Short Stories Terms & More!

Fiction - Prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events

PLOT -the sequence of events

1. Exposition - background information; introduces characters, setting, and basic story2. Rising Action - introduction of conflict and increase of tension

* Inciting Incident - event that propels main character into problem situation or conflict

PLOT - continued

3. Climax - high point of interest and suspense

4. Falling Action - events that occur as a result of climax

5. Resolution - loose ends are tied up

CONFLICT - a struggle between opposing forces

Internal - conflict with self

External - conflict with outside source

a. person vs. person

b. person vs. society

c. person vs. nature

CHARACTER - people or animals that participate in the action

1. Round - many different traits (3D)2. Flat - one basic trait (2D)3. Dynamic - changes significantly4. Static - remains the same5. Protagonist - main character; readers generally hope she/he succeeds6. Antagonist - character who opposes main character

CHARACTERIZATION - act of creating and developing a character

1. Direct - author directly states character’s traits.

2. Indirect - author shows character’s traits through actions, thoughts, observations, reactions, etc.

SETTING - time and place of the action

1. Time - past, present, future; specific year, season, or time of day

2. Location - Geographic, social, economic, or cultural environment

POINT OF VIEW - vantage point from which a story is told

1. First person - storyteller is a character and uses “I”

2. Third person - storyteller reports events and uses “he/she/they”

a. Limited - only includes what can be seen from his/her perspective

b. Omniscient - includes thoughts and feelings of all characters.

TONE - the writer’s attitude toward his/her audience and subject

Often the TONE can be described with a single adjective: formal, informal, serious, playful, bitter

To figure out TONE try to think about how the author feels. We do this a lot when we think of themes/ messages.

MOOD - the reader’s feeling during or after the work

Often the MOOD is suggested by descriptive details: unnerving, scary, hopeful, pleasant, etc.

To figure out the MOOD simply consider how the story made you feel.

SUSPENSE - a feeling of tension or nervous uncertainty

Created by

withholding key details to understanding the story

AND

foreshadowing what may happen later on in the story

SYMBOL - an object that represents an abstract idea

River --> journey

Crown --> Royalty

Light --> good

Dark --> evil

Green --> jealousy

THEME -

A message from the author to the reader about life; must be expressed as a sentence; should not refer to a specific novel.Examples: One should never take their lives from granted. Some people can never be trusted. Love comes in many different forms. All people deserve to be treated equally. Humans are inherently evil.