Fiction Writing

1. Fiction Writing • A piece of literature invented by the imagination • Can be inspired by fact • Can be based entirely on the fantastic • Types of Fiction • Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction • Fantasy, Myths, Fairy Tales, Fables

2. Characters • WHO the story is about • People or animals that take part in the action

3. Characters • When trying to learn about a character in a story, think about the following things: • Traits • Motivation • Conflict • Point of View

4. Character Traits • Interesting things about a character. • A trait is what makes a character different from other characters • Examples: • Hair/eye color • Height & weight • Age • Dislikes, opinions, actions

5. Motivation • Something that causes one to act in a certain way • A motivation is the reason WHY a character does something. • Example: • You eat because you are hungry.

6. Conflict • A disagreement, fight, or struggle between two people or groups • Example: • You want ice cream before dinner, but your mom says no. You and your mom disagree about when you should be able to eat ice cream.

7. Characterization • Foil - a character whose personality and attitude is opposite the personality and attitude of another character. • Protagonist - the main character • Antagonist - the main opponent (enemy) of the main character

8. Point of View • Point of View is the perspective from which a fiction story is told. • Point of view affects what kinds of details are revealed to the reader.

9. First-Person Point of View • The storyteller is a character who participates in the action of the story. • The storyteller will use first-person pronouns I and me

10. Second-Person Point of View • The narrator is giving directions or speaking directly to someone. • The narrator will use the word you.

11. Third-Person Point of View • The narrator is NOT a character in the story. • The narrator will use third-person pronouns she and he, and they.

12. Third-Person Point of View • Third Person Limited • The narrator is NOT participating in the action, but his/her knowledge of the situation is limited to only one character. • Third Person Omniscient • The narrator is NOT participating in the action, but he/she has unlimited knowledge about any or all of the characters.

13. Setting • WHERE and WHEN the story takes place • How a story is set in terms of the place, timeperiod, weather, social conditions, mood (atmosphere) • Examples: • 1800’s • Castle • A dark and stormy night

14. Plot • WHAT happens in the story • The sequence of events that every story is made of • Usually divided into five parts: • Exposition • Rising Action • Climax • Falling Action • Resolution

15. Plot

16. Exposition Introduces the setting, characters, and the basic situation Rising Action Introduces the conflict Plot

17. Climax The turning point of the story Falling Action The part of the story when the conflict lessens Plot

18. Plot • Resolution • The conclusionof the story

19. Theme • A theme is a universal truth explored in a piece of writing often in the form of a life lesson or moral. • A message from the author that makes the reader think about life, human nature, or how the world works. • Broad ideas that can apply to ALL people • Must be inferred by the reader

20. Theme • Theme is NOT… • The subject of the story or the topic of the story. • For example, an author could write about a brave young girl during the Revolutionary War era. The young girl is the subject of the story. The theme of this story, however, could be: It is important to stand up for one’s rights. • Many stories have at least one theme, but some have more than one.