Grade 8 - Author's Craft Flashcards
Character Traits
qualities that determine how a character thinks or acts.
Character Motivation
the reason a character behaves the way he/she does.
Conflict
the struggle of the story’s main character, the protagonist, against an opposing force.
External Conflict
a conflict that occurs between characters or between a character and a greater force (such as society or nature)
Internal Conflict
a conflict that occurs between a character and his own emotions, thoughts, or beliefs.
Narrator
the individual who is telling the story
Point of View
the perspective or angle from which a story is told
First Person Point of View
narrator is one of the characters and refers to him/herself as I.
Third Person Point of View
the narrator remains outside the story and refers to the characters with pronouns such as he, she, or they.
Third Person Limited
the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character
Third Person Omniscient
the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of each character
Dialogue
refers to the conversation between characters
Plot
a series of events arranged to tell the story. It consists of the following parts: exposition, inciting action, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action, resolution
Exposition
part of the plot that introduces the setting, characters, and situation.
Inciting Incident
event that introduces the conflict and sets it in motion
Rising Action
includes all of the events that follow the inciting incident and lead up to the crisis
Crisis
major turning point for the protagonist; it affects the outcome of the story.
Climax
the moment at which the plot reaches the point of the reader’s highest emotional intensity
Falling Action
refers to the events that unfold as a result of the crisis and lead to the conclusion
Resolution
outcome, occurs when the conflict is settled in some way
Antagonist
primary force or character against whom the protagonist struggles
Protagonist
the main character who drives the action.
Character Flaw
a negative character trait, whether minor weakness or serious moral fault.
Humor
element of writing whereby an author seeks to amuse the reader through wordplay, irony, or other means.
Wordplay
the use of words in a clever, entertaining and often humorous way
Irony - language used to convey a meaning other than what is stated; it may also be a contradiction between what is expected and what actually happens.
Situational Irony
when a story’s events violate reasonable expectations.
Verbal Irony
the intended meaning of a person’s words differs from the literal meaning.
Understatement
type of verbal irony, involves the representation of something as less important than it truly is.
Worldview
the viewpoint from which a person examines the world and draws conclusions. Worldview includes beliefs about the origin of the world, the nature of good and evil, and the reason that humans exist.
Moral Tone
the author’s attitude toward matters of morality.
Direct Characterization
ses words or phrases that present straightforward details about a character.
Indirect Characterization
presents the character’s thoughts, words, or actions, and then allows the reader to infer the character traits.
Author’s Purpose
his/her reason for writing.
Author’s Perspective
ideas and feelings he has toward the topic he writes about. The Author’s Perspective can help you understand his/her purpose.
Symbol
a person, place, thing, or idea that means something in addition to itself.
Symbolism
the use of symbols.
Poetic Justice
reward or punishment that a character receives for his virtue or vice, his good or bad traits or actions.
Developing Character
a character who changes as the story progresses
Static Character
a character who remains essentially the same throughout the story.
Imagery
descriptive words or phrases used to create an impression that appeals to one of the five senses.
Figurative Language
an artful deviation from literal speech. Figurative language expresses meaning beyond the literal meaning of a word or phrase.
