Setting, Plot, Conflict, and

PacingESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN FICTION

PART I

Elements

SettingTime & Period Place

PlotExpositionRising ActionClimaxFalling ActionResolution

ConflictInternalExternal

PacingChronologicalFast forwardFlashbackMedias Res

The time, place, and period in which the action takes place.

Time & Period

Setting

Place

• Past• Present• Future• Medieval

• New York• El Paso• Verona• Troy

Setting can help establish atmosphere

Rays of sun broke through scattered clouds and a rainbow could be seen in the distance.

“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December.…”

Setting can direct plot

“It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was strained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox.”

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst

Plot

• Series of related events that make up a story or drama

• Specific structure

• Linked together like a chain

• Five parts

Five Parts of Plot Structure

Exposition

Climax

Resolution

Rising Action

Falling Action

1. Exposition• Occurs at the beginning of a story

• Setting revealed

• Characters introduced

• Main conflict begins

2. Rising Action• Conflicts develop

• A building of interest or suspense

• All rising action leads to climax

3. Climax• Most exciting and intense part

• Character comes face-to-face with conflict

• Turning point; plot shifts direction

• Usually toward the end of the story

4. Falling Action• Loose ends tied up

• Main conflict taken care of

• Directly after climax

5. Resolution• The story comes to a reasonable ending

Which part of the plot?1 What is the name of this section?

Paul wants to go to an out-of-state university, but his family can only afford to pay the tuition at a local college.

2 What is the name of this section?

Paul goes to work on a nearby farm to earn extra money. There, he meets Miranda, and the two start dating.

Which part of the plot?

3 What is the name of this section?

Paul and Miranda argue about his leaving for university. Paul must choose to stay or go.

Which part of the plot?

4 What is the name of this section?

Paul visits his parents to get some advice about what he should do.

Which part of the plot?

5 What is the name of this section

Paul decides to leave for university. Miranda makes plans to visit him and wishes him well.

Which part of the plot?

Conflict• Conflict is the dramatic struggle

between two forces in a story

• Essential to plot progression

• Divided into two main categories

Types of conflict

Internal Conflict External Conflict

External conflict

Character will always face outside force:

• Man vs. Man

• Man vs. Nature

• Man vs. Society

• Man vs. Supernatural

External Conflict Man versus Man:

• Pits one person against another person

Man versus Nature:

• Pits a person against a force of nature

• Storms

• Earthquakes

• Animals

External Conflict

Man versus Society:

• Values and customs are challenged

• Problems based on personal convictions

• Changes to social fabric desired

External Conflict Man vs. The Supernatural:

• Anything that doesn’t fit into other categories

• Ghosts

• Gods

• Heroes

• Zombies

Internal Conflict Man versus Self:

• Doubts

• Fears

• Indecision

• Making hard decisions

• Test of personal values

Timing & Pacing

• Writers manipulate time to suit their plot development

• Speed up time to skip over events that don’t move the story along

• Slow down time to emphasize a moment of danger

• Manipulate time to add suspense

Chronological Order• Most stories are told in chronological order

• Events unfold in real time

• In order from first to last

First Second Third Last

Flashback• A flashback interrupts the

present action of the plot

• Flashes backward to tell happened at an earlier time

• Strengthens our understanding of a character

• Provides background information

Past

Present

Flash-Forward• A Flash-Forward interrupts the

present action of the plot to shift into the future

• Flash-forwards can create dramatic irony

• The readers know what will happen in the future, but the characters do not

Future

Present

Medias Res

• Latin for "into the middle of things"

• Begins somewhere in the middle of the story

• Usually at some crucial point in the action

• Some epic poems begin this way

Middle

Beginning

End

Practice

• Choose a children’s story or fairy tale that is familiar to you

• Draw a plot diagram like the reviewed

• Add labels describing the key parts of the story’s plot

• Use your imagination to write a flashback that could occur in one part of the story