Elements of Storytelling

1
Elements of Storytelling

• Plot
• Characters
• Setting
• Theme
• Point of View

• Dialogue
• Suspense
• Narrative Action
• Imagery
• Voice

2
Characters

• Characters are the people, animals, or imaginary
  creatures that take part in the action of a
  story.
• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• Character motivation
• Character development

3
Setting

• The setting is the time and place in which the
  events occur.

4
Plot

• Plot is the sequence of events that unfolds
  around a conflict, or struggle between opposing
  forces.

5
Plot Stages of Development

• Exposition gives background information about
  characters, conflict, and setting
• Rising action is when suspense builds because
  complications arise that make the conflict more
  difficult for the main characters to resolve
• Climax is the turning point of the action, when
  the readers interest peaks
• Falling action or resolution is when the conflict
  ends and loose ends are tied up

6
Characters continued

• Protagonist Main character (the one the audience
  empathizes with).
• Antagonist Character(s) who oppose the
  protagonist.

7
Characters continued

• Character motivation the WHY behind the
  characters actions.
• Character development details about individual
  characters which help readers connect with them.

8
Theme

• The theme is the message about life or human
  nature that the writer wishes to convey to the
  reader.

9
Dialogue

• Dialogue is written conversation between two or
  more characters.

10
Suspense

• Suspense is the excitement that involves readers
  in a story and motivates them to discover its
  outcome.

11
Point of View

• Point of view is the narrative method used to
  tell a story. The two basic points of view are
  first-person and third-person.

12
Voice

• Voice is the distinctive style in which a writer
  tells a story.

13
Imagery

• Writing with sensory detail
• Sight
• Sound
• Taste
• Touch
• Smell

14
Plot Line
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action (Resolution)
Exposition
15
Plot Line
Name English 7/8 Date
Title
Climax

Rising Action
Falling Action (Resolution)
Exposition