INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK PAGE 3

Objective:  To identify elements of the plot when reading         fiction.

PAGE 3

 Notes for Writing Under Tabs:

flashback – the plot is interrupted to recreate an event of earlier time (BEFORE THE STORY STARTED); often used to provide background information

flash forward – a story begins with a brief look at the future, and then the reader gets to go back and find out how the characters got to that point

dream sequence – the author breaks the narrative to show what a character is dreaming; used to reveal more about a character

plot twist – an unexpected development in a story; a

surprise!

foreshadowing – hints or clues suggesting what may happen later in a story

parallel episodes – certain plot elements or events that repeat themselves throughout a story

Review of PLOT

Story Pyramid: Analyzing Stories

Words You Need to Know

Conflict: a problem that occurs in the story

Setting: time and place where the story occurs

Tragedy: a story ending in death and sadness

Analyze: to look at something very closely.

Most stories have the following parts: exposition (inciting incident), rising action, climax (turning point), falling action, and denouement (resolution).  This pyramid is used to show how stories move; it is a graphic plot chart. Sometimes a story can be more complicated than this pyramid, but most stories fit perfectly into the pyramid. Let’s look at each part of the pyramid…

Exposition (inciting incident): The exposition is like the set-up of the story.  The background information that is needed to understand the story is provided, such as the main character, the setting, the basic conflict, and so forth.

The exposition ends with the inciting moment, which is the one incident in the story without which there would be no story. The inciting moment sets the rest of the story in motion.

Rising Action: Rising action is a series of events and actions that move the story to a climax.  During rising action, the basic conflict is complicated by secondary conflicts (obstacles and challenges that frustrate the main character’s attempt to reach their goal).

Climax (turning point): The climax is the turning point in the story.  After the climax everything changes.  In most stories, things will have gone badly for the main character up to this point; after the climax, things will begin to go well for him or her.  However, if the story is a tragedy, the opposite will happen after the climax: things that have been going good for the main character begin to go bad.

Falling Action:  During the falling action, the conflict unravels with the main character either winning or losing. The falling action might contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt. 

Denouement: The story ends with the denouement, also called the resolution.  In most stories, the denouement has the main character in a better position than at the beginning of the story. However, tragedies end with death and sadness, in which the main character is worse off than at the beginning of the story.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am an educator with over 25 years of teaching experience; I currently teach English in the public school system of Virginia. In my spare time, I am an avid reader. writer, reviewer, blogger, writing/art journaler, beekeeper, grad student, and MOTHER. - See more: Here