'Fiction' is story telling. More specifically, fiction is an imaginative form of
narrative, one of the four basic
rhetorical modes. Although the word ''fiction'' is derived from the Latin ''fingere'', "to form, create", works of fiction need not be entirely imaginary, and may include real people, places, and events.
Fiction may be either written or oral. Although not all fiction is necessarily artistic, fiction is largely perceived as a form of
art and/or
entertainment.
The ability to create fiction and other artistic works is considered to be one of the defining characteristics of
humanity, a fundamental aspect of human
culture.
Elements of fiction
The 'elements of fiction' are: 'character', 'plot', 'setting', 'theme', and 'style'. Of these five elements, character is the ''who'', plot is the ''what'', setting is the ''where'' and ''when'', and style is the ''how'' of a story.
A '
character' is any person, persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance.
A '
plot', or storyline, is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions within a story, particularly towards the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect.
'
Setting' is the time and location in which a story takes place.
'
Theme' is the broad idea, message, or lesson of a story.
'
Style' includes the multitude of choices fiction writers make, consciously or subconsciously, as they create a story. They encompass the big-picture, strategic choices such as 'point of view' and 'narrator', but they also include the nitty-gritty, tactical choices of grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence and paragraph length and structure, 'tone', the use of 'imagery', chapter selection, titles, and on and on. In the process of writing a story, these choices meld to become the writer's 'voice', his or her own unique style.
Character
'Characterization' is one of the five elements of fiction, along with plot, setting, theme, and writing style. A '
character' is a participant in the story, and is usually a person, but may be any persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance.
Characters may be of several types:
★ 'Point-of-view character': the character from whom the story is viewed.
★ '
Protagonist': the main character of a story
★ '
Antagonist': the character that stands in opposition to the protagonist
★ 'Supporting character': A character that plays a part in the plot but is not major
★ 'Minor character': a character in a bit/cameo part
Plot
'Plot' is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, setting, theme, and style. A '
plot', or storyline, is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions of a story.
On a micro level, plot consists of action and reaction, also referred to as stimulus and response. On a macro level, plot has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Plot is often depicted as an arc with a zig-zag line to represent the rise and fall of action.
Plot also has a mid-level structure: scene and sequel. A scene is a unit of drama—where the action occurs. Then, after a transition of some sort, comes the sequel—an emotional reaction and regrouping, an aftermath.
Setting
'Setting' is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and theme. '
Setting' is the locale and time of a story. Sometimes setting is referred to as 'milieu', to include a context (such as society) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story.
Theme
'Theme' is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and style. '
Theme' is a conceptual distillation of the story; what the story is about.
Style
'Style' is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and theme. Style includes the multitude of choices fiction writers make, consciously or subconsciously, in the process of writing a story. It encompasses the big-picture, strategic choices such as point of view and narrator, but style also includes the tactical choices of grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence and paragraph length and structure, tone, the use of imagery, chapter selection, titles, and on and on. In the process of creating a story, these choices meld to become the writer’s voice, his or her own unique style.
Categories
Main articles: Literary genre
Types of prose fiction:
★
Flash fiction: A work of fewer than 2,000 words. (1,000 by some definitions) (around 5 pages)
★
Short story: A work of at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words. (between about 10 and 40 pages)
★
Novelette: A work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words. (40-90 pages)
★
Novella: A work of at least 17,500 words but under 60,000 words. (90-300 pages)
★
Novel: A work of 60,000 words or more. (about 300+ pages)
★
Epic: A work of 200,000 words or more. (about 1000+ pages)
[1][2]
Forms of fiction
Traditionally, fiction includes
novels,
short stories,
fables,
fairy tales,
plays, and
poems, but it now also encompasses
films,
comic books, and
video games.
The
Internet has had a major impact on the distribution of fiction, calling into question the feasibility of
copyright as a means to ensure
royalties are paid to copyright holders. Also
digital libraries such as
Project Gutenberg have come into being which make
public domain texts more readily available. The combination of inexpensive home computers, the Internet and the creativity of its users has also led to new forms of fiction, such as interactive
computer games or computer-generated comics. Countless forums for
fan fiction can be found online, where loyal followers of specific
fictional realms create and distribute derivative stories. The Internet is also used for the development of
blog fiction, where a story is delivered through a
blog either as flash fiction or
serialblog, and
collaborative fiction, where a story is written sequentially by different authors, or the entire text can be revised by anyone using
wiki.
Uses of fiction
Although fiction may viewed as a form of entertainment, it has other uses. Fiction has been used for instructional purposes, such as fictional examples used in
school textbooks. Fiction may be used in
propaganda and
advertising. Fiction may be perpetuated by parents out of
tradition such as with
Santa Claus or to instill beliefs and values.
Fables offer an explicit moral goal, although they are not necessarily targeted at children.
Criticism of fiction
Religion
Fiction has, from time to time, been the subject of
censorship and
boycotts, even
bans or
book burnings. Extremist regimes such as the
Taliban have been even more prohibitive, restricting all reading to religious texts.
Conversely, fiction has also been used to promote and express religious views (see
Bahá'í Faith in fiction and
LDS fiction.)
Sexual content
There is ongoing debate regarding sexual content in fiction, particularly
young-adult fiction, and whether it is appropriate content for adolescents. Opponents of fiction with sexual content sometimes refer to it as
pornography.
Note
1. counting a page roughly as 200 words.
2. a professional writer usually writes an average of 500-1000 words per day. Stephen King stated he writes an average of 2000 words per day, every day.
See also
★
Fictional Character
★
Plot (Narrative)
★
Setting (Literature)
★
Theme (Literature)
★
Writing Style
★
Lists of fictional things
★
Fiction writing
★
Fictional universe
★
Asemic Writing
★
Pseudohistory
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