Short story terms

Metaphor

Saying somthing is somthing else to make a point

Narrator & point of view

The teller of the story and the degree of knowledge is held

Inciting incident

The activity that causes angst and thus propels the characters into the plot

Protagonist

The main character; the most important person in the story

Flashback

A chunk of action from the past that is presented during the flow of the story

Prologue

Am opening segment to fill in events that happened before the story starts

Theme

The big idea or truth about life conveyed by the story

Scene

A portion of the story which happens in a certain tight space and time

Ambiance

The way it feels in an important place in the story which matters to the plot

Atmosphere

The way the part of the world feels at the time and place of the story

Background

The physical scene behind the action or the history behind the story

Setting

The time place and mood of a story

Expodition

The set up of a story including character intros and establishing the setting

Action

Events that happen in a story

Conflict

The huge problem between the protagonist and antagonist or force of nature or a difficult decision or choice that needs to be made by the protagonist

Simile

A comparison using like or as

Tone

The feeling that the author has for the characters

Onomatopoeia

The attempt to spell out a sound we hear

Rising action

The events of the plot that get more exciting leading up to the climax

Mood

The feelings of the characters within the story

Change of venue

A new place in the story to which the characters go

Personification

Giving a human characteristic to an inanimate object

Grand entrance

A show stopping reveal of a new character in the story

The plot thickens

When events make life worse for the protagonist or reveal unknown issues

Decision point

A moment in the story when the protagonist must make a huge choice

Pivot point

A sudden change in the direction of the story line

Reversal

When the luck of a protagonist turns badly against successor happiness

Dailogue

Conversation which advances the plot

Epiphany

Sudden realization about the plot or characters

Imagery

Description invoking the senses, especially vision

Complication

A new problem that makes the protagonists quest more difficult to achieve

Deepening of a character

Presenting secret motivations or hidden trauma of a character

Antagonist

The main character who is set against the protagonist

Subplot

Additional problems mostly unrelated to the main story of the protagonist

Foreshadowing

Hint or clue about what will happen later

Motivation

What makes characters do what they do usually some event from their past

Setback

A short term step in wrong direction for the protagonist

Downfall

A sudden event which costs the protagonist a loss a at least of respect

Fate

The force of destiny which directs the course of events

Suspense

When you know something is going to happen but you don't know what

Plot twist

A totally unexpected (ironic) turn of events that no one saw coming

Characterization

Building what characters are like by their words and actions and others'

Climax

The point of no return; the most emotional or exciting part

D�nouement

How it all turns out; literally, the untying of the knot

Resolution

The solution of the conflict

Fairy tale

Having a hero, a vague setting, Magic, personification, and a happy ending

Epilogue

The future of the surviving characters of lives

Irony

when the outcome is the opposite I f what is expected

Moral

The lesson to be learned or a warning against future activity

Authors purpose

Why the author wrote about those ideas instead of others