Creative Writing

Academic Writing
 The difference between academic writing and technical writing is in the presentation, audience, and approach.
 Academic writing includes paragraphs – usually an introductory paragraph, paragraphs that develop a thesis (a statement of
purpose), and a concluding paragraph.
 It is written for an academic audience – instructors, classmates, or a group of interested scholars.
Business Writing
 It deals with the type of writing and style of documents used by corporations, small business, and organizations.
 A business writer is conveying information, but with the additional purpose of persuading the reader to agree with the author
by the end of the document.
 For example: A business proposal. It is designed to persuade the audience (usually another business or organization) to
accept a bid to complete a work project
Professional Writing
 It refers to written communication commonly used in
the workplace, which includes documents such as résumés, cover letters, personal statements, emails, and memos.
 For example: a résumé and cover letter work together to convince the hiring manager that the candidate is right for the job.
Technical Writing
 Technical writing is not literature; it’s neither prose which recounts the fictional tales of characters nor poetry which
expresses deeply felt, universal emotions through similes and metaphors.
 Technical writing is neither an expressive essay narrating an
 Occurrence nor an expository essay analyzing a topic.
 Technical writing is not journalism, written to report the news.
 Technical writing does not focus on poetic images, describe personal experiences, or report who won the basketball game.
Instead, technical writing is:
—an instructional manual for repairing machinery; a memo listing meeting agendas; a letter from a vendor to a client
—a recommendation report proposing a new computer system

  Literary Writing Technical Writing

1. Primary Literary writing is to entertain or amuse the Technical writing aims to provide useful
Purpose reader. information.

To suggest the writer’s message, to impart Technical writing asserts to convey the writer’s
a lesson and to broaden a person’s outlook. ideas directly, to give directions and to serve as a
  basis for decision making.

Focuses on man’s experience and life Technical writing deals with subject related to
2. Subject including the intricacies of the human business industry, science and technology.
Matter heart.

The language of literary writing is Technical writing makes use of formal and serious
figurative and uses the imaginary technical or scientific terminologies suited for its
3. Language vocabulary. purposes and style.

The words and expressions used are  

beautifully and rhythmically interwoven to
  produce a poetic interpretation of life.

In literary writing, the writer may use the The technical writer usually employs the third
first or the third person point of view or person point of view: the researcher, the
4. Point of even from the point of view of the observer proponent, the author or the writer.
View known as the third person omniscient.

Literary writing is personal, subjective and The tone is predominantly objective, impersonal
5.Tone definitely emotional. and unbiased.

Literary works adopt complicated and Technical writing utilizes standard forms or
sophisticated styles. preconceived designs and little variations from the
6. Style standards form.

The contents of literary works are Technical writing deals with a lot of topics.
suggestive and creative - it is usually
7. Content dramatic and imaginative.

Nontechnical writing contains specialized Technical writing does not only tell you outright
topics for selected types of audience. the information needed but also limits
  interpretation to one.

  It is factual, impersonal and free from emotions

  and distortions.
 Literature seldom employs visual aids On the other hand, technical writing uses visual
since the literary writer is armed with aids such as tables, drawings, graphs, charts, and
words that can fully narrate or describe others to facilitate comprehension of statistics and
8. Use of what he wants to put across. interpretation of data.
Visual Aids

IMAGERY
Definition:
Imagery refers to the “mental pictures” that readers experience when reading literature.
Imagery appeals directly to one or more of the five senses.
An author achieves imagery through the use of words.

FIVE TYPES
1.Visual – what you see
2.Auditory – what you hear
3.Kinesthetic – what you feel
4.Olfactory – what you smell
5.Gustatory – what you taste

EXAMPLES

1.Visual – The golden rays of the setting sun reflected upon the clear waters of the lake.
2.Auditory – The trees rustled as the wind whistled gently through the leaves.
3.Kinesthetic – My toes went numb and a shiver ran through my body as I stepped into the cold river.
4.Olfactory – The stench of rotting garbage overpowered my nostrils when I opened the bin.
5.Gustatory – Her mouth watered and her tongue burned as she bit into the sour, peppery mango chow.

