Short Story Elements

Dynamic Character

A character that changes in some important ways as a result of the story's action.

Static Character

A character that does not change much in the course of a story.

Plot

A series of related events. It has several parts: a basic situation or exposition, a conflict, which is a character's problem or problems, a series of complications, a climax, which is the point at which we learn what the outcome of the conflict will be, and a resolution which is the closing of a story. In most stories, the plot is built around characters who experience a problem or conflict that is solved in some way.

Mood

A story's atmosphere or the feeling it evokes.

External Conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force, which may be another character, society as a whole, or something in nature. (An example of external conflict is man vs. man, man vs. nature, etc.)

Internal Conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character. (Drug addiction, for example)

Resolution

Also called the denouement, the part of the story where all problems are resolved, for better or worse, and the story is brought to a close.

Round Character

Characters that are complex and have many different traits.

Flat Character

Characters that have only one or two traits and can be summed up in a single phrase.

Rising Action

Generally consists of complications that tend to occur in a series and are related directly to the central conflict.

Falling Action

In many stories, the falling action is a series of events that occur directly after the climax and lead up to the resolution.

Indirect Characterization

Shows things that reveal the personality of a character. There are five different kinds of indirect characterization, which can be easily remembered with the acronym "STEAL."

Antagonist

The character or force that blocks the protagonist in fiction or drama. Is often, but not always, the villain in a story.

Exposition

The first part of a plot, also called a basic situation where we are introduced to the main characters and their conflicts.

Protagonist

The main character in fiction or drama. The character we focus our attention on, the person who sets the plot in motion.

Climax

The most intense moment in the plot, the moment at which something happens that reveals how the conflict will turn out.

Characterization

The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character, split into direct and indirect characterization.

Setting

The time and place of a story or play, including the weather.

Suspense

The uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story. One way to create suspense is by using foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing

The use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot. This increases suspense and generates reader curiosity.

Direct Characterization

The writer tells us directly what the character is like. This is usually accomplished through the words of the narrator.