In
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
, action is the physical movement of the
characters.
Action as a literary mode
"Action is the
mode hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
writers use to show what is happening at any given moment in the story," states
Evan Marshall, who identifies five fiction-writing modes: action, summary, dialogue, feelings/thoughts, and background.
Jessica Page Morrell lists six delivery modes for fiction-writing: action, exposition, description, dialogue, summary, and transition.
Peter Selgin refers to ''methods'', including action, dialogue, thoughts, summary, scene, and description.
While
dialogue is the element that brings a story and its characters to life on the page, and
narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
gives the story its depth and substance, action creates the movement within a story. Writing a story means weaving all of the elements of fiction together. When it is done right, weaving dialogue, narrative, and action can create a beautiful tapestry. A scene top-heavy with action can feel unreal because it is likely that characters doing something—anything at all—would be talking during the activity.
See also
*
Action fiction
Action fiction is a literary genre, genre in literature that focuses on stories involving high-stakes, high-energy, and fast-paced events. This genre includes a wide range of subgenres, such as Spy fiction, spy novels, Adventure fiction, adventu ...
*
Action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
*
Pace (narrative)
*
Show, don't tell
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
{{Narration, state=collapsed
Literary concepts
Narrative techniques