Figures of Speech

LITERAL LANGUAGE» The actual, dictionary meaning of a word;

language that means what it appears to mean
Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment
Conforming to the most obvious meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or story

FIGURATIVE LNAGAUGE
Language that goes beyond the normal meaning of the words used
Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical

Represented by a figure or symbol

1. Simile: It is a comparison between two distinctly different things and the comparison is indicated by the word as or like:

O my love’s like a red, red rose.

The old man’s hair is as white as snow.

2. Metaphor: the use of a word which originally denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. The comparison is
implied, not expressed with the word as or like.

He is the soul of the team.

My son’s friend is a bad apple.

3. Personification: it is to treat a thing or an idea as if it were human or had human qualities.

The door protested as it opened slowly.

The fire ran wild.

6. Apostrophe: It is a direct address either to an absent person or to a nonhuman entity.

O Solitude! Where are the charms that sages have seen in thy face?
"Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own."

7. Hyperbole: Exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.

Here is the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.
Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,
Then another thousand, then a second hundred, Then still another thousand, then a hundred

11. Onomatopoeia: It is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

"Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding- dong, ding-dong. The little train rumbled over the tracks.“
"Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinng! An alarm clock clanged in the dark and silent room."
14. Oxymoron: Apparently contradictory terms are combined to produce a special effect.

She had bitter-sweet memories with her boyfriend.

The boy performed the experiment with careful carelessness.

15. Alliteration: refers to the appearance of the same initial consonant sound in two or more words, such as:

» Pat Peter is proud as a peacock.

» If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

16. Assonance: It is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words.

» "If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced.“

» The man was so happy to have his backgpack.

17. Allusion: A figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened. This can be real or imaginary
and may refer to anything, including paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be
direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s understanding.

» He was a real Romeo with the ladies.

» This place is like a Garden of Eden.”

POETRY
A form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities with or without its apparent meaning.
Poetry is not prose. Prose is the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing.
Poetry is a form of literary expression that captures intense experiences or creative perceptions of the world in a musical language.
Basically, if prose is like talking, poetry is like singing.

In poetry the sound and meaning of words are combined to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
The poet chooses words carefully.
Poetry is usually written in lines.

Poetry Elements
Rhythm
Sound
Imagery
Form

RHYTHM
Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem.
Gives poetry a musical feel.
Can be fast or slow, depending on mood and subject of poem.
You can measure rhythm in meter, by counting the beats in each line.

SOUND
Writers love to use interesting sounds in their poems. After all, poems are meant to be heard. These sound devices include:
Rhyme, Repetition, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia

RHYME
Rhymes are words that end with the same sound. (Hat, cat and bat rhyme.)
Rhyming sounds don’t have to be spelled the same way. (Cloud and allowed rhyme.)
Rhyme is the most common sound device in poetry

Poets can choose from a variety of different rhyming patterns.

AABB – lines 1 & 2 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme
ABAB – lines 1 & 3 rhyme and lines 2 & 4 rhyme
ABBA – lines 1 & 4 rhyme and lines 2 & 3 rhyme
ABCB – lines 2 & 4 rhyme and lines 1 & 3 do not rhyme

REPETITION
Repetition occurs when poets repeat words, phrases, or lines in a poem.
Creates a pattern.
Increases rhythm.
Strengthens feelings, ideas and mood in a poem.

Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant sound in words, as in the nursery rhyme “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers.

Words that represent the actual sound of something are words of onomatopoeia. Dogs “bark,” cats “purr,” thunder “booms,” rain
“drips,” and the clock “ticks.”
Appeals to the sense of sound.

IMAGERY
Imagery is the use of words to create pictures, or images, in your mind.
Appeals to the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch.
Details about smells, sounds, colors, and taste create strong images.
To create vivid images writers use figures of speech.

