SAMPLE STORY MAP TEMPLATE

SHORT STORY
-is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-
contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect
or mood. The short story is one of the oldest types of literature and has existed in the
form of legends, mythic tales, folk tales, fairy tales, fables and anecdotes in various
ancient communities across the world. The modern short story developed in the early
19th century.

Plot -is the way an author creates and organizes a chain of events in a narrative. In
short, plot is the foundation of a story. 
• Exposition/introduction
• Rising action
• Climax/turning point
• Falling action
• Resolution/denouement
1. Exposition/Introduction
• The first part of the plot establishes the main characters/protagonists and setting.
We get to know who’s who, as well as when and where the story takes place. At
this point, the reader is just getting to know the world of the story and what it’s
going to be all about.
• A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers
use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story
along a plot line.
• Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the story. It’s a literary
element of literature used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and usually
introduced during the exposition (beginning) of the story, along with the
characters. The setting may also include the environment of the story, which can
be made up of the physical location, climate, weather, or social and cultural
surroundings.
2. Rising Action
• In this part of the plot, the primary conflict is introduced (if it hasn’t been already)
and is built upon to create tension both within the story and the reader, who
should ideally be feeling more and more drawn to the text. The conflict may affect
one character or multiple characters.
 • The author should have clearly communicated to the reader the stakes of
this central conflict. In other words, what are the possible consequences? The
benefits?
3. Climax/Turning Point
• Arguably the most important part of a story, the climax is the biggest plot
point, which puts our characters in a situation wherein a choice must be made
that will affect the rest of the story.
• This is the critical moment that all the rising action has been building up to, and
the point at which the overarching conflict is finally addressed. What will the
character(s) do, and what will happen as a result? Tensions are highest here,
instilling in the reader a sense of excitement, dread, and urgency.
4. Falling Action
• This is when the tension has been released and the story begins to wind down.
We start to see the results of the climax and the main characters’ actions and get
a sense of what this means for them and the world they inhabit. How did their
choices affect themselves and those around them?
• At this point, the author also ties up loose ends in the main plot and any
subplots.
5. Resolution/Denouement
• This final plot point is when everything has been wrapped up and the new world
—and the new sense of normalcy for the characters—has been established.
The conflict from the climax has been resolved, and all loose ends have been
neatly tied up (unless the author is purposely setting up the story for a sequel!).
• There is a sense of finality and closure here, making the reader feel that there
is nothing more they can learn or gain from the narrative.
• The resolution can be pretty short—sometimes just a paragraph or so—and
might even take the form of an epilogue, which generally takes place a while
after the main action and plot of the story.
TYPES OF CHARACTER
1. Protagonist:  The main character in the story. They should be carefully crafted
with a logical backstory, personal motivation, and a character arc over the course
of the story. Often the story will be told from their point of view. From a heroine
like Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games to a miserable wretch like
Doestoevsky’s Underground Man, the protagonist is the character the audience
is most invested in.
2. Antagonist: The villain in the story. Think Lex Luthor, Lord Voldemort, or Dr.
Charles Nichols in The Fugitive. Note that an antagonist is not the same as an
anti-hero like the Joker or Walter White. Anti-heroes are villainous people who
function in a protagonist’s role
3. Love interest: The love interest is the protagonist’s object of desire. A good love
interest will be compelling and three-dimensional, like Daisy Buchanan in The
Great Gatsby or Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind.
4. Confidant: This type of character is the best friend or sidekick of the protagonist,
the Sancho Panza to their Don Quixote. Often the protagonist's goal flows
through the confidant—although not every story needs one. A particularly famous
confidant is Horatio in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as is Hermione in Harry Potter.
5. Deuteragonists: These characters often overlap with confidants. A
deuteragonist is close to the main character, but the story’s main plot does not
directly correspond with their own character arc. Horatio doubles as a
deuteragonist. In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Samwise Gamgee is a
deuteragonist. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio is a deuteragonist
who doubles as a confidant, while Mercutio is a deuteragonist but not a
confidant.
6. Tertiary characters: Tertiary characters populate the world of the story but do
not necessarily link to the main storyline. These minor characters serve any
number of functions and may have varying degrees of personal dynamism. Think
of Padma and Parvati Patil in the Harry Potter series or Father Zosima in The
Brothers Karamazov. In Spider-Man, various tertiary characters help fill out the
world of Peter Parker’s New York
7. Foil: A foil character primarily exists to bring the protagonist’s qualities into
sharper relief. This is because the foil is effectively the opposite of the
protagonist. In the Star Trek series, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock serve as each
other’s foils since their personalities are so notably different. Draco Malfoy is a
foil to Harry Potter.
