Narrative Techniques and Goals

Vocabulary flashcards covering the narrative techniques and author goals outlined in the lecture notes.

Dialogue

A spoken or written exchange between two or more characters.

Inner Thinking

The thoughts, ideas, and words characters experience in their minds but do not say aloud.

Revealing Actions

A character’s actions that reveal their personality, values, or goals.

Description

Language that creates a mental image for readers.

Simile

A comparison between two different things using like or as.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.

Symbolism

When a person, object, word, or situation represents something else, often an abstract idea.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the sounds they describe to create a sensory effect.

Multiple Plot Lines

Two or more storylines that happen alongside one another and are often connected by a common theme or character.

Multiple Points of View

When a story is told from the perspectives of different characters.

Formatting and Punctuation

Using punctuation or formatting in creative ways beyond standard grammatical rules.

Flashforward and Flashback

A scene that interrupts the normal chronological order of a story to show an earlier or future event.

Provide context and background information

A narrative goal to help readers understand the story.

Introduce the characters

A narrative goal to show who the characters are.

Show character motivations

A narrative goal to explain why characters act or make decisions.

Stir empathy

A narrative goal to help readers understand and care about the characters.

Create the setting

A narrative goal to establish where and when the story takes place.

Build a mood

A narrative goal to create a feeling or atmosphere for the reader.

Set up the problem

A narrative goal to introduce the main conflict or challenge.

Raise the stakes

A narrative goal to make the problem more serious or increase the consequences.

Build suspense

A narrative goal to make readers curious or anxious about what will happen next.

Get the reader predicting

A narrative goal to encourage readers to guess what might happen.

Support the theme

A narrative goal to develop the story’s deeper message or central idea.

Show the resolution

A narrative goal to explain how the conflict or problem is resolved.