LINES AND STANZAS

Most poems are written in lines.
A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza.
Stanzas separate ideas in a poem. They act like paragraphs.

A couplet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in two lines

Tercet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in three lines
Quatrain is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
Quintet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
Sestet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
Octave is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines

FORMS OF POETRY
Poetic Forms - Types Of Poems

Poetry is a genre that has a lot of variation. Some poems are extremely structured, following a certain rhyme scheme and syllable
count, while others allow more creative freedom.

Poetic Forms
Poetry comes in a variety of forms. Some forms have more structure than others. Some follow rules that have to do with rhyming,
syllables, repetition, etc. Others are an expression that are fully in the hands of the author.

1. ABC Poem
In an ABC poem, each line of the poem begins with a letter in the alphabet, starting with A and moving in order through Z.

2. Acrostic
This is a form of poetry where the first or last letters of each line create a name, word, or phrase.

You can find these words by looking vertically at the beginning or end of the lines.
Examples of Acrostic poems:

A Family
F- fiercely loyal to those we love.
A- accepting each for who and what they are.
M- matchless in our hopes and dreams for one another.
I- instilling pride in our hard fought heritage.
L- learning about our past guides us in the future.
Y- you love and cherish the people of your heart.

3. Bio Poem-A bio poem is used to reveal information to the reader about the poet.
Line 1: First name Tynea
Line 2: Who is... (descriptive words that describe you) Who is creative, loyal, and quiet.
Line 3: Who is the brother/sister or son/daughter of... Who is the sister of Travis.
Line 4: Who loves...(three ideas) Who loves writing, fall, and a good book.
Line 5: Who feels...(three ideas) Who feels excitement, anticipation, and joy.
Line 6: Who needs...(three ideas) Who needs quiet, sleep, and love.
Line 7: Who gives...(three ideas) Who fears crocodiles, losing loved ones, and knives.
Line 8: Who fears...(three ideas) Who would like to see miracles, more sunrises, and Ireland.
Line 9: Who would like to see...(three ideas) Who shares laughs, hugs, and advice.
Line 10: Who shares...(three ideas) Who is a writer, mother, and friend.
Line 11: Who is...(three ideas) Who is a resident of Pennsylvania.
Line 12: Who is a resident of...(your town)
Line 13: Last name

4. Cinquain
A cinquain is a 5 line poem that follows a specific format. There are various types of cinquains. Some are created with a number of
words or syllables in mind. Another form is created using various parts of speech.

SYLLABLES
Morning by Tynea Lewis
Line 1-2 syllables Restless
 Line 2- 4 syllables Waiting for light
Line 3- 6 syllables Darkness covers the earth
Line 4- 8 syllables Until sun crests over the hill
Line 5- 2 syllables Morning

PART OF SPEECH
Car by Tynea Lewis
Line 1- noun Car
Line 2- 2 adjectives Fast, yellow
Line 3- 3 -ing words Speeding, swerving, moving
Line 4- a phrase Carrying teenagers away
Line 5- another word for the noun from line 1 Transportation

Words:
Line 1- 1 word
Line 2- 2 words
Line 3- 3 words
Line 4- 4 words
Line 5- 1 word

5. Concrete
A concrete poem is written in a way that the words create the shape of the subject of the poem.

Example of Concrete Poems:

• Girls Are Like Apple Trees
girls
Are like apples
On trees.The best ones
Are at the top of the tree.
The boys don't want to reach
For the good ones because they
Are afraid of falling and gettting hurt.
Instead,they just get the rotten apples
From the ground that aren't as good,
But easy.So the apples at the top think
Something is wrong with them,When in
Reality,they're amazing.They just
Have to wait for the right boy to
Come along,the ones
Brave enough to
climb all
the way
to the top
of the tree

6. Diamante
A diamante poem is a 7 line poem that looks like a diamond. It does not have to rhyme.
It can be used to describe 1 topic or 2 opposite topics.

