A Complete List of Writer Terms For the Confused

MC. POV. Midpoint. What the heck are all these writers talking about?? They're throwing strange words right and left, and you have no clue what they're trying to say.

I recently realized how much writer terminology there is out there. We writers use a lot of terms constantly without thinking about all the confused people there might be out there. So, whether you're a writer just starting out or a family member/significant other who is just trying to understand what their loved ones are trying to say, this list is for you.

It's in alphabetical order if you're looking for something specific. So let's begin!


A Complete List of Writer Terminology

Antagonist- The one opposing the protagonist(see Protagonist). Bear in mind that an antagonist and a villain (see villain) are in fact different kinds of characters. While a villain is a character pitted against the protagonist because they are directly enemies with said protagonist, an antagonist is a character who is pitted against the hero merely because their goals conflict with the goals of the hero.

Antihero- A character who is neither a good guy or a bad guy. These characters are on their side and their side alone, and they'll betray anybody they want to if it's for their own personal good. Despite their moral ambiguity, these characters are normally reader favorites. Loki, anybody?

BCC- An acronym for Back Cover Copy, or the description of the book that goes on the back cover.

Blurb- The description of a novel, normally as seen on the back of a book or inside the front flap. Basically the same as a BCC.

Character Arc- How a character changes over the course of the story. They might behave in one way at the beginning of the novel, but by the end, most important characters will have somehow changed, normally into better people.

Character Sketch- Unlike what you might think, this term normally doesn't apply to any kind of drawing. The term character sketch normally refers to when the writer is working out the character on paper: writing down their name, appearance, traits, habits, et cetera.

Conflict- The problems that occur in the novel that keep the story going and the audiences interested, such as fights between characters, attacks on the main character, or something the characters might be struggling with internally.

Cover Letter- The letter that goes in your self-addressed, stamped envelope, explaining your novel to agents(see SASE).

Dark Night of the Soul- The third plot point, or the protagonist's low point. This is the point where the main character(the protagonist) learns their greatest flaw and has to face everything that has happened and move on- or else go down with the ship. Read my post on Plot Structure for more on this subject.

Dark Secret- A secret that a character keeps from the other characters because it shows them in a bad light. This secret is normally exposed to both the characters and the readers before the end of the story.

Deus Ex Machina- A convenient happenstance at the end of the novel, saving the day right when all seemed lost.

Exposition- The first act of the novel and the important information that is told to the readers there, most of which will be important to remember later in the story.

First Draft- The first round of writing the story goes through. This is the first time the writer tries to write the novel, so things are likely to be messy and imperfect, which is how it's supposed to go. This draft later gets edited, making more drafts!

Flat Character- A character who doesn't change. They have a few defining traits, and they stay the same over the course of the story without really learning anything from their behavior. Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice is one of these, and Sherlock Holmes is another.

Foil- A character meant to bring out certain traits in the main character or other characters, normally by being the opposite or parallel to those traits.

Foreshadowing- A hint that the writer drops about what may happen later in the story.

Head Hopping- When a writer switches frequently between character perspectives, normally in an unnecessary and confusing way.

Indie- Short for Independently Published. Indie books and indie authors are published without the aid of a publisher.

Infodump- When a writer delivers a lot of information in one place, often in a way that distracts from the story and feels unnecessary.

Lancer- A character that is not the main character, but is so interesting and cool that the readers like them almost as much or even more than they like the main character.

Love Interest- The character the main character is going to fall for. ;)

Mary Sue/Gary Sue- A character who is practically perfect in every way. They have no real flaws, and no one they meet dislikes them. The names Mary and Gary are applied to girl or boy characters respectively.

MC- An acronym meaning Main Character, or the central character of the story.

McGuffin- An object or goal that the protagonist seeks and strives for, normally with little to no explanation.

Mentor- A character who teaches the MC something important and sets them on their journey. Think Glinda, Gandalf, or Uncle Ben.

MG- Middle Grade Fiction, or fiction written for kids in Middle School.

Midpoint- The very central plot point of the story. This is the point of the story where the characters learn new information that casts the whole conflict in a different light. This is one of only two plot point references in this post, so if you're looking to understand plot points, I would once again recommend reading my blog post on the subject by clicking here.

Motivation- What drives a character in the story. Every character has a goal, and that motivates them to do everything they do within a story.

NA- New Adult Fiction, or fiction written for those who are newly adult age(18 to 28).

NaNoWriMo- A term that needs to be known more commonly by non-writers. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, or the month of November, during which participating writers work hard for 30 days to produce the first draft of a 50,000 word novel.

OC- An acronym for Original Character.

POV- An acronym meaning Point Of View. If someone's talking about a POV, they're talking about which character's head they're writing from, seeing their perspective, knowing their thoughts, and following what is currently happening to them.

Prewriting- Prep work done for the novel before the writer begins the first draft, such as character sketches, worldbuilding, outlining, and other planning (all of which are explained in this list).

Protagonist- Another word for the central character of the story, or the main character.

Querying- The act of writing letters to agents, telling them about yourself and the novel you've written or are writing, in the attempt to get someone to help you publish your novel. It's a lot of work and a lot of stress, so if you know someone who is querying, please send them some chocolate.

SASE- An acronym for self-adressed, stamped envelope, the envelope that you send to the party you're querying, along with your query letter and a printed copy of your manuscript.

SC- An acronym for Side Character. These characters are parents, friends, and companions on adventures. They're not the main character, but they too are important.

Storyboard- If you're trying to understand your writer girlfriend and she's talking about her storyboard, she's probably talking about a Pinterest board she's working on for her novel. This term can also refer to drawing out individual scenes in picture form, but Pinterest is more likely the case. If you know a writer who has a Pinterest account but doesn't know of this technique, tell them! Believe me, they'll be thrilled by the concept.

Subplot- Another, smaller story that takes place alongside the main plot of the novel.

Theme- The lesson that the novel is trying to convey to the reader, like the moral of a fable.

Villain- Again, technically a different character than an antagonist. See antagonist.

WIP- An acronym for Work In Progress. This is whatever project a writer is currently working on, whether it's in the outlining stage or halfway through the fourth draft, it's a WIP.

Worldbuilding- The building of a world for a story. To worldbuild is to create a complete country, world or small town in which to set the story.

YA- Young Adult Fiction, fiction normally written for ages 13 to 17. Despite the intended age range, this genre is widely by many different ages.

If I forgot anything or something was unclear, leave me a comment and I promise I will respond and clear up the confusion! See you on Thursday!

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