Creative Writing Fiction Writing and Storytelling 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a story's 'inciting incident'?
- The event that disrupts the protagonist's normal world and sets the plot in motion (Correct answer)
- The climax of the story
- The moment the protagonist achieves their goal
- The opening scene that introduces the setting
Correct answer: The event that disrupts the protagonist's normal world and sets the plot in motion
The inciting incident is the pivotal event that upsets the protagonist's ordinary world and launches the central conflict.
Question 2: What is a story's 'denouement'?
- The resolution where loose ends are tied up after the climax (Correct answer)
- The rising action leading to the climax
- The opening scene of the story
- The moment the antagonist is introduced
Correct answer: The resolution where loose ends are tied up after the climax
The denouement is the final portion of a story where conflicts are resolved and the narrative reaches its conclusion.
Question 3: What is an unreliable narrator?
- A narrator whose credibility is compromised, leading readers to question their account (Correct answer)
- A narrator who skips important story events
- A narrator who only describes other characters
- A third-person narrator with limited knowledge
Correct answer: A narrator whose credibility is compromised, leading readers to question their account
An unreliable narrator provides a distorted or biased account of events, often due to limited knowledge, self-interest, or mental instability.
Question 4: What is 'in medias res'?
- Starting a story in the middle of the action (Correct answer)
- Ending a story ambiguously
- Using a flashback to reveal backstory
- Telling a story in reverse chronological order
Correct answer: Starting a story in the middle of the action
In medias res is a narrative technique where the story begins in the middle of the action, with backstory filled in later.
Question 5: What is the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist?
- The protagonist drives the story forward while the antagonist opposes them (Correct answer)
- The protagonist is always heroic while the antagonist is always evil
- The protagonist appears first while the antagonist appears last
- The protagonist narrates the story while the antagonist does not
Correct answer: The protagonist drives the story forward while the antagonist opposes them
The protagonist is the main character driving the narrative, while the antagonist is the force or character who opposes them.
Question 6: What is a frame narrative?
- A story within a story, where an outer narrative introduces an inner one (Correct answer)
- A story told entirely through letters or documents
- A story with a non-linear timeline
- A story narrated by multiple characters alternately
Correct answer: A story within a story, where an outer narrative introduces an inner one
A frame narrative uses an outer story to set up and contain one or more inner stories, as in 'The Canterbury Tales.'
Creative Writing Fiction Writing and Storytelling 1
What is a story's 'inciting incident'?