Reading and Writing Fiction

Reading and
Writing Fiction
Ernesto Cordero Collo, Jr.
Lecturer
PROSE is the
LANGUAGE
OF THE
MIND.
Fiction as a Craft
Main forms
1. Novel
2. Novella (short novel)
3. Short Story
Other Forms
(1) parables; (2) fables; (3) tales;
(4) manga; (5) films; (6) comics;
(7) plays
Fiction as a Craft
Types of Short Fiction

A. Old Forms
(1) parables; (2) fables; (3) tales; and (4) short stories
B. New Form
(1) flash fiction is fictional work of extreme brevity
(2) six-word story (3)
140-character stories, also known as twitterature (4)
the dribble (50 words)/the drabble (100 words) (5)
sudden fiction (750 words)
3.1. Elements of the Genre
A. Characters
Major/minor characters
Characters according to development
1. Static/flat (characters that do not change throughout the story)
2. Dynamic/round (characters that undergo significant change
in self throughout the story)
Reference: learn.lexiconic.net
B. Point of View
B.1. First Person POV employs I or we who serves as the
narrator of a piece of fiction.
B.2. Second Person POV employs you where the writer
controls all information.
B.3. Third Person POV uses a narrator who relates all
actions using pronouns he or she.
Types:
(1) Subjective, Limited; (2) Objective; (3) Omniscient; and (4) Descriptive
C. Plot
It is a sequence of events that occurs to characters in situations in the
beginning, middle, and end of a story (Hancock, 2004).
Four primary types of plot (modified from Anderson, 2006 & Lukens, 2007)
c. 1. Linear
Plot is constructed logically and not by coincidence
c. 2. Episodic
One incident or short episode is linked to another by common
characters or a unified theme (Lukens, 2007).
Elements of the Genre Plot
c.3. Cumulative
Plots with lots of repetition of phrases, sentences, or
events with one new aspect added with each repetition
c.4. Circular
The characters in the story end up in the same place
that they were at the beginning of the story
c.3. Traditional/Freytag's Pyramid
(Retrieved at http://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/plot-diagram)
Other types of plot

 Flashback
It is an occurrence in which a character
remembers an earlier event that happened before the
current point of the story (http://www.literarydevices.com/flashback/).
 Chronology
The common and logical order of progression in
storytelling.
A. Man in a hole
The action begins with a man
getting trapped in some kind
of a hole, goes on to show
how they try to climb out and
ends with them either
escaping to safety or sliding
back to the bottom for good.
B. Man on the road

It is found more often in a
novel than in a short story.
Many novels and short
stories achieve unity, not
through a single action, not
through a single hero,
walking through various
stages on the road of life.
Man on the road is episodic,
it tends to stretch out.
C. Man in a tub
It is focused internally (limited
physical movement in the tub);
man vs. himself in analyzing
conflict.
Elements of the Genre
D. Setting (location where narratives take place) & Atmosphere

(feel or vibe a given setting gives off to the reader)
(Clarough, 2014)
 Location. Are we on a football field or in a prison cell?

In Berlin or in Tokyo? On Earth or in outer space?
 Historical time. Is it the modern day, the seventeenth
century, or some imagined past or future time?
 Seasonal time. Is it autumn or spring?
Elements of the Genre Setting/Atmosphere
 Time. Is it morning or evening?

 Weather. What's the temperature like? Is it humid or
arid? Is it raining, or is there only distant thunder?
Importance of Atmosphere
 Different settings create different atmospheres.
 Atmosphere should be developed with
description.
Elements of the Genre Setting
d.1. time and place

d.2. cultural, sociological, political,
religious, etc. milieu
d.3. sensibilities that lead to specific modes
E. Conflict
e.1. Internal conflict
 Man against himself
Elements of the Genre Conflict
e.2. External conflict

Man against ANOTHER MAN
Man against the WORLD
Man against the SUPERNATURAL
Man against RELIGION
Man against TECHNOLOGY
F. Irony (a literary device that presents a conflict between appearance and

reality)
f.1. Verbal Irony (also referred to as sarcasm; occurs

when a character says one thing but means another)
Here's an example:
I think people who shut doors when it's cold outside
are really considerate.
(https://www.thoughtco.com/verbal-irony-1692581)
Elements of the Genre Irony
f.2. Situational Irony (the difference between how things look and
how they really are - between what happens and what have happened)
Here are examples:

At the end of the police investigation, the
authorities finally arrested the guilty party:
Special Investigator George.
A tow truck being towed.
A fire station burning down.
Elements of the Genre Irony
f.3. Dramatic Irony (difference between what a

charater says or does and what the reader knows to be
true; occurs when we know something the characters
don't; used to create tragedy or comedy)
A classic example is when:
we all expected Juliet to reawaken, but to Romeo, it
appeared she was dead, so he took the poison.
G. Theme
g.1. moral/lesson
g.2. dramatic premise
g.3. insight
3.2. Techniques and literary devices
A. Mood/Tone (it can be developed through setting, theme, tone
and diction; it creates an emotional situation that surrounds the
readers)
Example: “The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened
and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on.”
Mood: Peaceful
B. Foreshadowing
C. Symbolism (a symbol is an object, a picture, a written word,
or a sound that is used to represent something else either by
resemblance, convention, or association) and Motif
SAMPLE WORKS
of Well-known Local & Foreign Writers
SAMPLE WORKS
SAMPLE WORKS
SAMPLE WORKS
It is a satirical realistic
fiction comedy novel for
children and teenagers
written and illustrated by Jeff
Kinney.
SAMPLE WORKS

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Reading and

Types of Short Fiction

c.3. Traditional/Freytag's Pyramid

Other types of plot

B. Man on the road

D. Setting (location where narratives take place) & Atmosphere

 Location. Are we on a football field or in a prison cell?

 Time. Is it morning or evening?

d.1. time and place

e.2. External conflict

F. Irony (a literary device that presents a conflict between appearance and

f.1. Verbal Irony (also referred to as sarcasm; occurs

Here are examples:

f.3. Dramatic Irony (difference between what a

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