Line 1: 1 word (subject/noun)

Line 2: 2 adjectives that describe line 1
Line 3: 3 -ing words that relate to line 1
Line 4: 4 nouns (first 2 relate to line 1, last 2 relate to line 7--if you're writing about opposite topics)
Line 5: 3 -ing words that relate to line 7
Line 6: 2 adjectives that describe line 7
Line 7: 1 word (subject/noun)

• Loyalty Betrayal (Diamante)

Loyalty
pure, flawless
sanctifying, lustering, washing
soldiers, followers, traitors, spies
perpetrating, stealing, bribing
hateful, dire
betrayal

7. Emotion Poem
An emotion poem is used to describe various emotions, good or bad, using descriptive language.
There are a couple different emotion poem formats to follow, and you could always come up with your own.

Anger by Tynea Lewis

Line 1: State the emotion Anger
Line 2: Describe the emotion as a color Is the color of lava spilling from a volcano.
Line 3: It happens when... It happens when a vase shatters into slivers on the floor.
Line 4: It sounds like... It sounds like a car screeching to a halt
Line 5: And smells like... And smells like burning toast.
Line 6: Restate the emotion Anger
 Love by Tynea Lewis
Line 1: State the emotion Love
Line 2: It smells like... It smells like a deep red rose opening in the sun.
Line 3: It tastes like... It tastes like delectable chocolate melting in your mouth.
Line 4: It sounds like... It sounds like the birds chirping on a clear spring morning.
Line 5: It feels like... It feels like a fire on a cold winter's night.
Line 6: It looks like... It looks like an ocean scene painted by God.
Line 7: (Emotion) is... Love is unpredictable and breathtaking.

8. Free Verse
Free verse poems do not follow any rules. Their creation is completely in the hands of the author.
Rhyming, syllable count, punctuation, number of lines, number of stanzas, and line formation can be done however the author wants
in order to convey the idea.
There is no right or wrong way to create these poems.

9. Haiku
This is a form of Japanese poetry that follows a specific syllable pattern.
It's made up of 3 lines, consisting of 17 syllables in total. Haikus are usually about a specific part of nature.

Spring
Line 1: 5 syllables Water runs down stream.
Line 2: 7 syllables Fish swimming with the current.
Line 3: 5 syllables Life moving along.

10.Limerick
A limerick is a short, humorous poem that follows a determined rhyme scheme of AABBA.
This five line poem also follows a syllable count.

• An Ice Cream Limerick

Line 1: 7-10 syllables Lucy's a lucky ice cream licker
Line 2: 7-10 syllables I'm so jealous that I could kick her
Line 3: 5-7 syllables Listen to my rant
Line 4: 5-7 syllables Lactose Intolerance
Line 5: 7-10 syllables But hey, that's one way I won't get thicker!

11. Narrative
A narrative poem tells the story of an event in the form of a poem.

12. Pantoum
A pantoum is a poem that uses a lot of repetition. To create this poem, follow these steps.

• Write a quatrain (4 line stanza). Writing emotional lines usually works best.
• Take lines 2 and 4 of the first stanza and make them lines 1 and 3 of the second stanza.
• Take lines 2 and 4 of the second stanza and make them lines 1 and 3 of the third stanza.
• Continue your poem using this pattern.
• For your last stanza, go back to the first stanza of the poem. Make line 3 of the first stanza line 2 of your last. Make line 1 of the
first stanza line 4 in your last.

Example of pantoum:
Her Smile
Her smile was visible to all,
Showing a dark secret
From an inescapable memory
Because of the lie she kept telling herself.

Showing a dark secret,

The light was dimming
Because of the lie she kept telling herself.
She tried to push the pain aside.

The light was dimming

From an inescapable memory
She tried to push the pain aside.
Her smile was visible to all.

13. Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme. Each type of sonnet follows a different rhyming scheme.

