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