What are the six elements of fiction?
- Character
- Setting
- Time
- Language
- Theme
- Images/ symbolism
What is a character?
A person person in a narrative work of art such as a novel
What are the types of character ?
- protagonist
- antagonist
- secondary characters
What does the protagonist do?
- has something at stake
- often change/ evolve
- not necessarily likeable
What is the setting ?
The atmosphere that a character operates in
Why is setting important?
- reader must have a sense of where the story is happening
- sent ring defines a story’s dimensions
How do you create effective setting ?
Knowing it fully and recreating it through vivid details
What should you consider when writing the setting?
- weather
- lighting
- season
- time of day
- landscapes
What are the two ways of treating time in fiction ?
- Summary
- Scene
What does treating time through summary mean?
- reader asked to picture things generally rather than specifically
What is summary useful for?
- providing info
- filling characters background
- moving through larger periods of time
what does writing time through scene mean ?
- allows reader to experience story with characters
- reader asked to picture a specific moment IRT
- creates tension
- avoid temptation to summarise everything
What is language ?
The words you use as a writer and the way the characters speak
What should one keep in mind when writing language ?
- authenticity
- specific over general and concrete over abstract
- avoid clichés
- avoid use of qualifiers (use “said”)
What should you convey in theme?
- significance of events in this story as appreciated by protagonist
- what does the author want to say
- don’t say the theme straight
What is symbolism?
Objects, events and characters used to represent an abstract idea
How should symbolism be?
Natural without having to be forced
Apparent once story themes have been established
