There are certain elements which every novel has and these are:
* plot
* setting
* characterisation
* theme
* style and presentation.
Most of you will be familiar with all of these, but it doesn't hurt to revise!
Plot
This is what happens in the novel, it's the author's arrangement of the story.
Key points to note:
- there can be a logical development of events with a careful linking of scenes or
- there can be a series of apparently unrelated scenes which are not shown to be connected until the end of the novel - there should be a beginning, a middle and an end
- the plot should be plausible, but there can still be room for the element of surprise
- there should be conflict, either within the central characters or between characters, or between characters and their environment
- the climax of the story is the highest point of interest; the moment when the conflict is most intense; the time when the consequences of a character's actions become inevitable; when all the main points of the plot merge
- the denouement is when all the little mysteries in the plot are revealed and all the loose ends are tidied up
- the pace of the novel slows with the denouement.
Subplot
This is a sequence (or sequences) of events that parallels the main plot; it can closely resemble the main plot or it can diverge in significant ways in order to highlight the main plot.
Setting
The setting of a novel encompasses a number of different, but linked, elements:
* time - day or night; summer or winter; the historical period (an actual date)
* place - inside or outside; country or city; specific town and country; real or fictional
* social - the minor characters who take little part in advancing the plot, but whose presence contributes to the realism of the novel
* mood and atmosphere - eerie; dangerous; menacing; tense; threatening; relaxing; nostalgic; happy; light-hearted etc.
* plot
* setting
* characterisation
* theme
* style and presentation.
Most of you will be familiar with all of these, but it doesn't hurt to revise!
Plot
This is what happens in the novel, it's the author's arrangement of the story.
Key points to note:
- there can be a logical development of events with a careful linking of scenes or
- there can be a series of apparently unrelated scenes which are not shown to be connected until the end of the novel - there should be a beginning, a middle and an end
- the plot should be plausible, but there can still be room for the element of surprise
- there should be conflict, either within the central characters or between characters, or between characters and their environment
- the climax of the story is the highest point of interest; the moment when the conflict is most intense; the time when the consequences of a character's actions become inevitable; when all the main points of the plot merge
- the denouement is when all the little mysteries in the plot are revealed and all the loose ends are tidied up
- the pace of the novel slows with the denouement.
Subplot
This is a sequence (or sequences) of events that parallels the main plot; it can closely resemble the main plot or it can diverge in significant ways in order to highlight the main plot.
Setting
The setting of a novel encompasses a number of different, but linked, elements:
* time - day or night; summer or winter; the historical period (an actual date)
* place - inside or outside; country or city; specific town and country; real or fictional
* social - the minor characters who take little part in advancing the plot, but whose presence contributes to the realism of the novel
* mood and atmosphere - eerie; dangerous; menacing; tense; threatening; relaxing; nostalgic; happy; light-hearted etc.
