Elements of Short Stories

The sequence of events in a story.

The moral, central insight, or lesson learned in a story. Ex: Treat others the way you'd like to be treated

A concrete person, place, or object that represents something more abstract. Ex: Red roses = love/romance

A struggle that a character faces with another person or outside force.

Earlier events inserted into the normal chronological order of the story.

A brief reference to something or someone outside of the story that the audience is expected to know. Ex: The Grinch

A state of feeling anxious or excited uncertainty about what may happen. Ex: a high-speed car chase

A struggle that a character faces within themselves.

A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as. Ex: Ali is as slow as a turtle

Stage 1 of plot development introduces characters and gives background information. This stage is called...

Assigning the qualities of a person to something that is not human. Ex: The stars danced in the sky

Plot (the events of a story) happens in multiple stages.

Portrayal of a character's personality through their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Ex: Ruby volunteers at school.

Stage 3 of plot development reaches the highest point of suspense in the story. This is called...

Author's use of brief, direct statements about a character's personality. Ex: Ruby is a kind-hearted girl.

Stage 2 of plot development introduces conflict and builds suspense. This is called...

Stage 4 of plot development resolves conflict and ties up loose ends in the story. This is called...

Descriptive writing that appeals to the five senses (taste, touch, hear, feel, smell)

Novels and short stories are two types of fiction writing.

A comparison of two unlike things. Ex: Ann's personality is a colorful rainbow.

A story must contain at least 15 literary elements for it to be considered quality writing

Dynamic characters change throughout the course of a story. Dynamic = different

Fiction (not real) writing is meant to entertain but provide a deeper understanding or life lesson.

A warning or indication of what may happen later on in the story

When the reader knows something that the characters in the story do not. Ex: We know the man will die but he doesn't

The people, animals, or imaginary creatures who take part in the action of the story

Static characters stay the same throughout the course of the story. Static = same

The time and place in which a story occurs. Ex: Chicago, Christmas morning, 1960

When you expect one thing to happen, but something entirely different occurs. Ex: A fire station burning down

Point-of-view of a story can be told in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person perspective.