1. Short Story Fiction Able to be read in one sitting
Focus on a single plot or conflict
Limited setting
Follow conventions of plot

2. Plot
1. What happens.
2. How it happens.

3. Parts of the Plot
Exposition: background information a reader must understand in order to know what is going on in the story (setting, characters, initial conflict)
Conflict: complication or problem the main character(s) must deal with; it gets the action moving
Rising Action: events (and more conflicts) that occur when the main character tackles the problem; level of excitement and suspense builds
Climax: the main character comes face to face with the problem; most exciting part of the story
Falling Action: things begin to get back to normal; life goes on (even if the problem isn't solved)
Denoument (Resolution): loose ends are tied off; allows reader to clearly understand what happened

4. Variations of Plot
Surprise ending - an ending that catches the reader off guard with something unexpected.
Red Herring- a false clue that leads investigators, readers, or solvers toward an incorrect solution. This device usually appears in detective novels and mystery fiction.
Misdirection - similar in meaning to the red herring: the writer uses both to distract the protagonist, and by extension the reader, away from the correct answer.
Cliffhanger - an abrupt ending that leaves the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation, creating a strong feeling of suspense that provokes the reader to ask, "What will happen next?" Cliffhangers often frustrate the reader, since they offer no resolution at all.

5. Conflict Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces.
Central Conflict - main character must fight against some force or make an important decision.
a.        Internal conflict - takes place inside a person's mind. Example - a character is torn between risking his life to save someone else.
b.       External conflict - takes place when a person or group struggles against another person or group or against a non-human force such as a storm or a car that won't start.

6. Setting 1. Time and place in which action occurs.
2. Writers often tell more than date and location - weather, scenery, rooms, local customs, clothing, and dialects.

7. Uses of Setting 1. To create mood or atmosphere.
a. A log cabin nestled in a beautiful mountain canyon peaceful, happy mood.
b. Wet, dark tunnel --scary mood
2. To inform readers about different ways of life.
a. Details about clothing, customs, and speech patterns can give a reader a sense of what it is really like to live in that story.

8. Uses of setting cont.
3. To make the action of a literary work seem more real.
a. Vivid details can take readers to imaginary and far-away times and places. 
4. To Contribute to the conflict or struggle.
a. Arctic settings may involve a character's struggle to survive in extreme weather. 
5. To symbolize, or stand for, some idea that the writer wants to emphasize.
a. A spring setting may symbolize hopeful beginnings and growth.
b. Winter may symbolize death or loneliness.

9. Narration The act of telling a story, or narrative.
The voice that tells the story is called the narrator.

10. How to tell what the point of view is?
  Is the narrator a character in the story?
a.     If they take part in the action – 1st person
b.     If they are outside – 3rd person

11. Point of View
1.    First person – example: Your grandmother telling you a story about her youth. First person pronouns like I, me, us, our. She is the character in her own story.
2.    Third person – example: Your grandmother is telling you a  fairy tale.  Third person pronouns like she, he, his, them. She is telling the story from outside the action.

12. Types of Narrators
1.    Omniscient – “all knowing” tells about other thoughts and feelings
2.    Limited – knows only what’s in the mind of one major or minor character
3.    Objective – does not discuss the thoughts or feelings of the characters but reports only what they DO.

13. A person, or animal who takes part in the action
Character
A person, or animal who takes part in the action 
   1. Protagonist -  the main character
2. Antagonist - the protagonist struggles against this other major character in some works

14. A process of showing what a character is really like.
Characterization
A process of showing what a character is really like.
1.    Direct characterization – the writer simply tells what the character is like.  Such as “Susie felt lonely and frightened.”
2.    Indirect characterization – the writer shows what a character is like by describing what the character says or does, how a character looks, or what other characters say about him or her.

15. Elements of Character 1. Appearance – looks, clothing, etc
2.    Personality – way the character acts
3.    Background – From where is the character? School? Experiences?
4.    Motivation – Why does the character do what he/she does? What does he/she like or dislike? Goals, aspirations, dreams, and needs?
5.    Relationships – To whom is the character related? How does the character relate to other people?

16. Elements of Character cont.
6.    Conflicts – Involved in a struggle? Internal or external? Why?
7.    Change – Does the character change, learn or grow during the work?
a.  static character – does not change
b. dynamic character – changes or grows throughout the story

17. Irony
Irony is a literary term for a sudden twist, a ‘switcheroo,’ or a surprise ending.

18. There are three kinds of irony:
VERBAL IRONY is when you say one thing, but mean another. When it is done to hurt, it is called sarcasm.
SITUATIONAL IRONY is when you expect one thing, but another happens.
DRAMATIC IRONY is when the audience knows something that the characters do not.

19. Literary Terms
Suspense - feeling of excitement or tension the reader experiences as the plot unfolds.  Writers create suspense by raising questions in the reader's mind.

20. Symbolism—A physical object or event that portrays something invisible or visible in a story; it can be used to suggest more than one meaning.
Traditional symbols include the rose, national or organizational flags, handshakes, and religious items like the cross or Star of David.

21. Tone—The language that the authors uses to create attitudes towards actions, events, characters, and subject matter. It is the way that the author conveys his/her attitude and feeling towards the elements of the story.

22. Imagery—A collection of words that describe what we actually see in a reading to give more understanding of the story.
Rhetorical Question – a question that is not meant to be answered.

23. Foreshadowing—Statement that tricks you into thinking about something before it happens; hints or clues about an event that will occur later in the story.
Theme—The main focus of the story and what the author thinks that may reflect the issues in everyday life.

24. Flashback - a section of the story that is interrupted to tell about an earlier event.
Personification – giving human characteristics to a non human thing
Simile – a comparison which uses like or as
Metaphor – a comparison which does not use like or as

25. Genre – type or category of literature
Fiction literature not based on fact
Nonfiction literature based on fact
Drama plays, but also a serious play about the protagonist’s relationship to society