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet

14 line poem
3 quatrains (4 line stanzas) followed by 1 couplet (2 line stanza)
Rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet

14 line poem
1 octave (8 line stanza) followed by 1 sestet (6 line stanza)
Rhyming scheme of ABBAABBA CDCCDC (or CDECDE)

Spenserian Sonnet

14 line poem
3 quatrains followed by 1 couplet
Rhyming scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE

14. Villanelle
5 tercets (3 line stanzas) with ABA rhyme scheme
Followed by 1 quatrain (4 line stanza) with ABAA rhyme scheme
The first and third lines of the tercet are alternately repeated as the last lines of the remaining stanzas.

Villanelle Examples:

The End By Tynea Lewis

No one told me about this pain.
Everything hurts, even my pride.
It's these emotions I am forced to contain.

Tears have fallen from my eyes like a steady rain.

Nothing can take back those nights I've cried.
No one told me about this pain.

My feelings I cannot even explain.

To you, my heart was open wide.
Now it's these emotions I have to contain.

I'm at the point where I feel nothing but shame

Because I thought you were going to be my guide.
If only I was warned about this pain.

With you is where I wanted to remain.

Now I have to continue on with a long stride,
But these emotions I am forced to contain.

Please tell me our relationship was not in vain.

I hope to not regret having tried.
No one told me about this pain.
It's these emotions I am forced to contain.

15. DIONA-katutubong anyo ng tula binubuo ng pitong pantig kada taludtod, tatlong taludtod kada saknong at may isahang tugmaan

16. TANAGA- Haiku equivalent from the Philippines; consisting of four lines with each line equally having between seven and nine
syllables.mostly written in Tagalog

Line Breaks, White Spaces and Enjambments

Line breaks
Where the line of poetry ceases to end and a new line begins. How the poem is divided.
Some poems have a natural rhythm like a song. It’s easy to know where to break the line.
Sometimes the line breaks where the thought ends, or where the reader or the poet naturally pauses.
Sometimes the line breaks are in unexpected places. A poet can break a line in the middle of a poem to tease you into going to the
next line. A thought can go from one verse, or stanza, to another. (enjambment or run-on)

WHITE SPACE
Lines are usually short enough that white space appears to the right or left of the poem, or both if the poem is in the center of the page.
Text can be anywhere on the page.
Words can be separated. The words can look like what they are saying.

Indentions is another way to play with white space. In the poem about a walk, the poet might indent as she’s going around a bend.
Indentions can signal opposites or two voices speaking.
Indentions can place emphasis on a part of a poem.
Enjabment-(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
GENRE – CROSSING TEXTS

Prose
Written in paragraphs
Tells a story rather than describes an image or metaphor
Genrally has characters and a plot

Poetry
Written in verse
Written in poetic meter
Focuses on image-driven metaphors
Might have a narrative but it might or it might be harder to understand.

Prose Poetry
Written like prose, in paragraphs rather than verse, but contains the characteristics of poetry, such as poetic meter, language play, and
a focus on images rather than narrative, plot, and character.

Performance Poetry
•a form of poetry intended to be performed as a dramatic monologue or exchange and frequently involving extemporization
•uses the stage as the page, transforming poetry readings into theatrical events

Slam Poetry
•a movement which became popular in the 1990s
•places an emphasis on the performance element of poetry rather than just the content
•addresses racial, economic, and gender inequalities as well as current events. Slam poetry is also known as spoken word poetry.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION

CHARACTERS
1. Round characters
•Round characters have various characteristics or traits.
A round character can change or grow.
Readers see more than one side of a round character.

2. Flat Characters
•Readers see one side of a flat character.
•Flat characters are usually minor characters and reveal one or two traits.
•Flat characters may be used as a contrast to a major character.

3. Dynamic characters
Characters who develop and change are not only round characters, but often dynamic.These characters show significant inner
change

4. Static characters
•Static characters are one dimensional—readers see only one side.
Static characters stay the same and do not develop.
Readers learn little about this character.
Static characters are flat characters.

5. Stereotypes
•Sometimes characters with common, generalized traits are repeatedly found in unrelated stories.
These characters are known by what they do and how they act.
The author doesn’t need to tell us much about the character because we’ve encountered the stereotype before and can make some
inferences.

