ELEMENTS OF FICTION

What Is Fiction?

Fiction is make-believe, invented stories. They may be short stories, fables, vignettes, plays,
novellas, or novels. Although writers may base a character on people they have met in real life,
the characters and the experiences that the character faces in the story are not real.

A. Character

The persons, animals, inanimate objects such as robots, natural and supernatural beings
that possess life and give life to the story.

 Protagonist: The character around whom the story revolves; also called hero/heroine, he/she
is traditionally or conventionally an outstanding character with good traits.
 Antagonist: The character who is opposed to the protagonist.
 Confidant: The character upon whom the protagonist confides or relies for support.
 Foil: The character who serves as a contrast to the protagonist or any other character in the
story.
  Unseen /Absent Character: The character who is mentioned in the story but does not hve any
involvement in the series of actions or in the dialogue.
 Dynamic Character: A character who changes his personality as the story progresses.
 Static Character: A character who remains the same kind of person as the story progresses.
 Round Character: A character who shows varied and sometimes contradictory traits.

B. Plot

The series of events or actions that comprise the story. Plot is a literary term used to
describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story. These events relate to each
other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in
the plot of the story.

TYPES OF PLOT

 Linear Plot: The plot which chronologically shows events in their proper order from
exposition to conclusion.

Figure 1. Linear Plot Illustration

 In media res: The plot which starts in the middle of the story and provides flashbacks to
promote reader’s understanding of the story.
 Figure 2. In Media Res Illustration

 Circular Plot: The plot which is structured in such a way that it ends where it has
started as in a cycle.

Figure 3. Circular Plot Illustration

 PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF A PLOT

There are five main elements in a plot such as exposition, rising incident/s, climax, falling
incident/s, and resolution.

1. Exposition: The initial part of the plot in which the setting and the characters are
introduced.
2. Rising Incident/s: The event or events that lead to the complication.
 Complication: The part of the plot in which the conflict develops.
 Crisis: The problem of the study.

3. Climax: The highest point of the story, during which the readers know how the conflict
will be resolved.
4. Falling Incident/s: The event or incident that leads to the conclusion. Still have some
suspenseful moments but for the most part gives the reader sense of completion.
5. Resolution or Denouement: The part of the plot in which the conflict is resolved. It can
also be called as the conclusion. It last part of the plot which gives the story some finality;
however, when a story ends with a cliffhanger, the reader is let to make his conclusion. The
end of a story may occur with either a happy or a tragic ending.
C. Conflict

Synonymous will opposition, it is the motivating driving force that involves both characters and
readers in the narrative.

 Social Conflict (man vs. man)

- The conflict which exists between the protagonist and the antagonist.
 Physical Conflict (man vs. nature)
- The conflict which exists between the protagonist and any of the natural forces.
 Metaphysical Conflict (man vs. supernatural beings)
- The conflict which exists between the protagonist and supernatural beings.
 Internal/Personal/Psychological Conflict (man vs. himself)
- The conflict which exists between the protagonist and his own self.
D. Point of View
The angle of narrator; this refers to “who is the narrator” and “how is the narration done”.
 Autobiographical/ first-person POV: The POV in which the narrator is the central
character or one of the major/minor characters.
 Omniscient third-person POV: The POV in which the narrator is an all-knowing and all-
seeing observer who tells everything about the characters. (speech, actions, thoughts, and
emotions)
 Objective third-person POV: The POV in which the narrator is an objective observer
who reports only the speech ( what he hears ) and the actions (what he sees) of the
characters.
 Selective third-person POV:The POV in which the narrator is both an omniscient and an
objective observer; it is a combination of omniscient third-person and objective third-
person points of view.
E. Setting
The time and place in which the events of a narrative take place. Setting can function as a
main force that the characters encounter, such as a tornado or flood, or a setting can play a
minor role such as setting the mood. Often times, the setting can reveal something about
the main character as he/she functions in that place and time period.

Writers write about places they are familiar with. If they aren’t familiar with the place, then
they need to research it in order to be accurate about the place.

 Locale: The place where the story takes place.

 Time: The time when the story take place.
F. Theme
- The idea or concept of the author expressed in a concise statement; referred to as the
message of the story, it concretizes the abstract ides the writer wants to impart.
1. Moral - A practical lesson about right and wrong conduct contained in the narrative; it
is stated directly in fables, but it is usually implied in the other stories.
 2. Values - Classified into aesthetic, social, psychological, and literary, these are the things
which make a literary, these are the things which make a literary piece important to its
readers or users.

Sources:

https://literarydevices.net/plot/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-distanceminnesota-creativewriting/chapter/lesson-3-
elements-of-a-fiction/