Structure

What Is It: How the words of a text are organized. We find it in the different uses of punctuation, various sentence lengths, and the use of parallel structure or repetition.

How to Annotate for It: Pay attention to any structure that breaks the norm. If there are all declarative sentences and one sentence has an exclamation mark, ask why. If there are mostly long sentences and then one is short, ask why. If they repeat the same subject/verb multiple times, ask why. If one section is cut off from other parts (either indented strangely or a single line by itself), ask why.

What Is It: There are four main types of conflict: Man v. Man, Man v. Nature, Man v. Society, and Man v. Self. Usually an author will use a mixture of these to develop complexity in their work. You want to be able to discuss how one conflict leads into another or how the resolution of one conflict can make another.

How to Annotate for It: Pay attention to what struggles main characters are facing and what dynamic it resembles. I would also spend time thinking about the structure of the conflicts (Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution, Chronological, etc.) as this can help you explain how the conflicts interact with one another.

What Is It: Authors will occasionally put two or more plots happening at the same time in the story to tell how the story develops in multiple places. This can emphasize complex characterization, multiple perspectives on subjective truths, or highlight a conflict. They can also drive reader engagement as readers are left on cliffhangers, building suspense and encouraging them to return for more.

How to Annotate for It: You will notice a parallel plot if there is a shift in time/place with a different set of characters at the center of the action. The main goal while reading through Parallel Plots is to ask how one plot impacts the others. Highlight where the actions in one story end up impacts what happens elsewhere so you can connect those threads.

What Is It: Related to Parallel Plots, Denouement is the moment when all of our Parallel Plots or conflicts come together into one neat solution. This produces an emotional release, called Catharsis, among readers who enjoy how the pieces all fit together.

How to Annotate for It: As the climax of the story passes and characters start connecting the lines, think back to how the different conflicts have come together and how the solution to one maybe helped solve another. Being able to outline how they fit together to create catharsis helps emphasize the sublimity of such a moment.

What Is It: Authors can start the story one of two ways. Ab Initio is the traditional beginning ("Once upon a time") that literally starts from the beginning of the action. In Media Res by contrast starts in the middle of the action and has to use a series of flashbacks to help the reader figure out how they got there. This can build suspense as the author slowly unravels the backstory. Likewise, it can refocus the theme away from the outcome and onto the process.

How to Annotate for It: Are you missing information at the start of the story. What got the character to the point where you first notice them? Do you feel like you are missing anything crucial? This can help you decide how the story started.

What Is It: As the story develops, the author may need to make changes in the progression of the story or provide past information. Flashbacks jump back in time before the main plot. Flashforwards jump forward in time after the main plot. Foreshadowing hints at what might come later (emphasis on hints). Asides break the 4th wall so that the narrator may speak to the reader apart from the action to provide some background details.

How to Annotate for It: Mark anytime the author makes a change in the timing of the story and make an inference on why they might have made that change. Are they providing necessary background information? Do they want you to be misdirected? Is this helping you to interpret a new relationship showing up on the page?

What Is It: HERE

How to Annotate for It: HERE