Literary Elements of a Short Story Notes to Help You!

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

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

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

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!

Diagram of A Short Story

What are the types of conflict?Conflict: a struggle between opposing forces.

Conflicts can be internal or external1. Person v. Person2. Person v. Nature3. Person v. Self4. Person v. Animal5. Person v. The Supernatural6. Person v. Technology/Machines7. Person v. God/Religion

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.

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

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.

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

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.

The Survey Says:

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?