Story Elements

Some basics that every good story and/or book must have ….

The time and place of the story is the setting

Setting

  What is the setting?

Time Place Climate/Weather Immediate Circumstances What is the use of the setting?

Create a mood Be the source of conflict or struggle Symbolize an idea Make action seem more real

Characterization

 A writer reveals what a character is like and how the character changes throughout the story.

 Two primary methods of characterization: Direct tells what the character is like Indirect - shows what a character is like by *describing how the character looks, *telling what the character says and does, *telling what other characters say about and do in response to the character

Direct Characterization

…And I don’t play the dozens or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of talking. I much rather just knock you down and take my chances even if I’m a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice, which is how I got the name Squeaky.

From “Raymond’s Run” by T. Bambara

Indirect Characterization

The old man bowed to all of us in the room. Then he removed his hat and gloves, slowly and carefully.

From “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by J. Sedillo

The protagonist guy” is the “good

The antagonist is the “bad guy” or negative force

Examples of Protagonists vs. Antagonist Protagonist Antagonist

Lord of the Rings

Frodo Saruman the Wizard

War of the Worlds

Ray Ferrier The alien invaders

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan Lord Voldemort The White Witch

Static vs. Dynamic Characters

 Static character do NOT change in the course of the story.

 Dynamic characters change and evolve in the course of the story. (Often “good guys” will become better because they have learned valuable moral lessons. “Bad guys” will become even worse for having been beaten and/or humiliated by the protagonist.)

Plot

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Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story. Every plot is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another.

exposition

Explanation of Plot

climax dénouement/ resolution

PARTS OF PLOT

     Exposition – Learn about characters and setting, possible hint of conflict Rising Action develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense occurs. Conflict is made clear in rising action.

Climax - This part of the story begins to - This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict. The main character will change in some way.

Falling Action - All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.

Resolution/Denouement reasonable ending. Characters return to life without conflict… - The story comes to a

Conflict

    Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces Every plot must contain some kind of conflict. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Stories can have more than one conflict Conflicts can be external or internal  External conflict- outside force may be person, group, animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle  Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind

Types of Conflict

Character vs Character Character vs Nature Character vs Society Character vs Self

Character vs. Character Conflict

This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with another character, human or not human.

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One character must battle another character to gain power, true love, freedom, justice or acceptance

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One group of characters must free themselves from another

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One character must confront another to survive

Character vs.

Nature Conflict This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with the forces of nature, which serve as the antagonist.

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One or more characters are lost in the wilderness (loss of food, shelter, warmth, etc.)

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One or more characters must face a natural disaster or aid those facing a disaster

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One or more characters are threatened by predators in nature

Character vs. Society Conflict This type of conflict has the main character in conflict with a larger group: a community, society, culture, etc .

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Character trapped by circumstances of birth

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Character falsely accused by society

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Character feels apart from society and discovers own values

Character vs. Self Conflict In this type of conflict, the main character experiences some kind of inner conflict.

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Character finds inner strength despite poor odds

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Character must develop moral compass

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Character must discover self-worth

A hint about what will happen next is called foreshadowing

For example, if you hear this: Then you know someone’s about to get eaten!

A reminder about what happened in the past is called flashback.

The point of view is the perspective of the story

“That rotten wolf tried to eat us!!!!” “I was framed! I just wanted to borrow a cup of sugar!”

Point of View

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Author’s choice of narrator for a story A story can be told in many different ways

*1 st Person Point of View *2 nd Person Point of View *3 rd Person Limited Point of View *3 rd Person Omniscient Point of View

First Person Point of View

In first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story. The narrator, or the one telling the story, may or may not be reliable in first person narratives because the narrator is a character within the story and is likely not entirely objective.

Third Person Limited Point of View

 The narrator is not involved in the story. The narrator can watch the characters in the story and may know the feelings, thoughts, beliefs of a character or two, but not all characters. The narrator’s view is LIMITED; he/she cannot see everything and must make inferences about some.

Third Person Omniscient Point of View

 The narrator is “all knowing” and “all seeing.”  The narrator knows everything that all the characters are thinking, feeling, and believing.

 To be honest, this type of story doesn’t leave much to chance so it can be rather boring.

Theme

 A central message, concern, or insight into life expressed through a literary work  Can be expressed by one or two sentence statement about human beings or about life  May be stated directly or implied

Sample Theme Topics

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Teamwork

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Trust

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Ethical dilemmas

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Euthanasia

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Freedom

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Convictions

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Social change

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Communication

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Friendship

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Acceptance

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Customs

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Money

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Choices

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Denial • Discrimination • Resourcefulness • Nature • Commitment • Guilt • Heroes • Loss • Evil • Loyalty • Hope • Loneliness • Death • Prejudice • Poverty • Pride • Challenges • Leadership • Diversity • Love • Community • Patriotism • Family • Power • Friendship • Values • War

(This is not an all inclusive list.)