The author reveals the traits of a character, leaving it up to the reader to draw conclusions about the character based on this indirect information.

Clues about something that will happen later

a problem or dilemma

The narrator uses “I,” “me,” “we,” “us,” etc. to tell the story about himself or herself.

a character with a single important trait

a character who embodies a certain kind of universal human experience; a type seen in myths, fairy tales, and other forms of literature in every time and place

the perspective from which a story is told

a big idea or lesson learned

something different from what is expected, with a twist

The narrator looks inside a character’s mind and heart to know that person’s thoughts and feelings.

figuring something out without being told

the creation or development of a character.

The author directly states the character’s traits.

the time and place of a story

the basic storyline; the main events in a story

The narrator sees action but cannot read any characters’ minds.

conflict or problem with a person or force outside the character

a character who changes very little over the course of a narrative. Static stays the same.

a character designed to highlight qualities of another character; an opposite

a three-dimensional character

a sudden revelation in which a character proceeds from ignorance and innocence to knowledge and awareness; an “Aha!” moment

the adversary of the protagonist; usually a bad guy

the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem, usually a good guy.