Writing ingredients
A way to categorize stories through their combination of traits or characteristics
Genre
A basic arc that can help map how tension flows throughout a story
5-act structure
The main argument of your piece
Thesis
Describing one thing by comparing it to another thing, usually through imagery
Metaphor
A writing style usually formatted into stanzas and verses that usually leans more into imagery and emotion
Poetry
The sense of irresolution or uncertainty carried through a story
Tension
The part of a story that describes context or the internal thoughts and feelings of characters
Exposition
A counterargument or complication to the main argument
antithesis
Writing out how an object feels through your body to make it concrete for the reader
Sensory description
A writing style formatted in paragraphs that usually leans more into facts and explenation
Prose
The main theme or message of a story
The controlling idea
The part of a story that shows movement and dialogue
Scene
The part of your story or argument that communicates a change has occured
Conclusion
A narrative structured through a story within a story
Frame story
A genre that combines both narrative and explanation, which you have all practiced
Personal essay
How a piece of writing sounds, unique to the writer
Voice
The point of highest tension in your story
Climax
The part of your story, usually early on, that catches the audience's attention
The hook
When the end of a story parallels its beginning, either exactly or closely enough
Bookend
A writing style that directly expresses the immediate thoughts of a narrator
Stream of consciousness
How the flow of a story feels; can sometimes be too fast or too slow
Pacing
The moment when the status quo changes
Inciting incident
The main thing your sources can give you through their authority, logic, and/or emotion
Credibility
A character that doesn't belong to the story world and so can learn about it alongside the audience
A short description that condenses a piece of writing by laying out the main points
Synopsis