A | B |
plot | the series of related events in a story |
exposition | the beginning of the story where we learn about setting, character, and initial conflict; also called the basic situation |
complication | this is the part of the story where characters try to solve the conflict; this leads up to the climax and is also called the rising action |
climax | the most intense part of the story; the reader sees how the main conflict will be resolved |
resolution | the end of the story where loose ends are tied up; conflicts are resolved; also called the denouement |
conflict | a struggle or clash between opposing forces |
external conflict | a conflict between a character and another character or between a character and something non-human (man vs. a storm, man vs. a dog, man vs. God) |
internal conflict | a conflict that happens within a character's mind |
setting | the time, place, and mood of a story |
suspense | the anxiety a reader feels about how the story will turn out |
foreshadowing | a hint or clue about what will happen later in the story |
character | a person in a story |
theme | a main idea or underlying truth in a story |
symbol (symbolism) | something that stands for something else (dove = peace) |
fiction | stories based on a writer's imagination (short stories, novels) |
short story | a short fictional story that usually takes up ten to twenty pages |