Elements of a Story

Elements of a Story:• Setting – The time and place a story takes place.

• Characters – the people, animals or creatures in a story.

• Plot – the series of events that make up a story.

• Conflict – a problem or struggle between two people, things or ideas.

• Theme – The main idea or central insight in a story

Characters

Every story needs Characters…

People Animals Or Creatures

The protagonist is the character in which the story follows, and is

usually considered the “good guy.”

The antagonist who or what goes against the

protagonist, and is usually considered to be the “bad

guy” or force

Character also means:

CharacterizationCharacterization is the

way in which an author shows the personality of a character, as well as their physical appearance.

Characterization is a technique writers use to make characters “come to life,” or seem like they’re real people.

Think about your favorite book, movie or TV character…

• How can you describe his/her appearance?• What kind of personality does he/she have?• What kinds of things does he/she like?• Make a list of character traits for this character.

CharacterizationCharacters are people or animals in a story.

A writer can tell you directly about a character… (Freddy was very competitive)

OrA writer can tell you indirectly about a character…

(Two days before the game, Freddy gathered his teammates and laid out his plan. Then he looked at them

and said, “We are going to win this one. No excuses.”)

Direct Characterizat

ion• Direct Characterization tells the reader the personality of the character.

• Direct Characterization is obvious to the reader and “spells” it right out.

• “The patient boy and the quiet girl were both well behaved and did not disobey their mother.

Indirect Characterizat

ion• Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of the character.

• Looks• Effect on Others• Actions• Speech• Thought

The boy sat next to his sister as she poked him and teased him. He did not react. He carefully picked up her doll from the floor and placed it on her lap saying gently, “Here you go, why don’t you play with your doll?”

Indirect Characterizat

ion… ☻ Looks: What does the character look like? Dress like?☻ Effect on Others: What is the character’s effect on others?

How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character? ☻ Actions: What does the character do? How does he/she behave?

☻ Speech: What does the character say? How does the character speak?

☻ Thought: What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?

Character Traits

Character Traits are descriptive adjectives that tell us specific qualities of

a character•Honest •Light-hearted •Leader •Expert •Brave •Conceited •Mischievous •Demanding •Thoughtful •Keen •Happy •Disagreeable •Simple •Fancy •Plain

•Excited •Studious •Inventive •Creative •Thrilling •Independent •Intelligent •Compassionate •Gentle •Proud •Wild •Messy •Neat •Joyful •Strong

•Bright •Courageous •Serious •Funny •Humorous •Sad •Poor •Rich •Tall •Dark •Light •Handsome •Pretty •Ugly •Selfish

•Unselfish •Self-confident •Respectful •Considerate •Imaginative •Busy •Patriotic •Fun-loving •Popular •Successful •Responsible •Lazy •Dreamer •Helpful •Simple-minded

•Humble •Friendly •Short •Adventurous •Hard-working •Timid •Shy •Bold •Daring •Pitiful •Cooperative •Lovable •Prim •Proper

•Ambitious •Able •Quiet •Curious •Reserved •Pleasing •Bossy •Witty •Fighter •Tireless •Energetic •Cheerful •Smart •Impulsive •Loyal

Factors in Factors in Analyzing Analyzing CharactersCharactersPhysical appearance/what they look like

Personality & Character TraitsBackground/personal historyMotivation/why do they act?RelationshipsConflict or strugglesDoes the character change?What do they think and feel?How do others feel about them?

Setting

SettingDetails can describe:

When it takes place (Year, TOY, TOD… etc)

Where (Residence, Town, City, Country, Planet… etc)

Weather ConditionsSocial ConditionsMood or

Atmosphere

• The setting describes where and when the story takes place.

• It helps build background, and it create images in the mind.

• It helps set the tone or mood of the story.

• May be extremely important to the story, or a minor factor

Using the Five Senses

• A good setting helps the reader visualize the places in the story.

• A good author includes descriptions of the setting using the five senses…

• SIGHT• SMELL• TASTE• FEEL• SOUND

Take a Look…Which is better?

The castle was beside the water.

The waves crashed loudly against the shoreline. The fog lifted lightly and the medieval castle came into view. It was a beautiful site! The fog brushed my

face and I could smell the smoke from the fire in the distance and taste the sea salt on my lips.

OR…

Your Turn…

• On the next slide, there is a picture of a setting.

• In your own words, write a detailed description of the setting in your picture. Include many adjectives and don’t forget to include descriptions for each of the five senses: see, hear, feel, smell, taste

Plot

Plot

Plot - the events that take place in a story. Every story needs a plot! The plot has different “parts…”

Exposition: the start of the story, before the action starts

Rising Action: the series of events and conflicts in the story

that lead to the climax

Climax: the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally

or in action

Falling Action: all of the action which follows the

climax

Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

Plot Components

The climax is the most exciting part!!

Special Techniques of Plot…Special Techniques of Plot…

Suspense- excitement or tensionFlashback- interrupts the normal sequence of

events to tell about something that happened in the past

Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not expect

Foreshadowing

Your Turn…• You will be given a short story to read. • Once you’ve finished reading, fill out the plot diagram for the

story.

Conflict

Conflict• Conflict is the main

problem in the story.• It is the “battle”

between two forces.• Conflict isn’t always

bad. Sometimes, it helps to create change.

ConflictConflict is the struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Types of Conflict

Character vs Circumstance

Character vs Society

Character vs Self

Internal:

Character vs Character

External:

Types Of Conflict…a deeper look

1.Character vs. Character(problem with another character)

3. Character vs. Society(problem with the laws or beliefs of a group)(character vs. community, society or culture)

2. Character vs. Circumstance(problem with an issue that comes up in the story)

4. Character vs. Self (problem with deciding what

to do or think; “inner conflict”)

Your turn…

What’s a well-known movie that

has…Character vs. Character Conflict

Character vs. Nature Conflict

Character vs. Society

Character vs. Self

Theme

• Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - things are not always as they appear to be - Love is blind - Believe in yourself - People are afraid of change- Don't judge a book by its cover

Examples of Theme

Point of View

Point of view (p.o.v.) is the angle from which the story is told.

• 1.  Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult) .

• 2.  Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.

• 3.  First Person - The story is told  by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc).  The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.

• 4.  Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view.  He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses.  There are two main types of omniscient point of view:

• a)  Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc).  We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.

• b)  Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person.  It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard.  There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered.  The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain.  The reader has to interpret events on his own. 

Point of View