There must be certain literary elements present in a work of fiction. Without these key elements, the story could not function properly. What do you think these basic elements of a work of fiction are?

PlotA. Plot is the sequence of events which involves the characters in conflict.

B.Narrative order is the sequence of events.1. Chronological—the most common type

of narrative order in children’s books. The events are told in the order they happen.

2. Flashback—occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before the current time of the story. The opposite is a “flash forward.”

3. Time Lapse—occurs when the story skips a period of time that seems unusual compared to the rest of the plot.

C. Conflict—the struggle between the protagonist and an opposing force. There are several types of conflict:

1. Internal Conflict (character vs. self)—occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself or herself.

ie: a struggle between doing what you want and doing what is right.

C. Types of conflict (continued)

2. Interpersonal Conflict (character vs. character)—occurs when the protagonist is against someone else.

ie: a character is competing against his rival in the last track meet of the season.

C. Types of conflict (continued)

3. Character vs. Society—occurs when the protagonist is in conflict with the values of his or her society.

ie: I want to wear a white skirt, but it is after labor day.

ie: You want to dye your hair neon green, but it violates the dress code.

C. Types of conflict (continued)

4. Character vs. Nature—occurs when the protagonist is threatened by an element of nature.

ie: a character is caught in a rip tide. ie: a character is lost in the woods and is

struggling to make her way through the thick brush and pitch black night.

C. Types of conflict (continued)

5. Character vs. Supernatural—occurs when the protagonist is in conflict with any force outside of human control, such as fate, religious God(s), ghosts, monsters, etc.

ie: a character is born with a chronic illness. Ie: Dracula wants to suck your blood!

C. Types of conflict (continued)

6. Character vs. Technology—occurs when the protagonist is in conflict with human created technology.

ie: a character is being attacked by a robot. ie: a character is taking a test and her pencil breaks. If a character is shot by another character, it is still

character vs. character conflict even though the gun is human created technology. The other character pulled the trigger causing the death. If the trigger was stuck, preventing the character from shooting the gun, then it is character vs. technology.

D. Plot Line1. Exposition—sets the stage for

the story. a. Describes the settingb. Provides the situation and

condition of the charactersc. May introduce the problem

2. Inciting Incident is the event that starts the action.

D. Plot Line3. Rising Action—includes all action

leading to the climax and builds interest and suspense. Characters are developed, events become more involved; this is the major portion of the story.

4. Climax/Turning Point—is the point of greatest emotional intensity or interest. This is also the point at which the most significant change occurs. This is a key moment where readers have a good idea of what the outcome will be.

D. Plot Line5. Anticlimax—is when the climax is

a let down because it is often less exciting than the previous events and is often unbelievable to the story. (anticlimactic—adj.)

6. Falling Action—leads away from the climax and may provide any necessary explanations.

D. Plot Line7. Resolution or Denouement—the

end of the story or the end result; this can be one of the following:

a) Closed Ending—readers feel that they know what will happen; there is a sense of completion.

b) Open Ending—readers must draw their own conclusions; they do not know what will happen.

c) Cliffhanger—an abrupt ending at an exciting and often dangerous time in the plot; usually at the end of a book that is part of a series.

D. Plot Line

Exposition

Inciting Incident

Risi

ng

Actio

n

Climax

Anticlimax

Falling

Action

Resolution

E. Other Elements of Plot1. Suspense—a state of tension or

uncertainty; an emotional pull that keeps the reader going. The author develops suspense by:

a) Adding more complications to the plot.b) Dropping hints or clues about future events or

the final outcome.c) Delaying an event the reader knows is coming;

slows the action to a crawl.d) Developing the characters in such a way that

makes the reader care about them and wonder what their future holds.

E. Other Elements of Plot2. Foreshadowing—hints about what will

happen later in the story.3. Coincidence—something which happens

by chance; easily confused with irony.4. Irony—

a) Verbal Irony—sarcasm; “go play in traffic!”b) Dramatic Irony—the reader knows what is

happening, but the characters do not . (think of scary movies)

c) Situational Irony—the unexpected twist; the opposite of what we or the characters expect to happen actually happens.