ANSWER:Fiction is make-believe, invented stories. They may be short stories, fables, vignettes, plays, novellas, or novels. Although writers may base a character on people they have met in real life, the characters and the experiences that the character faces in the story are not real.
So, how does a writer write fiction? Characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and theme are six key elements for writing fiction.
Characters
Characters are the people, animals, or aliens in the story. Readers come to know the characters through what they say, what they think, and how they act.
E. M. Forster, an English novelist, identified that characters are either flat or round. Flat characters do not play important roles in the stories. They often have only one or two traits with little description about them. A flat character may even be a stock character, which is a stereotypical figure that is easily recognized by readers, for example, the mad scientist or the evil stepmother.
On the other hand, the round characters play an important role, often the lead roles in stories. They are complex, dimensional, and well-developed. The stories are about them; therefore, pages of writing will be about them. They often change by going through a life-changing experience as the story unfolds.
When discussing stories with other readers and writers or when writing an analysis of a story, fictional characters can be described as static or developing. Static means the character stays the same throughout the story. They do not change. Developing, also called dynamic, means the character changes. The change may impact the character’s beliefs, attitudes, or actions. The change may be small or large. This change occurs because the character experiences an epiphany, an insight about life.
If writers write about characters outside their own culture, they need to do research so as not to misrepresent a particular culture. The same is also true of characters, who have illnesses. The writer may need to research the illness and treatment for it in order to be accurate about it.
Setting
Setting is where and when the story takes place. It includes the following:
The immediate surroundings of the characters such as props in a scene: trees, furniture, food, inside of a house or car, etc.
The time of day such as morning, afternoon, or night.
The weather such as cloudy, sunny, windy, snow, or rain, etc.
The time of year, particularly the seasons: fall, winter, summer, spring.
The historical period such as what century or decade the story takes place.
The geographical location including the city, state, country, and possibly even the universe, if the writer is writing science fiction.
Setting can function as a main force that the characters encounter, such as a tornado or flood, or a setting can play a minor role such as setting the mood. Often times, the setting can reveal something about the main character as he/she functions in that place and time period.
Writers write about places they are familiar with. If they aren’t familiar with the place, then they need to research it in order to be accurate about the place.
Plot
Plot is the order of events in the story. The plot usually follows a particular structure called Freytag’s Pyramid. Gustav Freytag, a German playwright who lived during the 1800s, identified this structure.
Freytag’s Pyramid has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, also known as resolution. See Figure 3.1
ANSWER: c setting
LOLLL