Writer's Glossary

This glossary defines the craft terms fiction writers actually use — logline, synopsis, character arc, point of view, stakes, and more — in plain language, with why each one matters and how to use it. You don't need the vocabulary to write a first draft, but it makes revision far easier: shared terms let you name what a scene is missing, follow craft advice without getting lost, and communicate clearly with editors and beta readers. Each page below takes one term, defines it crisply, and shows it in practice.

Why the vocabulary helps

Most writing problems are easier to fix once you can name them. "The middle drags" becomes actionable when you can ask whether the stakes rise, whether each scene turns on a real beat, and whether the character arc is moving. A precise term turns a vague unease about a draft into a specific thing to work on. The same holds at book scale, where the named story structures give you a vocabulary for what a whole middle is supposed to be doing.

The terms also unlock the wider craft conversation. Every book on writing, every editorial note, every workshop assumes a shared vocabulary. Knowing it means advice lands instead of sliding past — and you can decide which "rules" to keep and which to break on purpose.

Glossary entries

Each page defines one term, says why it matters, and shows how to use it.

  • Logline — how to summarize your whole story in a single sentence
  • Synopsis — the full prose summary that reveals the ending: structure, length, and purpose
  • Character arc — the internal change a character goes through: the types of arc and how to build one
  • Exposition — the background a reader needs, and how to deliver it without info-dumps
  • Point of view (POV) — the perspective a story is told from: first vs third person, how to choose, and how to avoid head-hopping
  • Inciting incident — the event that disrupts normal life and sets the story in motion: what it does, where it goes, and how it differs from the hook
  • Climax — the story's peak of tension where the central conflict is decided: where it belongs and how to build one that lands
  • Denouement — the final pages after the climax: what they must do, how long they should run, and how to close threads without dragging
  • Plot — what the plot of a story is: the parts it's built from, the common plot types, and how to state any story's plot in a sentence
  • Plot vs story — the difference between what happens and how it's told: story as chronology, plot as arrangement and causality
  • Show, don't tell — what the advice really means, the filter words that give telling away, and the times you should tell anyway
  • Cliffhanger — ending a scene or chapter on unresolved tension to keep readers turning pages: where it works, how to write one, and how to avoid the cheat resolution
  • Stakes — what a character stands to lose if they fail: the types of stakes and how to raise them without just inflating them
  • Internal conflict — the struggle inside a character between want and need: the engine of a character arc, and how to dramatize it on the page
  • Antagonist — the force that opposes the protagonist: why it isn't the same as a villain, the types, and how to build one strong enough to matter

This glossary is growing: worldbuilding, subtext, motivation, and more.