Roller Coasting Through a Good Book The Elements of a Fiction Plot

The Plot of a Great Fiction Book Can Be Like Riding a Rollercoaster

 You start out unsure of the experience, but you’re hopeful it will be enjoyable.  As you get a little further into the book, you realize there’s trouble ahead! Problems are piling up as you climb higher and higher.  As you gain momentum and head straight up to the point of highest tension, you’re either loving the view, indifferent because there wasn’t a big enough build up, or seriously concerned about where you are heading!  At the end of the book, you critique it saying, “What a great ride!” or “It wasn’t that interesting.”

Plot  Plot is the action of a story. It is the series of related events from the beginning of the story to the end. Most plots follow a chronological order. In other words, they proceed in the order in which the events happened.

The Elements of a Plot Exposition Rising Action (Conflict) Climax Falling Action Resolution

A Plot Curve of a Fiction Book Looks Like a Rollercoaster

Exposition  The first part of the plot.  Here the author describes the setting, introduces the characters, and gives the situation.

Exposition SettingSituation  The time and place of the story.  The circumstances the character is experiencing.

Exposition Characters  A character is a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes part in the action of the story.

Exposition: Character Strength MajorMinor  Characters that are critical to the main story line  Characters that add to the story, but do not play a major role in the story.

Exposition: Characterization Characterization is how an author shows what a character is like, for instance the way they act, look, talk, or think. There are two kinds of characterization.  Direct: writer tells directly what the character is, usually through descriptions.  Indirect: writer gives actual words of characters, tells character’s thoughts or feelings, tells about the character’s actions, or tells how others respond to the character.

Exposition: Character Types ProtagonistAntagonist  The main character or the most important character.  The person or thing that is working against the protagonist. This is also another major or main character in the plot.

Exposition: Character Development Flat/RoundDynamic/Static  Flat characters are characters that are not fully developed, described, or revealed. Their thoughts remain hidden.  Round characters are characters that are fully described or revealed.  Static characters are characters that remain the same. Things happen to static characters, but they do not change.  Dynamic characters change or grow.

Characters: Dialogue and Motive  Dialogue: When characters speak to each other. Quotation marks are used around the words that characters speak.  Motive: The reason behind an individual’s actions.

Exposition: Point of View Narrator First-Person  A narrator is the person who is telling the story.  The story is told by one of the characters. The character uses pronouns such as “I” or “we” and usually participates in much of the action.

Exposition: Point of View Third-PersonThird-Person Omniscient  The story is told by a narrator who is not a character in the story. Pronouns such as “he”, “she”, and “they” are used.  There are two kinds of third-person.  The narrator will relate the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. Third-Person Limited  The narrator will relate the thoughts and feelings of just one character, usually the protagonist.

Rising Action  The author describes the conflict or problem that the characters must face. In most stories, the characters don’t solve the problem on their first try. As they struggle, the tensions rise. conflict – problems in the story

Rising Action: Types of Conflict Character vs. CharacterCharacter vs. Self Character vs. Society Character vs. Nature

Conflict: External/Internal ExternalInternal  Character vs. Character  Character vs. Nature  Character vs. Society  Character vs. Self

Climax The climax is the turning point in the story. It is point of highest tension when the conflict is at its worst point. The characters may have begun to think of a way to solve the conflict. The climax occurs close to the end of the book.

Falling Action The falling action is the part where the author describes how the conflict is solved.

Resolution The resolution tells what the main characters feel or do now that the conflict is over and brings the story to a satisfactory end.

Theme The theme is the writer’s message or central idea throughout the story. It is what the author is trying to teach you. It is woven throughout the story.