NONFIC

• Creative nonfiction


  A genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Contrasts with other nonfiction like technical writing or journalism which is also rooted in accurate fact but is not primarily written in service to its craft.
• Literary convention


  A defining feature of a particular genre such as a novel, a short story, or a play.
• Literary elements


  Particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text. Represents the elements of storytelling which are common to all literary and narrative forms.
• Literary genre


  A category of literary composition determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length.
• Literary techniques


  Any specific, deliberate constructions or choices of language which an author uses to convey meaning in a particular way.
• Categorizing literature genres


  • Poetry - words and rhythm. Basic unit is the line, words are strung together and often written in an elevated language.
  • Drama - performed rather than be read.
  • Prose - broader term that includes both drama and non-fiction. Any kind of written text that isn't poetry. Written in complete sentences and organised in paragraphs and tends to focus on plot and characters.
  • Nonfiction - Can be creative or factual. Sometimes the purpose of nonfiction is to tell a story, pass on information and educate the reader about certain facts, ideas, and issues.
  • Media - The newest type of literature. This categorization was created to any work that doesn't exist primarily as a written text, it relies on recently developed technologies.
  • Oral Literature - Short stories meant to pass on a particular lesson or moral.
  • Graphic Novels and Comic Books - Were seen in the past as the lowest form of literature which are not suitable or valuable for children but changed throughout time.
• Elements of the different genres


  • Character - A person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work.
  • Setting - Time and place of a story. Can be the weather, scenery, etc.
  • Plot - A series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
  • Theme - The central idea or belief in a short story.
  • Point-of-view - The narrator's position in relation to a story being told.
  • Style - How one writes rather than from a concerted effort to control it.
  • Literary devices - The true tools of the writer. Includes symbolism, humor, figurative languages, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, irony).
• Techniques and themes


  • Narratives - Works that provide an account of connected events. Includes novels, dramas, fables, folk tales, short stories, poetry.
  • Perspective or point of view - Techniques relevant to style, plot and narrative.
  • Metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, hyperbole, alliteration - Techniques relevant to style or the language chosen to tell a story.
  • Backstory, flashback, flash-forward, foreshadowing - Techniques relevant to plot, the sequence of events that make up a narrative.
  • First person, second person, third person, third-person omniscient - Techniques relevant to narrative perspective or who is telling the story.
  • Themes - The central topic or ideas explored by a literary work. Includes good vs. evil, love, death, redemption, courage and heroism, perseverance, coming of age, revenge, power and corruption, survival, prejudice, war, individual vs. society.
  • Biography - A detailed description or account of a person's life.
  • Autobiography - A written account of the life of a person written by that person.
  • Blog - A web log or a website containing short articles called posts that are changed regularly.
  • Travelogue - A story of the experiences encountered by someone while touring a place for the pleasure of travel.
• Literary elements


  • Character
  • Setting of a short story
  • Plot
  • Conflict
• Key points of plot

  • Beginning or Exposition - Characters and problems are introduced to the reader.
  • Rising Action - The problem and characters are developed through a series of actions that leads to the climax.
  • Climax - The problem or conflict is resolved. It is often called the "turning point" in a story.
  • Falling Action or Denouement - The reader learns what happens as a result of the climax. It is the way in which the problem was solved.
  • Resolution - The entire plot is wrapped up and there is a sense of closure for the reader.
• Common techniques relevant to plot

  • Backstory - Reveals important information about the main characters and helps depict a fully realized story world.
  • Flashback - The current plot is interrupted so that a scene which previously occurred can be shared with the reader.
  • Flash-forward - Used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future.
  • Foreshadowing - A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
• Theme


  The central idea, belief or an underlying meaning in a short story. It should be stated in a complete sentence.
• Common techniques relevant to point-of-view

  • First person
  • Second person
  • Third person
  • Third person omniscient - Still about "he" or "she," but the narrator has full access to the thoughts and experiences of all characters in the story.