Glossary

Writing & Storytelling Terms

Cliffhanger, plot, point of view – there are many terms around writing you hear again and again. Here we explain them briefly and clearly, with an eye on what actually helps when you write. Pick a term and read up.

Structure & Tension

CliffhangerA cliffhanger is a deliberately open, high-tension ending – of a scene, a chapter or an episode – that leaves a quest…ClimaxThe climax is the peak of a story: the moment of greatest tension, where the central conflict is decided. The resolut…ConflictConflict is the resistance a character works against – a desire that meets an obstacle. Without conflict there is no …ExpositionExposition is the introduction of a story: where readers meet the key characters, place, time and starting situation …FlashbackA flashback interrupts the present of the action to show an earlier scene. It delivers backstory not as a report but …In medias res„In medias res“ (Latin for „into the middle of things“) means opening in the midst of the action – with no long intro…Narrative ArcThe narrative arc describes how tension develops across a story – from a calm opening through rising action to the cl…NovellaThe novella is a middle form between the short story and the novel. It concentrates on a single, extraordinary event …PacingPacing is the speed of the telling: the interplay of fast, dense passages and slow, detailed ones – and thus a key to…PlotThe plot is the story's action: the chain of events, linked by cause and effect, that carries the characters from a s…Plot TwistA plot twist is a surprising turn that casts the story in a new light: something the reader took for certain is sudde…Prologue & EpilogueA prologue is an opening placed before the first chapter; an epilogue a closing placed after the ending. Both stand o…SuspenseSuspense is the agonising, delicious wait for something that is coming: the tension that arises when the reader sense…Through-LineThe through-line is the continuous thread that holds a story together: the central concern that connects every scene …Turning PointA turning point is the moment a story changes direction – a decision, an event or a revelation after which nothing co…

Characters

AntagonistThe antagonist is the force opposing the protagonist – often a person, sometimes a group, a system or an inner resist…AntiheroAn antihero is a protagonist who lacks the classic heroic virtues: courage, morality, flawlessness. They may be cowar…Character DevelopmentCharacter development (the character arc) describes how a character changes over the course of a story – through what…CharacterizationCharacterization is how a character is conveyed to readers – directly through description or indirectly through their…MotifA motif is a recurring element in a story – an image, an object, a situation – that carries meaning. „Motive“ can als…ProtagonistThe protagonist is a story's main character – the person whose desires, decisions and development are at the centre a…

Perspective & Narrator

First-Person NarratorWith a first-person narrator, a character tells the story from their own perspective – in the first person. This crea…Free Indirect SpeechFree indirect speech renders a character's thoughts or feelings in the third person and the narrative tense – without…Omniscient NarratorThe omniscient narrator is the all-knowing narrator: they oversee the story's whole world, know every character's tho…Point of View (POV)Point of view determines through whose eyes a story is told and how much the narrator knows. It shapes closeness, ten…Stream of ConsciousnessStream of consciousness renders a character's thoughts unfiltered – associative, leaping, often without ordered synta…Unreliable NarratorAn unreliable narrator is a narrating voice you cannot trust: it glosses over, withholds, is mistaken or lies – knowi…

Style & Technique

DialogueDialogue is the characters' spoken word. Good dialogue characterizes, drives the plot, and lives above all on what is…ForeshadowingForeshadowing means small hints that suggest later events. It ensures that turns surprise and yet feel inevitable in …Interior MonologueInterior monologue renders a character's thoughts directly – usually in the first person and present tense, just as t…IronyIrony is the gap between what is said or shown and what is actually meant or true. Someone who says „just great“ whil…LeitmotifA leitmotif is a deliberately recurring element – an image, a phrase, an object – that runs through a story and gives…MetafictionMetafiction is storytelling aware of itself: a text that reveals it is invented – for instance when the narrator addr…MetaphorA metaphor carries an image from one domain to another: a word stands not for what it literally means but for somethi…Mood & AtmosphereMood (or atmosphere) is the feeling a text creates in the reader – ominous, melancholy, light. It arises from word ch…SettingThe setting is the place where a scene or story happens – the concrete space of the action. It is more than a backdro…Show, don't tell„Show, don't tell“ is the advice to depict feelings and states rather than name them: not „she was sad“, but the tear…SubtextSubtext is what resonates without being said – the real meaning beneath the surface of dialogue and action. In short …SymbolA symbol is a concrete object, image or action that stands for something larger – an idea, a feeling, a theme. An emp…

Process & Craft

Beta ReaderBeta readers read a manuscript before publication and give feedback: where does it drag, where do they drop out, what…BlurbThe blurb is the short marketing text on the back of a book. Its job: to make readers curious and lure them in – with…LoglineA logline sums up a whole story in a single sentence: who the main character is, what they want, and what obstacle st…Plotting vs. PantsingPlotting means planning a story before writing; „pantsing“ means discovering the story as you write. Both ways of wor…Short StoryA short story is a brief prose narrative that concentrates on a single moment, character or conflict. It often begins…Standard Manuscript PageA standard manuscript page is a standardized page used to measure text length and calculate fees – classically about …SynopsisA synopsis is the compact summary of a planned book: what it's about, who the characters are, how the plot unfolds. I…TropeA trope is a recurring pattern in stories – a familiar character constellation, situation or turn that readers recogn…