This document provides an overview of key literary elements in short stories, including plot, exposition, complications, climax, resolution, characters, setting, theme, point of view, tone, mood, types of conflict, narrator perspective, characterization, and character types. It also discusses how to analyze and describe characters in writing.

1. Literary Elements of a Short Story Notes to Help You!

2. Plot, Exposition, Complications Plot: A series of related events that make up a story Exposition: The part of the story that introduces the characters, the setting, and the basic situation. Complications : Mini-conflicts that contribute to the rise in action

3. Climax, Resolution, Characters Climax: turning point or emotional high point of the story Resolution: the end or outcome of a conflict in a story Characters: people or animals who are in a story

4. Setting, Theme, Point of View Setting: The time and place of a story. Pay attention to sensory details! Theme: The author tries to make a statement or observation about life Point of view: Whose perspective the story comes from

5. Tone, Mood Tone: The writer’s attitude towards the audience and the subject matter Mood: The feeling created in the reader after reading a story. Both can be described in one word!

6. Diagram of A Short Story

7. What are the types of conflict? Conflict : a struggle between opposing forces. Conflicts can be internal or external Person v. Person Person v. Nature Person v. Self Person v. Animal Person v. The Supernatural Person v. Technology/Machines Person v. God/Religion

8. Point of View Narrator: The character or voice that is telling the story. This is NOT always the author. First person POV: Uses “I” and “me” Second person POV: Uses “You” Third person POV: story is told using “he,” “she” or “they.” Omniscient: Narrator is all-knowing and can see into the minds of the characters.

9. Characterization Characterization: the act of creating and developing a character. Direct Characterization: the author directly tells you what a character is like Indirect Characterization: You must figure out what the character is like from descriptions, actions, and speech

10. What are some types of Characters? Protagonist: the Main Character. Antagonist: The character or force in conflict with the protagonist. Major: A character who plays a large role in the outcome of a story. Minor: A character who plays a small role in the outcome of a story.

11. Four Ways to Classify Characters 1. Round: character shows many different traits, like faults and virtues. 2. Flat: we only know the character as one type of person—we only meet one side. 3. Dynamic: grows and changes in some significant manner by the end of the story 4. Static: changes little or none throughout the story

12. How to Write about a Character Well, there’s like this dude, and he like, said some stuff, and like, there was another dude, and they got into a fight, and like, then one dude died, and I think hunting was involved.

13. The Survey Says:

14. How to Write a Character Sketch What is your first impression of the character? What did you learn from the character from how he/she acts or speaks? What do the other characters think or say about her/him? How does the character behave or interact with the other characters? At what point in the story do you see a change in the character? The character’s name and appearance can be useful clues. Do you find this character believable?