Character Development
Ways in which the author shows how a character changes as the story proceeds.
Characterization
Method used by an author to give readers information about a character; description or representation of a persons qualities or peculiarities.
Characters
The people and/or animals within a story.
Climax
Moment in a story when the rising action reaches its greatest conflict.
Conclusion
The ending of a story or the summary of ideas in a nonfictional text.
Conflict
The main problem in the story. It can be a struggle or a clash between opposing characters, forces or emotions.
Dialogue
Conversation between two people in a story; or the speech of characters in a play.
Moral
The (theme) lesson or message which the author wants you to take away from the story. This is directly stated at the end of a fable.
Motives
Why a character acts a certain way.
Plot Events
The sequence in which the author arranges the events in a story.
Resolution
The solution to the story's conflict.
Rising Action
The plot events in a story that lead up to the climax.
Setting
The time and place in which a story unfolds.
Story Map
A visual representation of a story that provides an overview. Includes: characters, setting, conflict, plot events, and a resolution.
Theme
A topic or discussion of writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.
Literary Elements
The basic parts of a story.