6. Protagonist
The Protagonist is central to the action of a story and moves against the antagonist.

7. Antagonist
The antagonist is the villain or a force which opposes the the protagonist.

POINT OF VIEW
A story is told through the eyes of a character or narrator—this is the point of view.
The author makes a deliberate choice in which point of view to use.
The point of view influences the plot. It affects how much information and the type of information that is revealed to the audience.

First Person Point of View

The narrator is a character in the story.
Uses first person pronouns (I, we, me, my, our)
We learn the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions and words.
May be unreliable or inaccurate
Third Person Limited Point of View
Narrator is not a character in the story.
The narrator tells the story from one character’s vantage point—we find out what this one character thinks, feels etc.
Uses third person pronouns (he, him, she, her, they, them)

Omniscient Narrator
The narrator is all-knowing.
The author can enter the minds of the characters and can describe what all characters are thinking and feeling.

PLOT
Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows a causal arrangement of events and actions within a story.
Plot is a simple story element that is taught at an early age but plot can also be very complex as well.

Plot vs Action
For the purposes of this class, the events that happen in a novel will be referred to the action of the novel. The term plot will be used
for the way an author sequences and paces the events. This helps shape our response and interpretation of the literary work.

COMPONENTS of PLOT
Exposition: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the story. The setting is identified. The main characters with their
positions, circumstances and relationships to one another are established. The exciting force or initial conflict is introduced.
Sometimes called the “Narrative HOOK” this begins the conflict that continues throughout the story.
Rising Action: The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity,
and complicate the conflict.
Climax: The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the protagonist moves toward his
inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the protagonist makes.
Falling Action: The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more
conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable.
Resolution/Denouement: The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion. The hero character either
emerges triumphant or is defeated at this point.
Conflict: Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Freytag’s Pyramid is often modified so that it extends slightly before and after the primary rising and falling action. You might think
of this part of the chart as similar to the warm-up and cool-down for the story.

TYPES OF PLOTS
Dramatic or Progressive Plot
A Dramatic or Progressive Plot: This is a chronological structure which first establishes the setting and conflict, then follows the rising
action through to a climax (the peak of the action and turning point), and concludes with a denouement (a wrapping up of loose ends).

The majority of stories and novels that you read will follow this plot structure.

Episodic Plot
An episodic plot is also a chronological ordered structure, but it consists of a series of loosely related incidents, usually about a chapter
or two in length. These are commonly tied together by characters or a common theme. These are used when an author wants to
explore the depth and personalities of a character or the local color of an area.

In Media res
In medias res is a Latin phrase meaning “in the middle of things.” This is a very classic literary device. In this type of plot, the story
begins after the action has already begun. The explanation of plot, characters and their roles, and the importance of setting are left to
be discovered through flashback, dialogue, or a reverse chronology where the story if told backwards.

Great examples: Homer’s The Odyssey, Dickens’ David Copperfield, Dante’s The Divine Comedy and recently in film, Raging Bull.

Flashback Plot
This structure conveys information about events that occurred earlier. It permits authors to begin the story in the midst of the action
but later fill in the background for full understanding of the present events. Flashbacks can occur more than once and in different parts
of a story.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Catcher In The Rye
Parallel Plots
In the plot outline, main character 1 has the first section. The story then moves to main character 2 and alternates between the two
characters until they come together in the end. Each main character and his or her plot receive equal time. Their sections are indicated
by the series of parallel lines on the timelines below. Each segment of the story moves the plot forward in time. An occasional scene
may overlap in time, but the general movement should be forward.

