How many of you have ever told
a story before?
• Told your mom about a movie you saw.
• Told your friends about something you did
or saw.
• Told your dad about what your brother or
sister did
What you have been doing is telling a story!
STORY
• Story is…
– the events and experiences that make up who
we are
OR
– the events and experiences that an author
creates for his or her characters
Fiction
• One type of story is called…
– FICTION
• Fiction is:
– Works of writing that come from a writer’s imagination
– The writer may be inspired by true events, but everything
written is made up in his/her mind
» One type of fiction is…
SHORT STORY!
Elements of a Story
Every story must have certain
elements, or parts, in order to be a
good and entertaining story.
Setting
• The setting of a story is the TIME and PLACE
that the story occurs.
• Oftentimes there will be many settings within a
story; however, we can always come up with a
general statement about the setting by asking
ourselves these questions:
– When in time is the story taking place? How do we
know?
– Is there a main location for the story? What is it, and
how do we know?
Characters!
Another main element of a story
Characters
• Every story needs characters, or
people/animals/mystical creatures to relate
to
• The better we can relate to the characters,
the easier it is for the author to pull us into
his/her story!
• There are different types of characters
within a story
Protagonist
• The main character of any story is called the
protagonist. The protagonist is who we follow
throughout the story. S/he is who we try to relate
to. S/he is who we see in conflict with someone
or something.
– Let’s see…Who are the protagonists in the following
books or stories:
• The Outsiders
– Ponyboy
• Twilight
– Bella
• “The Landlady”
– Billy Weaver
• The Amazing Life of Mrs. Merriman
– Mrs. Merriman (of course )
Antagonist
• The antagonist of a story is the person or thing that
the protagonist is in conflict with (AKA “The
BAD Guy”).
• Sometimes the antagonist doesn’t have to be a
specific person.
• Who are the antagonists for the following books or
stories?
– Twilight
– Holes
• The Warden
– The Harry Potter series
• Voldemort
– “The Landlady”
• The landlady…that crazy people stuffing woman!
Other Characters
• Usually a book will be filled with other
characters that the protagonist comes in
contact with. This is to add detail and keep
our interest in our main character.
• Oftentimes meeting other characters will
help to develop the protagonist and make
him/her more relatable.
– Why is it important for the author to make a
protagonist that is relatable to the reader?
THEME
Another main element to a story
Theme
• Theme is an idea about life or human
nature that the writer tries to share with the
reader.
– Example: In the Twilight series, the theme is
that love can conquer all obstacles.
– In the short story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,”
the theme is that one shouldn’t ask for help
unless you truly need it.
– What was the theme in “The Landlady?”
Types of Theme
• The theme of a story can either be STATED or
IMPLIED.
– If a theme is stated, then the author includes the theme
within the story itself.
– If a theme is implied, then the author expects the
reader to understand the theme or message based on
the story itself.
• In most short stories and books, the theme is going to be
implied.
• With fables, the theme is often stated at the end of the story.
PLOT
Another extremely important element
to a story
Plot
• The plot of a story is the sequence of
events in a story (AKA “The Play by Play).
• The plot has a basic format that most
stories follow…but you already know that!
Quickie Reminder!
• The Exposition, or Introduction, starts out the plot. During
this part of the story, the setting, characters, and basic
situation is introduced. Also during this time the main
conflict is introduced.
• The Rising Action comes next in a story. This is when the
conflict increases in intensity until it reaches a high point,
which means it becomes super suspenseful or interesting.
• The Climax occurs next. This is when the conflict reaches
its most suspenseful moment. (Who’s going to win the
conflict? How is everything going to work out? Is our
protagonist going to make it?)
• Then comes the Falling Action. During this time, the main
conflict ends.
• Finally comes the Resolution, or Denouement, where any
other events that occur after the main conflict end (and
all is well with the world).
The Plot’s Format in a Diagram
Climax
Falling Action
Rising
Action
Exposition or
Introduction
Conflict
Introduced
Resolution or
Denouement
Conflict
The last main element of a story
Conflict
• A conflict is a struggle that occurs within
the story.
• Often stories will have a main conflict and
then smaller conflicts to overcome
• The main conflict is what the main
character is trying to overcome throughout
the story.
Why is conflict important?
• Would Twilight be an interesting book if
Edward wasn’t a vampire and Bella could
easily date him?
• Would the Harry Potter books be fun to read if
Harry didn’t have to struggle trying to kill
Voldemort in each book?
• Would “The Landlady” have been an
interesting short story if the landlady let Billy
Weaver walk away?
• Conflict is what makes stories exciting and
interesting. It keeps us interested in the book
or story!
4 Main Types of Conflict
• Man vs. Man: When two
people/animals/characters are in conflict or
fighting/struggling with each other
– Example: Billy Weaver vs. the landlady (although Billy
doesn’t really realize it until the end)
• Man vs. Self: When the main character is in
conflict or struggling with her/himself and how
s/he feels
– Ex. How often have you struggled with trying to
decide whether or not to do something? That is you
struggling with yourself!
– In the Twilight series, Bella is often struggling with
trying to decide what is the right thing for her.
4 Types of Conflict cont’d
• Man vs. Society: When the main character is
in conflict with what society says is right or
the way to go or what the law says.
– Ex. Have you ever had pressure from your friends to do
something you know is wrong? That is a man vs. society
conflict.
– Ex. Knowing that the speed limit is 65mph but wanting really
badly to go 80mph because you are late.
• Man vs. Nature: When the main character is in
conflict or struggling with the natural world.
– Ex. Have you ever been on a walk and it started to downpour
and you still had to get home? You were probably pretty
upset because you were getting soaked but you still had to get
home. You were in conflict with nature.
– Ex. Man vs. Wild (the tv show) is a great example of man in
conflict with nature.
Internal vs. External Conflict
• The 4 types of conflict fit into 2 different
categories:
– Internal (when a character is struggling mentally…it’s
in his/her head)
– External (when a character is struggling with an
outside force)
• In which category does each type of conflict go?
– Internal: man vs. self
– External: man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs.
nature
Conflict
• Conflict is necessary to make stories
interesting and exciting!
• Conflict is a struggle between at least two
things/people/ideas/etc.
• Without conflict, STORIES WOULD BE
BORING!!!!!!!!!!