Glossary of Terms MWC Style -A collective effort.
Every art form has a language all its own. Here are a few terms you may see here at, My-Writer’s-Circle.
For a more complete list of terms used by writers, here are a few links to explore.
http://www.fictionforum.net/writers/toolbox/glossary-of-writers-authors-terms-111.html
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2012/02/updated-publishing-dictionary.html
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html
(More links in block number two/ below.)
If you’ve heard or viewed a term and cannot find its meaning on any of these lists, please leave a reply here, so we can find out and add it to our wall of fame.
Note: Good discussions that breakout over terms, may be moved into threads all their own. Otherwise, old notes will be swept away/erased after being addressed.
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Action-Tag = A brief description of character movements attached to dialogue.
Active Voice = (Concerning sentence structure.) The subject of a sentence performs the action denoted by the action verb. http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm
ARC > Advance Reader’s Copy = A proof copy of a book, sent to the author for examination, leading to approval or further adjustments to be made prior to full production.
Authorial Intrusion = The author interjects their presence into the writing.
Back-Story= Plot events which occurred prior to the appearance or introduction of the main character.
Beta-Reader = A person who reads a manuscript for the sole purpose of discovering ‘Plot-Holes’ or giving opinionated feedback. Usually a Beta Reader is a dispassionate/impartial party toward the author and or the project.
Cliffhanger = Creating curiosity near the end of a segment, chapter, book, or program, to entice readers/viewers to return for more.
Continuity or Time-Scheme = The chronological passage of time within a story.
DRM > Digital Rights Management = DRM are access controls built into hardware and utilized by publishers and or copyright holders to limit access or reproduction of digital media.
Editing = Refinements preformed to a piece of writing - http://mywriterscircle.com/index.php?topic=16047.msg206809#new
Filter Word = Word(s) added to a sentence to describe something a character is experiencing or thinking. [Filter words can be sense words such as; feel, taste, see, hear and smell -- or variations thereof. Filter words may also include words such as; think, seem and remember.]
First Draft = Initial rendering of a story or piece of writing before refinements.
Flashback = The memories of a character interjected as a scene.
Foreshadowing = Author hints to future events. (“Bob’s day was about to get worse.”)
Grawlix = A string of typographical symbols, particularly "@#$%&!", used (especially in comic strips) to represent an obscenity or swearword.
Head Hopping = Changing POV in an un-orderly manner. Head Hopping usually consists of mutable changes.
Hook = The onset portion of writing enticing readers to continue.
Info-Dump > Information Dump = The author heaps too much story or plot information on the reader within a given scene.
Jarring = Anything that pulls the reader’s attentions away from the story.
Lame-Conflict = Tension created by blaming a character for happenstance clearly beyond influence or control. I.e. –To further the plot by blaming character(s) for an act of god.
Line-Break = A complete line on the page devoid of text. (see empty lines between entries on this page for an example.)
MC > Main Character
MRU > motivation-reaction unit
NIP = Novel In Progress
Pace = The speed in which story events are revealed.
Page-Break = Purposely leaving the remaining portion of a page blank. (employed on the last page of a chapter, choosing to begin the next chapter on the following full page.)
Passive Voice = (Concerning sentence structure.) The subject is being acted upon by the verb. http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm
Pathetic Fallacy = n (in literature) The presentation of inanimate objects in nature as possessing human feelings.
Payoff = A scene in which previously established details or parameters reach a conclusion or achieve a desired affect.
Plot = Events that push a character or characters from one situation to another within a story.
Plot-Hole = An inconsistency in a story.
Polishing = akin to editing, refining more than spelling, punctuation or grammar.
POV > Point Of View = The ‘vantage point’ from which the narrative is passed from author to the reader. Such as; First-Person, Second-Person, Third-Person, Omniscient.
Prologue = A brief summery of back-story displayed before the main story events begin.
Purple-Prose = Overly ornate, extravagant writing. A grandiose or flowery narrative describing settings and or props.
Setup = A scene in which the author establishes details in order to steer a story or subplot toward a desired conclusion.
Show = The actions and dialogue of characters presenting the story or portions there of. (Mimesis [Greek] = “Imitation”)
Showing Your Research = When an author offers far more information about a subject than a story requires.
SPaG > Spelling-Punctuation-and-Grammar = Technical aspects of writing.
Speech-Tag or Dialogue-Tag = A prompt attached to dialogue identifying the character who spoke. This is the he said/she said addendum to a line of dialogue.
Spitfire Dialogue or Talking Heads > An exchange of dialogue between characters consisting of more than five exchanges without any speech-tags or action-tags to denote who is speaking.
SSIP = Short Story In Progress
Story-Arc = Continuing storyline or a same set of characters placed in different situations separated by publications such as, comic strips, radio/television series, movie or book sequels.
Story-Layers = Minor events taking place in conjunction with the main plot.
Sub-Character = A minor character who may exist for the sole purpose of being a ‘Scene-Prop’.
Synopsis = A brief gist summery reflecting the high points of a piece of writing. http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis
Talking Heads = The pejorative term that describes dull characters speaking unnecessary dialogue.
Telling = The narrative voice summarizing details and or descriptions of a story as statements. (Diegesis [Greek] = “Narration”)
Voice = The tone impressions a reader perceives due to the author’s style of writing.
WIP > Work In Progress
