Fiction: Plot, Point of View, and Character
Stock Character
A common or stereotypical character that is seen in many stories
Epiphany
A moment of insight, discovery, or clarity when a character is changed forever
Unreliable Narrator
A narrator that is deceptive, deceiving themselves, deluded, deranged
Antihero
A protagonist who is lacking in one or more of the conventional qualities that make a person a hero
Character v Self
A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character
Falling Action
All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of
Character
An imagined person, creature, or role in a story
Plot
Artistic arrangement of the events in a story; the series of events in a story
Total Omniscience
Can see into the minds and know the thoughts of all the characters
Limited Omniscience
Can see into the minds and know the thoughts of one (or maybe more) but not all characters
Elements
Necessary and essential parts that make up a whole
Character v Character
Occurs when the protagonist is against another character
Character v Society
Occurs when the protagonist is in conflict with the values, rules, or structure of an institution
Character v Nature
Occurs when the protagonist is threatened by an element of nature
Fairy Tale
Story of a world of magic and enchantment
Protagonist
The central or MAIN character in a story
Antagonist
The character that directly opposes the protagonist.
Nonlinear Structure
The events are told in a way that do not follow the sequence of time and rearranged.
Linear, or Chronological Structure
The events are told in the order in the order that they happen in time (in a straight line).
First Person
The narrator is a character or participant in the story.
Third Person
The narrator is not a character or participant in the story
Narrative Structure
The order in which the events are told in a story
Point of View
The perspective from which the story is told
Resolution
The reasonable end or conclusion that the story comes to
Conflict
The struggle between two forces in a story - usually the protagonist against someone or something
Parallel Structure
There are multiple story lines or plot sequences occurring at the same time
Climax
This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with the main conflict.
Rising Action
This part of the story begins to develop the conflict(s); A building of interest or suspense occurs.
Motivation
What a character wants or why a character does what they do
Tale
a brief story meant to tell strange or wonderful events
Fable
a brief story that aims to make a pointed statement of truth or moral and usually uses animals or inanimate objects to make that point
Parable
a brief story with a moral, but it usually is more realistic with human characters
Foil Character
a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other
Complication
a development in the core problem that contributes to the climax of the story
Flashback
a past scene relived in a character's memory
Objective Narrator
does not enter the mind of any character but describes the events from the outside
Flat Character
does not have emotional depth, reader doesn't know a lot about them, supports the main character
Static Character
don't change who they are in the story
Suspense
enjoyable anxiety in the reader when the outcome of a story is unclear and it is unknown what might happen
Dynamic Character
go through some internal, personal change in the story, usually as a result of the climax
Round Character
more fully developed and the reader learns a great deal about them
Fiction
stories that are not entirely factual, but at least partially shaped, made up, or imagined by the author
Tall Tale
tells of a type of larger-than-life character that has lots of exaggeration
Exposition
the opening portion of a story that sets the scene, introduces the characters, establishes the setting, hints at future complications
Circular Structure
the reader reaches a sense of closure when the piece finds its way back to the beginning of a story in its conclusion.
Narrator
voice that provides the reader with information, tells the story
Foreshadowing
when future events of the story are hinted at, predicted, or given warning about