Transcript Short Stories - Edmond Public Schools

Characters & Plot
Characterization
 The way writers develop characters in a story
 Two Types:
 Direct
 Indirect
How does detailed characterization help
make a story better?
Direct Characterization
Writer directly tells the
reader what the character is
like.
Indirect Characterization
Writer gives the reader clues about
the character by describing how the
character acts and thinks.
The writer allows the reader to
decide how to view the character.
Direct vs. Indirect
Why do you think it might be
harder to understand indirect
characterization than direct
characterization?
Protagonist
 The main character of a story
 Example:
 Cinderella
 Harry Potter
 Bella Swan
Antagonist
 The character that the Protagonist struggles
against.
 The “Bad Guy”
 Example:
 Captain Hook from “Peter Pan”
 The Big Bad Wolf from “The Three Little
Pigs”
Round Characters
 Does not mean they are fat or round
shaped!
 They are well developed characters.
 The author tells the reader a lot about
the character
Flat Characters
Not shaped like a pancake!
Characters that are NOT
developed.
Readers know very little about
them
Dynamic Characters
 A character who changes during the course
of the story
 Often the change involves learning a major
lesson
 Example:
Scrooge in A Christmas Story learns to be
more generous.
Static Characters
Characters that DO NOT
change throughout the
story
Dialogue
Conversations between
characters in the story.
Punctuated with quotation
marks.
Plot
 Exposition- Introduction and reveals the
conflict
 Rising Action- events leading up to the
climax
 Climax- Most exciting and important part of
the story; the turning point
 Resolution- All loose ends are tied up and
the plot concludes
Plot Diagram
Conflict
 Struggle between two forces in a story
 Internal
 External
Internal- A conflict within a characters mind; a
tough decision
External- a conflict that is able to be seen;
physical conflict