✍️ The Ultimate Glossary of Writing Terms Every Fiction Author Should Know

Katrina De Milano
8 окт. 2025 г.
5 мин. чтения

Learn the craft by learning its language.

Whether you're writing your very first novel or polishing your fifth draft, understanding the vocabulary of storytelling can help you grow faster and communicate more confidently — with agents, editors, critique partners, and, most importantly, yourself.

This isn’t just a list of fancy words. It’s a toolkit for your writing life.

🧱 Plot & Structure

Inciting Incident - The moment that changes everything. This is where the protagonist’s world shifts and the story truly begins. Ultimate Glossary of Writing Terms

Example: When Katniss volunteers for Prim in The Hunger Games.

Rising Action - A series of events that build tension and push the protagonist toward a crisis. The stakes rise, complications grow.

Climax - The story’s most intense moment — emotionally or physically. The point of no return.

Example: The final showdown between Harry and Voldemort.

Falling Action - The aftermath of the climax. Loose ends begin to resolve. We see what the character’s choices have cost or changed.

Denouement (Resolution) - The story's close — not always “happy,” but it offers emotional closure. A final image, conversation, or consequence.

Subplot - A smaller story that complements or contrasts the main one. Often involves relationships, secrets, or personal stakes.

Chekhov’s Gun - A rule of economy: if you introduce a loaded gun in Act 1, it must go off by Act 3. Every element should serve a purpose.

Three-Act Structure - Classic plot framework:

Act I — Setup
Act II — Confrontation
Act III — Resolution

Midpoint Reversal - A twist halfway through the story that shifts the goal, raises the stakes, or flips the reader’s expectations.

🎭 Character & Emotional Arcs

Protagonist - The character who drives the story forward. Their decisions shape the narrative, even if they’re flawed or reluctant.

Antagonist - The force that opposes the protagonist. Can be a person, system, belief — or even the protagonist’s own fear.

Character Arc - The emotional and psychological journey of a character. Where they start, what they face, and how they change.

Flat Character - One-dimensional — often symbolic or static. They serve a function, but don’t grow.

Round Character - Fully developed, emotionally rich, and human. Their contradictions make them feel real.

Motivation - What your character wants — their driving force. May be internal (validation) or external (revenge, love, escape).

Flaw - What holds them back — pride, fear, insecurity, anger. Flaws make characters relatable and create inner conflict.

Backstory - A character’s past. Use it sparingly and reveal it with purpose — especially if it shapes present choices.

Internal Conflict - An emotional struggle inside the character — guilt vs. desire, fear vs. love, duty vs. freedom.

External Conflict - The challenges outside the character — a rival, a corrupt system, survival, time, war.

✍️ Craft & Technique

Show, Don’t Tell - Instead of saying “She was nervous,” you show her tapping her foot, avoiding eye contact, biting her lip.

Voice - The unique sound of your writing — a mix of tone, rhythm, word choice, and emotional honesty.

Point of View (POV)

First Person: “I ran.”
Third Person Limited: “She ran, breath sharp in her chest.”
Omniscient: Narrator knows all, sees all.
Second Person: “You open the door and freeze.” (rare)

Tone - The emotional atmosphere — bitter, hopeful, eerie, witty, melancholic.

Pacing - The tempo of your scenes. Fast for fights and chase scenes, slow for emotional beats or reveals.

Filter Words - Words like realized, noticed, saw, felt — they pull readers out of the moment. Cut them where you can.

Theme - The heartbeat beneath the plot. It’s not “what happens,” but what it means.

Examples: forgiveness, identity, power, loss.

Foreshadowin - Planting subtle clues or images early that echo later events.

Symbolism - Objects or actions that carry meaning beyond their literal function.

A storm might symbolize inner turmoil. A bird might represent freedom.

🗣️ Dialogue & Language

Dialogue Tags - He said. She asked. They whispered.

Stick mostly to simple tags (said, asked) and let tone shine through action and subtext.

Beats - Small physical actions that break up dialogue and reveal feeling.

“She looked away. ‘It doesn’t matter.’”

Subtext - What’s not being said — but is felt.

A smile that doesn’t reach the eyes. A silence after a question.

Internal Monologue - What your character thinks but doesn’t say. Adds depth, shows doubt, creates intimacy with the reader.

Naturalism - Making dialogue sound real — full of interruptions, pauses, and the messiness of human speech.

🛠 The Writer’s Toolbox Ultimate Glossary of Writing Terms

WIP (Work In Progress) - The current draft you’re wrestling with, loving, or maybe avoiding.

First Draft - Where you tell yourself the story. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to exist.

Revisions - Where you shape the clay. Rethink structure. Deepen character arcs. Sharpen prose.

Line Edits - Zooming in: improving sentence flow, rhythm, clarity, and voice.

Copyedits - Correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency.

Proofreading - Final polish — catching typos, formatting glitches, missing words.

Kill Your Darlings - Cutting lines or scenes you love — if they don’t serve the story.

📦 Publishing & Career Terms

Query Letter - Your book’s handshake. A one-page pitch sent to literary agents. Includes hook, summary, and brief author bio.

Synopsis - A full summary of your book (including the ending!) used in submissions.

Submission Package - What you send to agents or publishers: query letter, synopsis, sample pages, and comp titles.

Comp Titles - Books that are similar to yours in tone, audience, or theme. Helps agents see where your book fits.

Logline - A one-sentence pitch that captures the heart of your story — protagonist, goal, conflict.

Elevator Pitch - A quick, punchy summary you could deliver in 30 seconds.

Imprint - A smaller branch within a larger publishing house.

(Ex: HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins.)

ARC (Advance Reader Copy) - A pre-published version of your book sent out for early reviews or endorsements.

Beta Reader - A trusted reader who gives feedback before you query or publish.

Critique Partner (CP) - A writer who reads and critiques your manuscript — and you return the favor. A creative ally.

🧩 Bonus: Slang You’ll Hear in Writing Circles

MC — Main Character
MS — Manuscript
CP — Critique Partner
NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month (November, 50k words in 30 days)
Plot Bunny — A new, irresistible story idea that interrupts your current WIP
Plantser — A hybrid between a plotter and a pantser
Darlings — Lines you love but may need to cut