Two sources on the Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL) feature components of fiction geared to students in creative writing. Though many of these are elements you might have considered in literature courses, this resource looks at them from the perspective of the writer.
Purdue OWL Fiction Basics, Part 1 explores concepts of plot and character. From the resource:
Plot is what happens in a story, but action itself doesn’t constitute plot. Plot is created by the manner in which the writer arranges and organizes particular actions in a meaningful way. It’s useful to think of plot as a chain reaction, where a sequence of events causes other events to happen.
Plot is also inextricably linked to Character. Characters are the tools that a story’s plot often use to create empathy and to drive the plot forward. The resource also considers the different types of characters and how writers create them.
Purdue OWL Fiction Basics, Part 2 explores theme, conflict/resolution, and point of view. In short, theme is the meaning pursued by the writer though the meaning may or may not be explicit. Conflict is what creates tension for the story, the character, and if used well, the reader. Point of view explores the perspective a writer uses to present the story.
