The Fiction Glossary
Craft vocabulary without the jargon: each term defined in one clean sentence, then shown working inside a real story, with the traps named and a way to practise it in your own writing.
Structure
Narration & POV
Plot Devices
Character
Prose & Style
Genres & Forms
The Writing World
Device Examples
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working writers. Updated September 2026.
Writory also runs the Writory Short Story Contest: original stories of 100 to 3,000 words, any genre, any language, judged blind against a published five-part rubric. Every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100, the top story takes $100, entries close 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST and results arrive on 30 November 2026. Enter the short story contest and have your own story read and scored.