Plot Twists & Turns
What is the climax of a story?
What is the turning point or most intense moment of the plot?
What’s a story that includes magic or imaginary worlds?
What is fantasy?
What is a protagonist?
What is the main character?
“He’s as tall as a mountain.” What type of figurative language is this?
What is a simile?
What is a beat in a script, and how is it usually written?
A brief pause in dialogue or action, usually written as “(beat)” in the script.
What do we call the moment where a character faces their biggest challenge?
What is the crisis or central conflict?
What’s a story based on real events, but with made-up characters or details?
What is historical fiction?
What is a flaw a character might have that helps them grow?
What is a fatal flaw or character weakness?
What is personification?
Giving human traits to non-human things
What’s the difference between dialogue and monologue in a scene?
Dialogue is between two or more characters; monologue is one character speaking alone, either aloud or internally.
What’s the term for a story starting in the middle of the action?
What is in medias res?
What’s the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?
Memoir = one part of life, Autobiography = whole life.
What’s the difference between static and dynamic characters?
Static = doesn’t change, Dynamic = goes through change.
“Her anger was a volcano about to explode.” What is this an example of?
What is a metaphor?
What is subtext, and why is it important in a scene?
It’s what the character really means or feels beneath the words — it adds depth and realism.
Name one type of plot twist that completely surprises the reader.
What is a red herring, the unreliable narrator, or a reversal?
What’s a story told completely through letters, texts, or journal entries?
What is an epistolary story?
What do we call a character who reflects or challenges the protagonist?
What is a foil?
“Boom! Crash! Whoosh!” What literary device is that?
What is onomatopoeia?
What are parentheticals, and how should they be used in a script?
Brief directions in parentheses under the character’s name, used sparingly to guide tone or intent — e.g., (sarcastically)
What’s the difference between external and internal conflict?
External = conflict with other people or world; Internal = conflict inside the character.
What’s a “hybrid genre” in creative writing?
A genre that mixes two or more styles, like fantasy + sci-fi or poetry + prose.
Write 3 details to show a character is nervous without saying it directly.
Sweating, biting nails, eyes darting — anything showing, not telling.
Name a type of figurative language that uses exaggeration.
What is hyperbole?
In a well-written script, what must every line of dialogue do?
Reveal character, move the plot forward, or raise the stakes. Never filler.