elements of fiction, setting, plot, conflict, pacing

1. Setting, Plot,
Conflict, and
Pacing
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN FICTION
PART I

2. Elements
Setting
Time & Period
Place
Plot
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Conflict
Internal
External
Pacing
Chronological
Fast forward
Flashback
Medias Res

3. The time, place, and period in which the action takes place.
Time & Period
Setting
Place
• Past
• Present
• Future
• Medieval
• New York
• El Paso
• Verona
• Troy

4. Setting can help establish atmosphere
Rays of sun broke through
scattered clouds and a rainbow
could be seen in the distance.
“Ah, distinctly I remember it was
in the bleak December.…”

5. Setting can direct plot
“It was in the clove of seasons,
summer was dead but autumn
had not yet been born, that the
ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The
flower garden was strained with
rotting brown magnolia petals
and ironweeds grew rank amid
the purple phlox.”
“The Scarlet Ibis” by James
Hurst

6. Plot
• Series of related events that
make up a story or drama
• Specific structure
• Linked together like a chain
• Five parts

7. Five Parts of Plot Structure
Exposition
Climax
Resolution
Rising Action
Falling Action

8. 1. Exposition
• Occurs at the beginning of a story
• Setting revealed
• Characters introduced
• Main conflict begins

9. 2. Rising Action
• Conflicts develop
• A building of interest or suspense
• All rising action leads to climax

10. 3. Climax
• Most exciting and intense part
• Character comes face-to-face with conflict
• Turning point; plot shifts direction
• Usually toward the end of the story

11. 4. Falling Action
• Loose ends tied up
• Main conflict taken care of
• Directly after climax

12. 5. Resolution
• The story comes to a
reasonable ending

13. Which part of the plot?
1 What is the name of this section?
Paul wants to go to an out-of-state
university, but his family can only
afford to pay the tuition at a local
college.

14. 2 What is the name of this section?
Paul goes to work on a nearby
farm to earn extra money.
There, he meets Miranda, and
the two start dating.
Which part of the plot?

15. 3 What is the name of this section?
Paul and Miranda argue about his
leaving for university. Paul must
choose to stay or go.
Which part of the plot?

16. 4 What is the name of this section?
Paul visits his parents to get some
advice about what he should do.
Which part of the plot?

17. 5 What is the name of this section
Paul decides to leave for university.
Miranda makes plans to visit him
and wishes him well.
Which part of the plot?

18. Conflict
• Conflict is the dramatic struggle
between two forces in a story
• Essential to plot progression
• Divided into two main categories

19. Types of conflict
Internal Conflict External Conflict

20. External conflict
Character will always face outside
force:
• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Society
• Man vs. Supernatural

21. External Conflict
Man versus Man:
• Pits one person against
another person
Man versus Nature:
• Pits a person against a force of
nature
• Storms
• Earthquakes
• Animals

22. External Conflict
Man versus Society:
• Values and customs are challenged
• Problems based on personal
convictions
• Changes to social fabric desired

23. External Conflict
Man vs. The Supernatural:
• Anything that doesn’t fit into
other categories
• Ghosts
• Gods
• Heroes
• Zombies

24. Internal Conflict
Man versus Self:
• Doubts
• Fears
• Indecision
• Making hard decisions
• Test of personal values

25. Timing & Pacing
• Writers manipulate time to
suit their plot development
• Speed up time to skip over
events that don’t move the
story along
• Slow down time to
emphasize a moment of
danger
• Manipulate time to add
suspense

26. Chronological Order
• Most stories are told in chronological order
• Events unfold in real time
• In order from first to last
First Second Third Last

27. Flashback
• A flashback interrupts the
present action of the plot
• Flashes backward to tell
happened at an earlier time
• Strengthens our understanding
of a character
• Provides background
information
Past
Present

28. Flash-Forward
• A Flash-Forward interrupts the
present action of the plot to
shift into the future
• Flash-forwards can create
dramatic irony
• The readers know what will
happen in the future, but the
characters do not
Future
Present

29. Medias Res
• Latin for "into the middle of
things"
• Begins somewhere in the middle
of the story
• Usually at some crucial point in
the action
• Some epic poems begin this way
Middle
Beginning
End

30. Practice
• Choose a children’s story or fairy tale
that is familiar to you
• Draw a plot diagram like the reviewed
• Add labels describing the key parts of
the story’s plot
• Use your imagination to write a
flashback that could occur in one part
of the story