7 Elements of Fiction

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF FICTION
1) PLOT - Action which occurs -- 5 ingredients plotted as a witch's hat

1) Exposition (introduction) - background information 2) Rising Action / Complications - conflicts are presented 3) Climax - high point of the action 4) Falling Action - lessens the intensity 5) Denouement (conclusion) - pulls the story together ["They lived happily every after"]
NOTE: NOT ALL STORIES CONTAIN ALL 5 INGREDIENTS

2) SETTING - Time, Place, Customs, General Environment

3) TONE - Mood of the story examples: horror, suspense, humor despondency, romance

4) STYLE - the way the author writes distinctive qualities in the writing Style could include mechanics of writing such as sentence length and structure or the use of adjectives and adverbs. Style could include plot development techniques such as flashbacks, irony, surprise endings, point of view, symbolism.

5) POINT OF VIEW - from whom we hear the story 1st person - told by a character in the story "I" is used The reader never knows the "truth." 3rd person - told by a narrator ("he, they") The thoughts of the characters are not given; the action is recorded as a camera Omniscient - "All knowing" - Also 3rd person - narrator gives the thoughts of the characters-- he sees "inside their heads." Limited Omniscient - the author gives the thoughts of only a few characters

6) CHARACTER Protagonist - main character Antagonist - opposes the main char. [does not have to be a person] Foil - minor char. who reflects major Char. Characters must be Life-like, Consistent Motivated (believable) Characters may be Dynamic (changing) or Static (not changing)

Well developed characters are ROUND Char. That are not well developed or are stereotypes are FLAT

7) THEME - the basic meaning. Insight into life found in the story. Theme is not the same as subject or plot