Inquiry III Creative Production

1. Inquiry III Creative Production

2. Writing a Short Story…

3. plot The pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama and their relation to one another. Plot answers what happened next, but also indicates why. Plot tends to evolve with the characters interact with their circumstances. Writers work to show their reader something about human nature through action of the plot and other elements of the story, not just tell the reader what to think. A good plot piques our curiosity and makes us keep asking “what will happen next?”

4. theme The central message or idea of the story. This usually gives insight into the human condition, and can be revealed by other elements within the story.

5. Characterization “Round” and “Primary” characters are more fully developed. They are more complex and have depth. “Flat” and “Secondary” characters are often stereotypes, and only have one or two characteristics. Characters who are “Dynamic” change in response to something happening to them, while “Static” characters do not make any changes in the course of the story.

6. dialogue What the characters say Good dialogue feels and sounds natural, like something a real life person would say and in the way they would say it.

7. protagonist antagonist The main character in the story, often the one we cheer on • The character that opposes the protagonist

8. setting The place and time of a story This could be the physical location (a certain town, a room, a building), the time period, etc. Not just a stage for the characters, it creates mood and atmosphere. A sense of place engages us as readers in the characters’ situations.

9. Point of view POV refers to who is telling the story and what their perspective is. Third Person Limited Omniscient POV - the author tells the story through the viewpoint of a character as “he”, “she”, “it”, etc. and what is revealed is limited to that person’s viewpoint Third Person Omniscient POV - the author tells the story directly as if he/she is God, can see everything including inside the characters’ minds Second Person POV - told through a character referred to as “you” and making the reader the main character First Person POV - the story is told through one of the characters who is referred to as “I” First Person Plural POV - the story is told through the use of “we” to show a group of people sharing a common narration.

10. genre the overall style of the piece Examples: Western, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Gothic, Romance, Satire, Literary etc.

11. symbolism something that represents an idea larger than itself For example, a character standing in the rain could symbolize renewal, a washing away a negative act and coming away clean.

12. Figurative language a word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness Metaphor: a comparison between two things not using “like” or “as”. (“It’s raining cats and dogs”) Simile: a comparison that uses “like” or “as”. (“Her eyes were as blue as a robin’s egg”) Synecdoche: a word or phrase using a part to represent the whole. (Calling a car “wheels”.) Hyperbole: a gross exaggeration of a situation used for emphasis.