict Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces or characters. Without conflict, a story would be boring! A story can have several conflicts. The main conflict is central to the plot and is usually resolved by the resolution.

Ex. A husband and wife disagree about where to spend the holidays. Types Of Conflict Internal Conflict/Response: Takes place inside a character’s mind or heart Sometimes involves a decision External Conflict/Response: Takes place between a character and something outside the character Outside Forces- Nature, an event/situation, or another character Ex. A woman is tempted to steal money from work to feed her hungry children. Ex. A husband and wife disagree about where to spend the holidays.

MAN VS. SELF Internal Conflict A struggle between a character and his feelings, conscience, or fear.

Man VS. Man External Conflict A struggle, mental or physical, between two characters Other character may be antagonist

Man vs. nature External Conflict A struggle between a character and Mother Nature Mother Nature=Weather, animals, insects, sickness, epidemics

Man vs. society External Conflict A struggle between a character and the laws or beliefs of a group Could involve poverty, politics, social norms, expectations, or values

Point of view The standpoint from which a story is told. First Person POV (Point of View) Third Person Limited POV Third Person Omniscient (Om-nish-ent) POV

First person Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns “I” and “We” Ex. “As I walked up the hill, I realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who was nearly always singing from the top of the maple tree. I thought I saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when I looked again it was gone. Still, I shuddered as I felt a silent threat pass over me like a cloud over the sun.”

Third person Limited POV The narrator is an outside observer who can tell us the thoughts and feelings of only one character. EX. “As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree. She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone. Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.”

Third person omniscient The narrator is an outside observer who can tell us the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in a story. The narrator is “all-knowing.”

Third person omniscient Example: “ As the girl walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. The cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing, but just as the first note passed his beak he heard the crack of a dead branch far below his perch high in the maple tree. Startled, he looked down, cocking his head to one side and watching with great interest while the man rattled the blades of grass as he tried to hide himself behind the tree. As the man saw her start up the hill, he moved quickly into the shelter of the huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined. She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone. The man thought if he could stay hidden until she came within range, she'd have to talk to him. Wouldn't she? The girl shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.”