So, You Want to Write a Story? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The vast majority of stories need to have both a protagonist and an antagonist. How are these usually better known?

Answer: Hero and villain

The protagonist of a story is the main character. He/she is often referred to as the hero, although anti-heroes are becoming more and more popular. An anti-hero is a main character who, although fighting for good, isn't necessarily the most virtuous and moralistic of people, with a prime example being James Bond.

In other cases, the main character of the story is actually the villain of the piece. The antagonist of the story is the opposing force to the main character, most commonly a villain. Most stories revolve around a conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist.

2. A story starts (usually) at the beginning. One of the most important lines of a story is the very first one. It needs to hook people and make them want to continue reading. One of the most effective ways of starting a story is "in medias res". What does this mean?

Answer: Start in the middle of an action scene

"In medias res" more or less means "in the middle of things". It's a good way to start a story, because the reader is immediately dropped into the middle of things and isn't going to be bored. They'll want to know what is going on, who these characters are, why this is happening, and so will be driven to read on. Sometimes books and films start with a scene near the end of the story, and then return to the past, in order to show how events reached that point.

3. Early on in the story, you may wish to give your character an object that has no apparent use. This object will come into play later on in the story, and will play a pivotal role, although this is not necessarily obvious at the start. What is this kind of plot device called?

Answer: Plot coupon

A well-known good example of a plot coupon is in "The Wizard of Oz", when Dorothy is presented with the ruby slippers. They have no apparent purpose, other than looking nice, and it is not until the very end of the story that she (and the audience) realise that they are actually the key to her getting home. A plot coupon is one of the numerous ways of foreshadowing events.

4. You may also wish to set up other future events near the start of the story. In this case, you (for example) call unnecessary attention to the fact that the main character has an ornamental sword hanging on the wall. This foreshadows the climax, where the hero will use it to kill the villain. Which playwright gives his name to this kind of literary device?

Answer: Anton Chekhov

This plot device is known as a Chekhov's Gun. Anton Chekhov stated that, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." This is not the same as a plot coupon, which is an apparently useless object given to a character.

A Chekhov's Gun is an object in the background that you call attention to, but make no use of, until later in the story. An example of this comes from Chekhov himself, in his play "Uncle Vanya". A pistol is introduced to the scene early on, but seems little more than a prop, until later on a character grabs it and tries to kill someone with it.

5. You are writing a murder mystery. Of course, the mark of a good whodunit is making sure the reader won't figure out who the murderer is until the very end. What might you use to throw the readers off the scent of the real culprit?

Answer: Red Herring

Red herrings are very common in murder mysteries. They are designed to make you suspect the wrong people; for example, finding out that the victim had been robbed, and that someone had suddenly come into a lot of money, might be a red herring. Of course, it could easily be that he/she is the killer, but it's best to not make it too obvious who the culprit is.

6. The next device is an unusual one, in that it doesn't actually matter what it is. What I mean is, it is the nature of the object, rather than what it actually is, that is important. What it really is, is irrelevant. It is merely something to motivate the characters to act. Do you know the name of this tricky literary device?

Answer: MacGuffin

A well-known example of a MacGuffin would be the briefcase in "Pulp Fiction". We never actually see the contents of it, but that is irrelevant. People are prepared to kill each other to get the briefcase, and that is what drives the plot. Therefore, we never need to find out what is in the briefcase for the plot to work, so we don't.

7. One of my favourite literary devices to use is lampshade hanging, as it means you can get away with ridiculous plot twists, unnatural dialogue and bad writing. What is lampshade hanging?

Answer: Having the characters deliberately call attention to the bad writing

Lampshade hanging allows you to get away with some fairly ludicrous things! By using the characters to draw attention to the bad writing, and acknowledging it themselves, the audience will accept it, even if it is totally ridiculous. You have to be careful how to do it, though. Merely referencing the bad writing may not be enough.

It is best to do it with a touch of sarcasm, although this may be a contrast to the rest of the writing. Overall, the best plan is to avoid bad writing in the first place. Lampshade hanging actually works better if it is deliberately bad writing, but you need to be very sure of your writing skills first.

8. Uh oh. You painted yourself into a corner with the story, and see no way to resolve the situation. In desperation, you might use what sort of plot device?

Answer: Deus ex machina

The translation from Latin is "God from a machine". This is where something contrived and usually implausible happens to move the plot. For example, the busty heroine who has a larger bra size than IQ, and who has spent the entire story getting into trouble and having to be rescued, suddenly turns out to be an expert with a sword and defeats all the guards. Deus ex machina should be avoided when possible.

Incidentally, the other Latin phrases translate as follows: "Felix culpa" means "blessed fault" or "fortunate fall"; "Ludus duodecim scriptorum" means "game of twelve markings"; and "magnum opus" means "great work".

9. During the course of the story, it becomes necessary for you to abandon the illusion of the fictional universe, and address the readers directly. In other words, you are...

Answer: Breaking the fourth wall

Breaking the fourth wall is usually used for comedic effect, although it can have other uses too. For example, the Marx brothers often used this, with one of them (generally Groucho) turning to the camera and making a deadpan remark to the audience itself. Breaking the fourth wall creates a jarring effect and destroys the illusion of the fictional world, so you have to be very careful when using it. If used correctly, it can be the source of much humour, but at the sacrifice of maintaining the fictional illusion.

10. And so you reach the end of your story. It's time for the villain to get his/her comeuppance, and he/she does, in a particularly ironic way. What is this known as?

Answer: Poetic justice

Poetic justice is where justice is served, in a very ironic manner. Perhaps the villain has built a robot, and the robot ultimately turns on his creator and destroys him/her. Or maybe the villain, an expert swordsman, trips and falls on his/her own sword. Dispatching the bad guys with poetic justice is always good, the audience feels satisfied that the villains got what they deserved.

Source: Author deus_ex

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Writing a story is a complicated task. Fortunately, there are many literary devices at hand to help a prospective author out. Here's a quick guide to some of them, and how to use them to write a story!

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