Elements of Plot The most important element of

You already know that: A narrative is a story that can be: � Fiction

Some examples of narratives are: Novels Short stories Folk Tales Urban Legends, etc. Fiction:

Fiction or non-fiction, spoken or written… …if there is no plot… … there is

The plot of a story has five elements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Exposition

Think of the action in a story, or the plot, as being like climbing

1. Exposition: the first stage of the plot. -It is where the author: �Describes

2. Rising Action: …the second part of the plot, where the author: �Describes the

3. Climax: …the third, and probably the best part of the plot. �The high

4. Falling Action … the part of the story where the author describes how

5. Resolution �. . . the details that come after the falling action �What

To make sense of conflict in a story, think of the plot as a

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Elements of Plot The most important element of a narrative

You already know that: A narrative is a story that can be: � Fiction � Non-fiction � Told orally � Or be written down

Some examples of narratives are: Novels Short stories Folk Tales Urban Legends, etc. Fiction: Biographies Autobiographies Speeches Testimonials, etc. Non-Fiction:

Fiction or non-fiction, spoken or written… …if there is no plot… … there is no story.

The plot of a story has five elements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Exposition Rising action Climax Falling action Resolution …and in a story, these elements occur, or happen in this order.

Think of the action in a story, or the plot, as being like climbing a hill.

1. Exposition: the first stage of the plot. -It is where the author: �Describes the setting �Introduces the characters �Gives some background information ◦ In other words, the exposition gets the reader set up reading and understanding the story)

2. Rising Action: …the second part of the plot, where the author: �Describes the conflict, or problem the characters must face ◦ Note: In most stories, the characters don’t solve the problem on the first try. As they struggle to work things out, the tension rises.

3. Climax: …the third, and probably the best part of the plot. �The high point or the turning point of the story. ◦ The conflict, or problem is at its worst. ◦ The characters may have begun to think of a solution or to work their way out of the problem.

4. Falling Action … the part of the story where the author describes how the problem is solved. �The characters will be working the conflict out and bringing the story closer to a conclusion.

5. Resolution �. . . the details that come after the falling action �What happens to bring the story to an end �Where the reader usually finds out how the conflict in the story is finally resolved ◦ (thus the reason for the name of this step)

To make sense of conflict in a story, think of the plot as a car. The conflict in a story is the fuel that powers that car. NOTE: Just as a car can’t run without gas, a story must have conflict of some kind in order to be a good, interesting story.