M and N Words

I will be posting writing terms every other week from the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing" (2nd edition) by Laurie E. Rozakis.

1. main character- the most important figure in a novel, short story, poem, or play.
2. memoir- a forts-person writing about an event.
3. metaphor- a figure of speech that compares 2 unlike things. The more familiar thing helps describe the less familiar one. Metaphors do not use the words "like" or "as" to make the comparison. "My heart is a singing bird" is a metaphor.
4. meter- a poem's rhythmical pattern, created by a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The most common meter in English poetry is called iambic pentameter. it is a pattern of 5 feet, each having 1 unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.
5. minor character- a less important figure in a literary work, who serves as a contrast to the main character or to advance the plot.
6. mood- the strong feeling we get from a literary work. the mood (or atmosphere) is created by characterization, description, mages, and dialogue. Some possible moods include terror, horror, tension, calmness, and suspense.
7. myth- a story from ancient days that explains certain aspects of life and nature.
8. narration- writing that tells a story. narrations that tell about real events include biographies and autobiographies. Narrations that deal with fictional events include short stories, myths, narrative poems, and novels.
9. narrative poems- poems that tell a story, either through a narrative storyline told objectively or through a dramatized situation.
10. narrator- the person who tells a story. The narrator may also be a character in the work.
11. nonfiction- a type of writing that deals with real people and events. Essays, biographies, autobiographies, and articles are all examples of nonfiction.
12. novel- a long work of fiction. The elements of a novel- plot, characterization, setting, and theme- are developed in detail. Novels usually have one main plot and several less important subplots.