Plot Diagram for Parallel Plot Structure

||||------------|||||-------------||||-------------||||------------||||---------------
Plot line for main character 1

-----||||-------------||||-------------||||--------------||||--------------||||-------
Plot line for main character 2

In the parallel plot, the characters might start out together and separate to follow their own paths, or they may not connect until the
end. Their story lines are related and the climax occurs when the two (or more) come together at the end.
Parallel plots may have more than two main characters. Just remember that each character's story gets equal time and to keep the plot
moving forward. Once each main character is introduced, the writer then returns to the first character and repeats the cycle. Examples:
School reunions, earthquakes and other natural disasters, terrorist attacks

Non-linear plot
Nonlinear narrative is a technique sometimes used in literature wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order. It is often
used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory.

CONFLICT
THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN OPPOSING FORCES

At the heart of every great story is a conflict (or problem). The main character wants something and is being prevented from
getting it.
Most of the action and suspense in a story centers around the main character (or characters) trying to find a solution to the
conflict.

The most effective way to identify a conflict is to write a CONFLICT STATEMENT.

A conflict statement is a sentence that briefly states what the main character wants and what is preventing him/her from attaining that
desire.

Example: Cinderella wants to go to the ball, but her wicked stepmother won’t let her go.

TYPES OF CONFLICTS
1. Character Vs character-Other characters or groups of characters; sometimes it is a villain, but not always
2. Character vs society--Rules or laws, cultural norms, a society’s system of beliefs, standing up for what is believed
3. Character vs nature-The weather, cold, disease, wild animals, hunger, fire, natural disasters
4. Character vs self-Loneliness, self-doubt, making a tough decision, poor self-esteem, overcoming addiction, jealously

IRONY
Definition: a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens
Situational: something happens that we wouldn’t expect to happen
Dramatic: the reader knows something the characters do not
Verbal – what is said is different than what is meant

THEME
Theme is the underlying meaning of the story.
It is a universal Truth.
It is a significant statement the story is making about society, human nature or the human condition.

•Theme is the message from the author.

•Themes can be found everywhere:
–Literature
–Art
–Movies
•The theme of a fable is its moral.
•The theme of a parable is its teaching.
•The theme of a piece of literature is its view about life and how people behave.
•Theme is NOT the TOPIC.
•Theme IS the POINT being made about the TOPIC.
•Theme is a statement about LIFE.
•A GOOD theme teaches a VALUABLE lesson about life.
•The theme expresses the author’s opinion or raises a question about human nature of the meaning of human experience.

Tone is the AUTHOR’S attitude towards the audience, the subject, or the character.
Mood is the feeling the reader gets from a story.

FORESHADOWING

Remember CAPE!
1. Concrete Foreshadowing--§OBJECTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, COLORS, and EVENTS
These clues are not obvious until you look back!
2. Abstract Foreshadowing--SENSES!
Thoughts/feelings a character has or the way a character acts
A certain kind of music playing that hints at an upcoming event!
3. Prominent Foreshadowing--The story starts out at the end and then goes back to the beginning, so you already know what is going
to happen
4. Evocative Foreshadowing--§This kind of foreshadowing leads the reader on:
“Little did I know…”
“It all would not have happened if…”

Symbols and Motifs

•Motif: A unifying element in an artistic work, especially any recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type, subject, or narrative
detail.
•A given motif may be unique to a work or it may appear in numerous works by the same author or different authors.
•Recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes
•Unlike a theme, a motif can be expressed in a single word or fragment.
•A motif may be:
–a literary element used repeatedly in one text
–two contrasting elements in a work (good and evil)
–a literary element used over time in various texts, providing a useful example of a cultural "constant"

•Cinderella motif
a poor, mistreated, beautiful, kind young girl is rescued by a dashing, kind, rich man

SYMBOLS
•symbol (sim-bol): a symbol is a word or object that stands for another word or object. The object or word can be seen with the eye or
not visible.
A symbol is an object, a picture, a written word, or a sound that is used to represent something else either by resemblance, convention,
or association. Every language have symbols; in fact, our names are symbols that represent us as individuals.

•What is the difference between a motif and a symbol?

•A symbol is a concrete object used to represent an abstract idea, and a motif is a symbol that is REPEATED in a work of literature,
found on multiple occasions in the same work.