![]() Round characters are fully developed, ‘human’ characters, full of complexity and nuance. Round versus Flat are terms used to describe character development. While nonfiction doesn’t always include characters that fulfill certain ‘roles,’ it is important to think about relationships between characters, particularly relationships between your story subject (your protagonist) and others, whether they be central or peripheral characters. The antagonist is your ‘villain,’ the character who often creates the most strife and struggle for the protagonist. Think Harry Potter or Anne of Green Gables or Pee Wee Herman or the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The protagonist is your main character, your lead, the character the story revolves around. In order to understand this element of “character,” and how we as narrative journalists can more deliberately craft our stories, there are a few keywords that should be defined further: Not only is this crucial for story development, but as human beings, we read stories and enjoy stories because we can see ourselves in them, often through the characters. While Creative Writing scholars are not always in agreement about the elements of fiction, general consensus outlines five essential elements that feature in all stories: they are 1.) Theme, 2.) Character, 3.) Setting, 4.) Plot, and 5.) Point of View.Ĭharacter is perhaps the most important element of fiction, as things must happen to someone or something in order for a story to progress. The fifth element of fiction is more related to craft and technique rather than content, and while it is celebrated in fiction writing, it is equally useful in creative nonfiction-that element is point of view. Even with characters situated in a place, there must also be things happening (or deliberately not happening) to someone or something for any story to progress. And yes, all stories should have meaning, and meaning that we can connect with as human beings. And indeed, all stories must be about someone or something, and this someone or something will exist in some sort of environment, whether that be a concrete or abstract place. I often begin a course of Narrative Journalism with the question: What “elements” must all stories have for them to be ’stories’? What follows is a cascade of student responses that touch on character, setting, meaning and theme, conflict and events and terms used to describe the plot or story arc. ![]() To foster a deeper appreciation for literary techniques applied to nonfiction work. ![]() To develop a basic understanding of the five elements of fiction.The learning objectives for this chapter are as follows:
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