FIVE CHARACTER TYPES THAT APPEAR IN FICTION
1. Dynamic character: A dynamic character is one who changes over the course
of the story. As such, a dynamic character makes the best protagonist. In Mark
Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both Huck and Jim are dynamic
characters. Similarly, each character in the love triangle of William
Styron’s Sophie’s Choice—Stingo, Sophie, and Nathan—is a dynamic character
2. Round character: Closely related to a dynamic character, a round character is a
major character who shows fluidity and the capacity for change from the moment
we meet them. By contrast, some dynamic protagonists do not change until
actions in the story force that change. Round characters can be noble, like
 Konstantin Levin in Anna Karenina, or morally dubious, like Humbert Humbert
in Lolita.
3. Static character: A static character does not noticeably change over the course
of a story. Sometimes known as a flat character, these characters often play
tertiary roles in a narrative (think of various parental figures in Roald Dahl’s
children's books). Many villains are also static: They were evil yesterday, they’ll
be evil today, and they’ll be evil tomorrow.
4. Stock character: A stock character is an archetypal character with a fixed set of
personality traits. Shakespeare’s various fools are stock characters, as are some
of his comic creations like Sir Andrew and Sir Toby in Twelfth Night.
5. Symbolic character: A symbolic character represents a concept or theme larger
than themselves. They may have dynamic qualities, but they also exist to subtly
steer an audience’s mind toward broader concepts. Most are supporting
characters, but some stories have symbolic protagonists, such as
Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. When it comes to symbolic supporting characters, Boo
Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird is an example, representing a much larger legion
of outcasts.
What is CONFLICT in the Literature?
• In literature, a conflict is a literary device characterized by a struggle between
two opposing forces. Conflict provides crucial tension in any story and is used to
drive the narrative forward. It is often used to reveal a deeper meaning in a
narrative while highlighting characters’ motivations, values, and weaknesses.
• Internal conflict is when a character struggles with their own opposing desires
or beliefs. It happens within them, and it drives their development as a character.
• External conflict sets a character against something or someone beyond their
control. External forces stand in the way of a character’s motivations and create
tension as the character tries to reach their goals.
• Including both internal and external conflict is crucial for a good story, because
life always includes both.
SIX TYPES OF LITERARY CONFLICT
1. Character vs. Self
This is an internal conflict, meaning that the opposition the character faces is coming
from within. This may entail a struggle to discern what the moral or “right” choice is,
or it may also encompass mental health struggles. All other types of conflict are
external—meaning that a character comes up against an outside force that creates
the conflict.
2. Character vs. Character
This is a common type of conflict in which one character’s needs or wants are at
odds with another’s. A character conflict can be depicted as a straightforward fist
fight, or as intricate and nuanced as the ongoing struggle for power in the HBO
series Game of Thrones.
3. Character vs. Nature
In a nature conflict, a character is set in opposition to nature. This can mean the
weather, the wilderness, or a natural disaster. For example, in Ernest Hemingway’s
The Old Man and the Sea, the main character, Santiago finally manages to reel in a
fish after months and months of bad luck. He fends off sharks, who are trying to
steal his prized catch, but eventually they eat the fish—leaving Santiago with only a
carcass. This is the essence of the man versus nature conflict: man struggles with
human emotions, while nature charges forth undeterred.
4. Character vs. Supernatural
Pitting characters against phenomena like ghosts, gods, or monsters raises the
stakes of a conflict by creating an unequal playing field. Supernatural conflict also
covers characters, like Harry Potter or Odysseus, who have a fate or destiny and
struggle to accept the sacrifices that come along with it.
5. Character vs. Technology
In this case, a character is in conflict with some kind of technology. Think of the tale
of John Henry, the African American folk hero. In American folklore, Henry was a
former slave who worked as a steel-driver on the rail line. To prove his superiority
over new technology, he raced a steam-powered rock drilling machine and won.
However, he suffered a heart attack after winning the race.
6. Character vs. Society
A character vs. society conflict is an external conflict that occurs in literature when
the protagonist is placed in opposition with society, the government, or a cultural
tradition or societal norm of some kind. Characters may be motivated to take action
against their society by a need to survive, a moral sense of right and wrong, or a
desire for happiness, freedom, justice, or love.