A
- 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.
B
- 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.
C
- 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.
- External Conflict
- A problem with the outside world (like fighting a dragon or a storm).
- Internal Conflict
- A problem inside the character's mind (like fear or guilt).
- Context
- The background information needed to understand why something is happening.
D
- 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 " ").
- 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.
E
- 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.
F
- 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.
G
- 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.
H
- 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").
I
- 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.
M
- 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.
N
- 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.
O
- Obstacle
- Something that stands in the character's way.
- Omniscient
- A type of narrator who knows everything—what every character is thinking and doing.
P
- 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").
R
- 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.
S
- 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).
T
- 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").
U
- Unreliable Narrator
- A storyteller who might be lying, confused, or tricking the reader.
V
- Villain
- An evil character who opposes the hero.
- Voice
- The unique way a writer or character sounds on the page.
W
- World-building
- The work an author does to create a new world, including maps, history, and rules for magic.
Write Without Fear — Edit Without Mercy