Six Elements of a Story

 

The Essential Elements of a Story

A story has five basic but important elements. These five components are the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.

1. CHARACTERS

The characters are the individuals that the story is about. The author should introduce the characters in the story with enough information that the reader can visualize each person. This is achieved by providing detailed descriptions of a character’s physical attributes and personality traits. Every story should have a main character. The main character determines the way the plot will develop and is usually who will solve the problem the story centers upon. However, the other characters are also very important because they supply additional details, explanations, or actions. All characters should stay true to the author’s descriptions throughout the story so that the reader can understand and believe the action that is taking place and perhaps even predict which character may do what next. There are two meanings for a character like a person in a fictional story or qualities of a person.

The characters in the story are:

i. People in a work of fiction can be a(n):

Ø  Protagonist - Clear center of the story; all major events are important to this character.

Ø  Antagonist - Opposition or "enemy" of the main character.

ii. Characteristics of a character can be revealed through:

Ø   his/her physical appearance

Ø  what he/she says, thinks, feels, dreams and what he/she does or does not do

Ø  what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

iii. Characters can be

Ø  Round - Fully developed personalities that are affected by the story's events; they can learn, grow, or deteriorate by the end of the story. Characters are most convincing when they resemble real people by being consistent, motivated, and life-like.

Ø  Flat - One-dimensional character

Ø  Dynamic - Character who does go through change and "grows" during a story

Ø  Static - Character does not go through a change.

2. SETTING

Ø  The setting is the location of the action. An author should describe the environment or surroundings of the story in such detail that the reader feels that he or she can picture the scene. Unusual settings (such as a fantasy world) can be interesting, but everyday settings can help a reader to better visualize the story and feel connected to the plot.

Ø  In others, setting means the time and location where a story takes place. For some stories, the setting is very important; while for others, it is not. When examining how setting contributes to a story, there are multiple aspects to consider:

i. Place: Geographical location; where is the action of the story taking place?

ii. Time: Historical period, time of day, year, etc. when is the story taking place?

iii. Weather conditions; Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.?

iv. Social conditions: What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?

v. Mood or atmosphere: What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?

Cheerful or peculiar?

3. PLOT

Ø  The plot is the actual story around which the entire book is based. A plot should have a very clear beginning, middle, and end with all the necessary descriptions and suspense, called exposition so that the reader can make sense of the action and follow along from start to finish. In other words, plot means how the author arranges events to develop the basic idea; it is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of the plot:

i. Exposition (introduction) - Beginning of the story; characters, background, and setting revealed.

ii. Rising Action - Events in the story become complicated; the conflict is revealed. These are events between the introduction and climax.

Conflict - Essential to the plot, opposition ties incidents together and moves the plot. Not merely limited to arguments, conflict can be any form of struggle the main character faces. Within a short story, there may be only one central struggle, or there may be many minor obstacles within a dominant struggle. There are two types of conflict. In others, the very story has a conflict to solve. The plot is centered on this conflict and the ways in which the characters attempt to resolve the problem. When the story’s action becomes most exciting, right before the resolution, it is called the climax.

•      In other words, conflict is the struggle between opposing forces.  In central conflict, the ,main character must fight against some force or make an important decision. It can be divided into two:

Internal conflict takes place inside a person's mind. For example a character is torn between risking his life to save someone else. Internal- Struggle within one's self.

Ø  Character vs. Self - Struggles with own soul, physical limitations, choices, etc.

Ø  External conflict takes place when a person or group struggles against another person or group or against a non-human force such as a storm or a car that won't start.

Therefore, External - Struggle with a force outside one's self.

Ø    Character vs. Character - Struggles against other people.

Ø     Character vs. Nature - Struggles against animals, weather, environment, etc.

Ø    Character vs. Society - Struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of others

4. Climax - The turning point of the story. Readers wonder what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not? Consider the climax as a three-fold phenomenon:

Ø  Main character receives new information.

Ø  Main character accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it).

Ø  Main character acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not the objective is met).

iv. Falling action - Resolution begins; events and complications start to fall into place. These are the events between the climax and denouement.

5. Resolution (Conclusion) - Final outcome of events in the story. The solution to the problem is the way the action is resolved. For example, the protagonist often resolves a conflict by finding a compromise or helping fix any mistakes that are made. It is important that the resolution fit the rest of the story in tone and creativity and solve all parts of the conflict.

6. Point of View

There are several variations of views:

 i. First Person - Story told by the protagonist or a character who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters; the speaker uses the pronouns I/we. Readers experience the story through this person's eyes and only know what he/she knows and feels.

ii. Second Person - Story told by a narrator who addresses the reader or some other assumed you; speaker uses pronouns you/your/yours. Ex: You wake up to discover that you have been robbed of all of your worldly possessions.

iii. Third Person - Story told by a narrator who sees all of the action; the speaker uses the pronouns he/she/it/they/his/hers/its/theirs. This person may be a character in the story. There are several types of third personal viewpoints:

Ø  Limited - Probably the easiest: Point of view for a beginning writer to use, "limited" view funnels all action through the eyes of a single character; readers only see what the narrator sees.

Ø   Omniscient- God-like, the narrator knows and sees everything, and can move from one character's mind to another. Authors can be omniscient narrators by moving from character to character, event to event, and introducing information at their discretion. There are two main types of omniscient Points of view:

Ø  Innocent Eye/Naïve Narrator - Story told through a child's eyes; the narrator's judgment is different from that of an adult.

Ø  Stream of Consciousness - Story told so readers solely experience a character's thoughts and reactions.