narrative

a story; the telling of a story

narrator

the person telling a story

personal narrative

a TRUE story told by a real person in the 1st person, ("I"), point of view

mood

the emotional atmosphere of a story;

the way a story is supposed to make you feel

plot

what happens in a story;

the order of events in a story

climax

the most important/exciting moment in a story;

the moment everything in the story builds up to or falls away from;

the moment the whole story is leading toward

rising action

the events that lead up to the climax in the plot of a story

falling action

the events that fall away from the climax in the plot of a story

figurative language

language that means more than what it literally says

imagery

description that appeals to one or more of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)

simile

a comparison between two different things using "like" or "as"

metaphor

a comparison between two different things NOT using "like" or "as"

hyperbole

over-exaggeration

onomatopoeia

using real or made up words that sound like a noise you're describing

dialogue

a conversation between two or more people

in medias res

beginning a story "in the middle" of some action

flashback

"going back in time" in a story;

briefly telling an event that happened previous to the story being told

exploding the moment

taking an important moment, usually the climax, in a story and describing it with so much detail that it feels like it's in slow motion