1. Story Elements

2. Characters • Setting • Plot • Tone • Theme • Point of View

3. Characters • The people revealed in a story • Two main types of characters • Protagonist – the main character • Antagonist – the person or force against the main character

4. Depth of Characters • Flat – the reader does not know much about the character • Round – the reader knows much about the character • Dynamic – the character changes in the story • Static – the character does not change in the story

5. Setting • The time and place of the story

6. Plot • The sequence of events in a story • A large part of the plot is the conflict. Conflict is the problem in a story that makes it interesting. (Conflict is also related to the two main characters – the protagonist and the antagonist.) • Three types of conflict: • Man against man • Man against himself • Man against something greater than himself Can you give me an example of a Bible story that might fit each of these conflicts?

7. Plot Diagram Climax Rising Action Falling Action Exposition Resolution

8. Plot Definitions • Exposition – the author introduces the characters and setting, sets the scene • Climax – the point of highest interest or suspense • Resolution – tying up the loose ends of the story

9. Tone • The feeling that the writer wants the reader to experience

10. Theme • The lesson or moral that the author wants the reader to learn

11. Universal Theme • An idea that transcends or goes beyond the barriers of time and place • A story with a universal theme that stands the test of time is a classic.

12. Difference between plot and theme • One plot – one story • One theme – many stories • Examples of themes: • Good vs. evil • Love conquers all • Don’t judge a book by its cover • Pride comes before a fall • Dreams do come true

13. Point of View • The position of the narrator of the story and what the writer sees from that vantage point.

14. Point of View • 1st person – the narrator tells the story about himself • 3rd person limited – the narrator tells the story for someone else and knows only what that character is experiencing • 3rd person omniscient – the narrator tells the story about someone else and knows what all of the characters are experiencing