Elements of a

Short Story

The Setting
The setting is where and when the story
takes place
General Setting Time period,
geographic area, level of realism
Specific Setting An office, an apartment,
a spaceship

Characters
Characters are the people, animals, or
things that the story is about
Main Character the primary and most
important characters in the movie; these
characters are affected by the story
Supporting characters characters that have
smaller parts; these characters affect the
story

Characters, continued
Protagonist The good guy, the hero, the
main character
Antagonist The bad guy, the person who
stands in the way of the protagonist

Character Types
Round A character who resembles a real
person; a character who changes and acts as
a real person would
Flat A character who does not change or
experience emotional growth
Stock A cliched character; a type of
character you have seen before
Example McDonalds worker, cab driver, storm
trooper

Characterization
Direct Characterization How the author
describes the character
Indirect Characterization What other
characters say about the character, what
you learn through action and dialogue
Dialogue Two characters speaking to
each other

Point of View
From what perspective is the story told?
First person POV of the main character,
uses I
Second person POV of the reader, uses
you
Third person POV of an outside observer,
uses he & she
Limited the observer can only see what
happens
Omniscient the observer knows the characters
thoughts, can see inside their heads

Plot
The plot of the story is what happens in
the story
Almost every plot is based on a conflict
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Self
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Society

The Plot Curve

Exposition Beginning of the story;
characters are introduced, setting is
established, tone and mood are set
Rising Action The conflict begins; the
protagonist works towards settling the
conflict
Climax The pinnacle of the story; the
protagonist solves the conflict (or doesnt)

Plot Curve, continued

Falling Action The specifics of the climax
play out; what happens as a result of the
climax
Resolution (Denouement) Loose ends
are wrapped up; the reader sees the new
and changed protagonist; life goes on

Tone, Mood, Theme

Tone The attitude of the author toward
the story sarcastic, anger, affection,
approval, disapproval
Mood The emotion of the story happy,
sad, depressing, tragic
Theme The moral of the story what
message does the story send?