Fiction Terms

Action: Things that happen in the story; physical movement by the characters.
Adaptation: A story that was originally written in one form (like a book) and is turned into another form (like a movie or video game).
Agency: When a character makes their own choices and takes action to change things, rather than just letting things happen to them.
Allegory: A story where the characters and events stand for bigger ideas or real-life historical events (like how The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe stands for religious themes).
Alliteration: When words close together start with the same sound (e.g., "The slippery snake slid").
Allusion: A quick mention of a famous person, place, or event from real life or another story.
Antagonist: The "bad guy" or the force that tries to stop the main character from getting what they want.
Anti-hero: A main character who doesn't act like a traditional hero; they might be grumpy, selfish, or break the rules, but we still root for them.
Archetype: A type of character or story pattern that shows up in stories all over the world (e.g., The Chosen One, The Wise Old Teacher).
Atmosphere: The spooky, happy, or sad feeling a reader gets from the description of the setting.
Author: The person who wrote the story.
Backstory: The things that happened to a character before the book started.
Beat: A tiny pause in the story, usually during a conversation, to show a character doing a small action (like taking a sip of water).
Believability: Even if a story has magic, it needs to make sense so the reader can believe it could happen in that world. (Also called Verisimilitude).
Build-up: The part of the story where excitement grows before the big moment.
Character: A person, animal, or creature in a story.
Character Arc: How a character changes on the inside from the beginning of the book to the end.
Characterization: How the author shows us what a character is like (through what they say, do, and wear).
Cliché: An idea or phrase that has been used so many times it isn't interesting anymore (like "It was a dark and stormy night").
Cliffhanger: An ending to a chapter or book that leaves the reader in suspense, wondering what will happen next.
Climax: The most exciting part of the story; the big battle or moment where the main problem is solved.
Comedy: A story meant to make the reader laugh.
Conflict: The problem the main character has to solve.
Conflict, External: A problem with the outside world (like fighting a dragon or a storm).
Conflict, Internal: A problem inside the character's mind (like fear or guilt).
Context: The background information needed to understand why something is happening.
Denouement: The very end of the story where loose ends are tied up and we see how the characters' lives have changed.
Description: Using words to paint a picture of what people, places, and things look like.
Dialogue: The words characters speak to each other (usually in quotation marks " ").
Dialogue Tag: A dialogue tag is a phrase that indicates who is speaking.

Examples: “He said,” “she asked,” and “the crowd cheered” are all dialogue tags when paired with a line of dialogue.
Draft: A version of a story before it is finished. The first version is the "First Draft."
Dramatic Irony: When the reader knows something important that the characters do not know yet.
Dynamic Character: A character who changes and learns a lesson by the end of the story.
Editor: A person who helps the author fix mistakes and make the story better.
Epilogue: A short section at the very end of a book that jumps forward in time to show what happened later.
Epiphany: A sudden "Aha!" moment where a character realizes something important.
Exposition: The beginning part of a story where the author introduces the characters and the setting.
Fable: A short story, often with talking animals, that teaches a lesson (moral).
Falling Action: The events that happen right after the Climax as things start to calm down.
Fantasy: A genre of fiction that includes magic, monsters, or other things that aren't real.
Fiction: Stories that are made up; they are not true facts.
Figurative Language: Using words in a creative way to make a special meaning (like similes and metaphors).
First Person: When the story is told by a character using "I" or "We."
Flashback: When the story jumps back in time, showing something that happened in the past that relates to the current scene, event or dialogue.
Flat Character: A simple character who doesn't change and usually only has one or two personality traits.
Foil: A character who is the opposite of the main character, used to show off the main character's traits (like a cowardly sidekick highlights the hero's bravery).
Foreshadowing: Hints or clues the author drops early in the story about what will happen later.
Genre: The category or type of story (e.g., Mystery, Sci-Fi, Horror).
Ghostwriter: A person who writes a book for someone else, but the other person gets the credit as the author.
Hero/Heroine: The main character who we want to succeed (usually the "good guy").
Hook: The very first sentence or paragraph that grabs the reader's attention.
Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration (e.g., "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse").
Imagery: Words that trigger your five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) to help you imagine the scene.
Inciting Incident: The event that kicks off the adventure and changes the main character's life.
In Media Res: Starting a story right in the middle of the action, without explaining everything first.
Irony: When the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens.
Metaphor: Comparing two things by saying one thing is the other (e.g., "Her heart is a stone").
Mood: The feeling the reader gets while reading (scared, happy, hopeful).
Moral: The lesson the story teaches.
Motif: An object or idea that appears again and again in a story.
Motivation: The reason why a character does what they do.
Mystery: A genre where a character tries to solve a crime or a puzzle.
Narrative: Another word for a story.
Narrator: The voice that is telling the story to the reader.
Novel: A long fictional story (usually a book).
Novella: A story that is shorter than a novel but longer than a short story.
Obstacle: Something that stands in the character's way.
Omniscient: A type of narrator who knows everything—what every character is thinking and doing.
Pacing: How fast or slow the story moves. Action scenes are usually fast; description scenes are usually slow.
Personification: Giving human qualities to things that aren't human (e.g., "The wind howled").
Plot: The main events of the story in order.
Plot Hole: A mistake in the story where something doesn't make sense.
Plot Twist: A big surprise in the story that changes everything.
Point of View (POV): Who is telling the story (First person, Third person, etc.).
Prologue: An introduction chapter before the main story starts.
Prose: Normal writing (like in a book), not poetry.
Protagonist: The main character of the story (the one driving the car).
Pseudonym: A fake name an author uses (also called a "Pen Name").
Red Herring: A false clue in a mystery meant to trick the reader.
Resolution: How the story ends and the problem is fixed.
Rising Action: The middle part of the story where the problems get worse and the tension gets higher.
Round Character: A complex character with many different feelings and traits, just like a real person.
Satire: Making fun of something serious to show that it's silly or wrong.
Scene: A small part of the story that happens in one place at one time.
Setting: Where and when the story takes place.
Short Story: A piece of fiction that is short enough to be read in one sitting.
Show, Don't Tell: Writing that uses action and feelings instead of just facts (e.g., Instead of saying "He was angry," say "He slammed his fist on the table").
Simile: Comparing two things using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Fast as a cheetah").
Stakes: What the character will lose if they fail (e.g., "If he doesn't unlock the door, the monster will catch him").
Static Character: A character who stays exactly the same from the start of the book to the end.
Stereotype: A simple, often unfair idea about a group of people that is used as a shortcut for a character.
Subplot: A smaller side-story that happens alongside the main story.
Subtext: The secret meaning underneath what a character says (e.g., saying "I'm fine" when you are actually sad).
Suspense: The feeling of worry or excitement about what might happen next.
Symbol: An object in a story that represents a bigger idea (e.g., a dove represents peace).
Tension: The feeling of stress or pressure in a story that makes you want to keep reading.
Theme: The main idea or message the author wants to share with the world.
Third Person: When the narrator tells the story using "He," "She," or "They."
Tone: The author's attitude toward the story (e.g., serious, funny, sarcastic).
Tragedy: A story with a sad ending.
Trope: A common theme or device used in many stories (like "Enemies becoming friends").
Unreliable Narrator: A storyteller who might be lying, confused, or tricking the reader.
Villain: An evil character who opposes the hero.
Voice: The unique way a writer or character sounds on the page.
World-building: The work an author does to create a new world, including geography, a backstory, flora, fauna, inhabitants, technology, and often if writing speculative fiction, different peoples.

Write Without Fear — Edit Without Mercy

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