The Elements of Fiction
· Characters
Characters are the people, animals, or aliens in the story. Readers come to know the characters through what they say, what they think, and how they act. E. M. Forster, an English novelist, identified that characters are either flat or round. Flat characters do not play important roles in the stories. They often have only one or two traits with little description about them. A flat character may even be a stock character, which is a stereotypical figure that is easily recognized by readers, for example, the mad scientist or the evil stepmother.
· Setting
Setting is where and when the story takes place. It includes the following: The immediate surroundings of the characters such as props in a scene: trees, furniture, food, inside of a house or car, etc. The time of day such as morning, afternoon, or night.The weather such as cloudy, sunny, windy, snow, or rain, etc. The time of year, particularly the seasons: fall, winter, summer, spring. The historical period such as what century or decade the story takes place. The geographical location including the city, state, country, and possibly even the universe, if the writer is writing science fiction. Setting can function as a main force that the characters encounter, such as a tornado or flood, or a setting can play a minor role such as setting the mood. Often times, the setting can reveal something about the main character as he/she functions in that place and time period.
· Plot
Plot is the order of events in the story. The plot usually follows a particular structure called Freytag’s Pyramid. Gustav Freytag, a German playwright who lived during the 1800s, identified this structure. Freytag’s Pyramid has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, also known as resolution.
· Conflict
Conflict is the struggle between two entities. In story writing the main character, also known as the protagonist, encounters a conflict with the antagonist, which is an adversary. The conflict may be one of six kinds: Character vs. character, Character vs. nature or natural forces, Character vs. society or culture, Character vs. machine or technology, Character vs. God, Character vs himself or herself
· Point of View
Stories are generally told in one of two points of views: first-person point of view or hird-person point of view. First-person point of view means that one of the characters in the story will narrate–give an account–of the story. The narrator may be the protagonist, the main character. Writing in first-person point of view brings the readers closer to the story. They can read it as if they are the character because personal pronouns like I, me, my, we, us, and our are used. Third-person point of view means that the narrator is not in the story.
· Theme
A theme is not the plot of the story. It is the underlying truth that is being conveyed in the story. Themes can be universal, meaning they are understood by readers no matter what culture or country the readers are in. Common themes include coming of age, circle of life, prejudice, greed, good vs. evil, beating the odds, etc.