Narratology

A-Plot is a cinema and television term referring to the plotline that really drives the story. This doesn't mean it's the most important, but rather the one that forces most of the action. ...more on Wikipedia about "A-Plot"

:This article refers to literary antagonists. For the biological meaning, see receptor antagonist. for muscle type, see Antagonist (muscle) ...more on Wikipedia about "Antagonist"

In literature and film, an anti-hero is a character that possesses some of the personality traits and weakness traditionally assigned to villains, outlaws and those that either are shunned by society or do not abide by the status quo, but nonetheless have enough heroic qualities and intentions to align them with the heroes in the readers' minds. ...more on Wikipedia about "Anti-hero"

In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a character who expresses the questions and confusion of the reader. It is a device frequently used in detective fiction and science fiction. ...more on Wikipedia about "Audience surrogate"

As a literary technique, an author surrogate is a character who expresses the ideas, questions, personality and morality of the author. Upon occasion, authors insert themselves under their own name into their works, typically for humorous or surrealistic effect. ...more on Wikipedia about "Author surrogate"

In literary theory and aesthetics, authorial intentionality is a concept referring to an author's intent as it is encoded in his work. ...more on Wikipedia about "Authorial intentionality"

Breaking character, or "to break character," is a theatrical term used to describe when an actor, while actively performing in character, slips out of character and behaves as his or her actual self. This is an acceptable occurrence while in the process of rehearsal, but is unheard of and extremely unprofessional while actively performing in front of an audience or camera (other than in comedies when the act is a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall). ...more on Wikipedia about "Breaking character"

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A character arc is the status of the character as it unfolds throughout the story, the storyline or series of episodes. Since the definition of character arc centers on the character, it is generally equated as the emotional change of the character within the narrative. Characters begin the story with a certain viewpoint and, through events in the story, that viewpoint changes and it makes them better, worse or just given a new perspective. Character arc are most evident in character drama or in subplots. Some examples include: ...more on Wikipedia about "Character arc"

Character shields are plot devices in films and television shows that prevent important characters from dying or being seriously injured at dramatically inconvenient moments. It often denotes a situation in which it strains credibility to believe that the character would survive. ...more on Wikipedia about "Character shields"

Characterization is the process of creating characters in fiction, often those who are different from and have different beliefs than the author. A writer can assume the point of view of a child, an older person, a member of the opposite gender, someone of another race or culture, or anyone who isn't like them in personality or otherwise. ...more on Wikipedia about "Characterization"

A Chekhov's Gun is a Literary technique in which a fictional element (object, character, place, etc.) is introduced early and in which the author expects the reader to invest. That investment must 'pay off' later in the story even if the element disappears offstage for a long interval. ...more on Wikipedia about "Chekhov's gun"

A Christ-figure is a literary technique that authors use to draw allusions between their characters and the bibilical Jesus Christ. More loosely, the Christ Figure is a spiritual or prophetic character who parallels Jesus, or other spiritual or prophetic figures. ...more on Wikipedia about "Christ-figure"

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. This type of ending is used to ensure that audiences return for the next installment of the story to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved. The phrase comes from the common end of episode situation of the protagonist left hanging from the edge of a cliff. Some serials end with the caveat "to be continued" ( Duckman and Clone High parodied this caveat). ...more on Wikipedia about "Cliffhanger"

The climax of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama. ...more on Wikipedia about "Climax (narrative)"

In television, a clip show is an episode of a series, usually sitcoms, that relies mostly on showing excerpts from previous episodes, generally depicted as a sequence of flashbacks given plausibility by a frame tale. ...more on Wikipedia about "Clip show"

Comic book death is a term used somewhat cynically in the comic book fan community to refer to the killing off and subsequent return of a long-running character. A synonymous term is Marvel Death, because Marvel Comics supposedly engages in this gimmick more frequently than other publishers. ...more on Wikipedia about "Comic book death"

Conflict is a necessary element of fictional literature. It is often classified according to the nature of the antagonist, as follows: ...more on Wikipedia about "Conflict (narrative)"

:For other uses of the word continuity, see Continuity. ...more on Wikipedia about "Continuity (fiction)"

Cooper's Law is a rule of thumb for writing good fiction, in particular science fiction. The law simply states: ...more on Wikipedia about "Cooper's Law"

The dark and stormy night is a plot device seen in novels and films. The once-popular English Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton famously opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night". The dark and stormy night, traditionally including violent lightning and a general mood of isolation, has since become a narrative cliche. In full, Bulwer-Lytton's sentence runs:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
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A deathtrap is a literary and dramatic plot device in which a villain, who has captured the hero or another sympathetic character, attempts to use an elaborate and usually sadistic method of murdering him/her. ...more on Wikipedia about "Deathtrap (plot device)"

Denouement, in literature, is the end part of a story after the climax. It consists of tidily finishing story lines and settling the characters back to their normal lives. Note that denouement only occurs in happily ending stories. Tragic endings are termed catastrophe. There is a "turning point" between the climax and the denouement, termed " peripeteia". ...more on Wikipedia about "Denouement"

Deus ex machina (deus ex māchinā, plural deī ex māchinīs) is Latin for "god from the machine" and is a calque from the Greek ápo mēchanēs theós, ( pronounced in Ancient Greek ). It originated with Greek and Roman theater, when a mechane would lower actors playing a god or gods on stage to resolve a hopeless situation. Thus, "god comes from the machine". The phrase deus ex machina has been extended to refer to any resolution to a story which does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and is so unlikely it challenges suspension of disbelief; allowing the author to conclude the story with an unlikely, but more palatable ending. ...more on Wikipedia about "Deus ex machina"

Dialogue in fiction is conversation between two characters or among a group of characters. It can also be a character talking with himself in his mind; this is known as interior monologue. ...more on Wikipedia about "Dialogue (fiction)"

In diegesis the author tells the story. He is the narrator himself who presents to the audience or the readership his or his characters' thoughts and all that is in his or their imagination, their fantasies and dreams. ...more on Wikipedia about "Diegesis"

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