Parts of a Story Review

​It was my first day walking the tightrope at the circus. As I stood on the platform, high above the audience's heads, I felt a slight, cold breeze from the open flap of the circus tent. Up that high, I could only faintly smell the popcorn and cotton candy for sale down below. I heard the crowd chanting for me to begin, and I stuck one toe out to feel the thin tightrope wire. I swallowed-- if felt like I could almost taste my nervousness. I took a deep breath and let the air fill my lungs. I stepped out on to the wire.

• ​The main character is the most important character in a story.

  • This is also called a protagonist.

  • There can be multiple main characters, but usually there is just one or two at most.

• ​There are also secondary characters.

  • The action doesn't necessarily revolve around them, but they can often be memorable.

• ​Conflicts can be broken down as internal or external

• ​An external conflict is a problem that comes from the world around the character

• ​An internal conflict is a conflict within the character's mind

• ​The theme of a story is an author's message about the world.

  • ​A theme goes beyond the specific details of one story and is about a universal topic, such as friendship, freedom, or loneliness.

  • Themes are ALWAYS stated as a full sentence and apply to THE WHOLE WORLD!

• The topic is just simply what the story is about in one, maybe two, words

  • ​A topic can be "friendship", while the theme would be a lesson about friendship