When an author writes a story, he or she begins with the framework of the story.
Plot is the main events of the story. When developing the structure of the story, an author would want to tell the events in some sort of order. This could be the beginning, the middle, or even through flashbacks.
Setting is the time and place where the story occurs. Characters are the people in the story. Finally, the theme is the main message, the central idea, of the story.
When an author develops a story, the structure is what holds all of these ideas together.
Most short stories follow a narrative structure. In a narrative structure, we see a plot introduced, complications or a crisis, a turning point, and a resolution.
How Does Structure Affect Meaning?
In order to find the meaning in writing, you should look for the theme. The theme is created through the structure. How the author organizes his or her work will affect how we interpret it. Because all elements relate to the structure, we should spend time studying the plot, how ideas are organized, how characters are introduced, what changes, and what is resolved in the story.
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