BASIC ELEMENTS

OF A STORY
START
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The students should be The students should be The students should be

able to identify the able to explain the role able to create a simple
basic elements of a of elements in shaping a story that contains the
story. story. basic elements of a
story.
 LESSON AGENDA

INTRODUCTION DISCUSSION PERFORMANCE

An overview discussion of A discussion of setting, A discussion on how to
the elements of a story and character, plot, conflict, accomplish the
their significance in theme, and setting. performance task for this
literature. lesson.
 The most fundamental components of a storyline
are the setting, characters, plot, conflict, and theme.
Understanding what each of these aspects
contributes to the story enables the reader to
comprehend the structure and significance of a
short story.

Understanding how these aspects interact provides

the reader with an appreciation for the short story's
purpose.
 ELEMENTS OF A STORY

SETTINGS THEME
CONFLICT
CHARACTERS PLOT
 ELEMENT: SETTINGS
When/where does the story take place? The word "setting"
includes not only where the story takes place but also when
it happens, as well as the people and culture that live in the
world where the story takes place.

Having a well-developed setting is important because it

enhances the reading experience and helps the story's plot,
tone, and characters flourish.
 ELEMENT: CHARACTERS

A character is a person, animal, or anything personified who acts in the plot of

a short story or other literary work. Through characters, readers can
experience the world that the author has built, both through the characters'
interactions with and perceptions of their environment.
 ELEMENT: CONFLICT
Conflict is any challenge that a character faces in a narrative. In a
short narrative, the conflict is a struggle between two people or
objects. The protagonist is on one side of the primary conflict.

Conflict is essential to any story's tension and serves to propel the

narrative forward. It is frequently employed to disclose a deeper
meaning inside a narrative while exposing the motivations, ideals, and
faults of the characters.
 ELEMENT: THEME
The idea, belief, moral, lesson, or insight being discussed here is referred to as
the theme. It's the author's main point of contention that they want the reader
to grasp. The theme might be thought of as the "why" of the story.

It is also important to have a theme in order to give your characters and events
significance, the kind of significance that frequently results in a significant
amount of emotional or spiritual participation and release from the audience.
 ELEMENT: PLOT
The sequence of events that take place throughout the
narrative is referred to as the plot. In general, a plot will have an
introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

The plot is in charge of making sure that every important part of

the story is in place so that the reader can understand it and it
can move forward.
GREAT STORIES ARE BUILT ON
COMPELLING CHARACTERS,
PLOTS, AND THEMES.
STORY STRUCTURE:
7 TYPES OF PLOT ALL WRITERS SHOULD KNOW
STORY STRUCTURE IS THE ORDER IN WHICH PLOT EVENTS ARE TOLD
TO THE READER OR AUDIENCE.
WHILE STORIES CAN BE TOLD IN A WIDE VARIETY OF WAYS, MOST
WESTERN STORY STRUCTURES COMMONLY SHARE CERTAIN
ELEMENTS: EXPOSITION, RISING ACTION, CLIMAX, FALLING ACTION,
AND RESOLUTION.

A TIGHTLY CONTROLLED STRUCTURE WILL ANSWER A READER'S

QUESTIONS, PROVIDE A CLIMAX FOLLOWED BY RESOLUTION AND
INFORMATION AT THE END OF THE STORY, FURTHER THE
CHARACTERS’ DEVELOPMENT, AND UNRAVEL ANY CENTRAL
CONFLICTS. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR A SATISFYING
NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE THAT ACCOMPLISHES THE AUTHOR’S AIMS.
.
 Writing is an art, but if
there’s one part of the craft
that’s closer to science, this
would be it. Become a master
of story structure, and you
will have the world at your
feet
1.CLASSIC STORY STRUCTURE
Elements of classic story structure:
• Exposition. This first part establishes a
protagonist's normal life and greater
desires, and usually culminates in the
inciting incident.
• Rising action. The protagonist pursues
their new goal and is tested along the
way.
• Climax. Our hero achieves their goal —
or so they think!
• Falling action. The hero now must deal
with the consequences of achieving
their goal.
• Resolution. The conclusion tying
together the plot, character arcs, and
themes.
 2. FREYTAG’S PYRAMID
Elements of classic story structure:
Structure
• Introduction. The status quo is
established; an inciting incident occurs.
• Rise, or rising action. The protagonist
actively pursues their goal. The stakes
heighten.
• Climax. A point of no return, from
which the protagonist can no longer go
back to the status quo.
• Return, or fall. In the aftermath of the
climax, tension builds, and the story
heads inevitably towards...
• Catastrophe. The protagonist is
NAMED AFTER A 19TH-CENTURY GERMAN NOVELIST AND PLAYWRIGHT, brought to their lowest point. Their
FREYTAG’S PYRAMID IS A FIVE-POINT DRAMATIC STRUCTURE THAT’S greatest fears have come true.
BASED ON THE CLASSICAL GREEK TRAGEDIES OF SOPHOCLES,
AESCHYLUS, AND EURIPEDES.
3. THE HERO’S JOURNEY
• Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s concept
of the monomyth — a storytelling
pattern that recurs in mythology all
over the world — The Hero’s Journey is
today’s best-known story structure.
Some attribute its popularity to George
Lucas, whose Star Wars was heavily
influenced by Campbell’s The Hero
With a Thousand Faces.
 THE HERO’S JOURNEY STRUCTURE
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. THE HERO’S EVERYDAY LIFE IS ESTABLISHED.
2. THE CALL OF ADVENTURE. OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE INCITING INCIDENT.
3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL. FOR A MOMENT, THE HERO IS RELUCTANT TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE.
4. MEETING THE MENTOR. OUR HERO MEETS SOMEONE WHO PREPARES THEM FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD —
PERHAPS A PARENTAL FIGURE, A TEACHER, A WIZARD, OR A WISE HERMIT.
5. CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD. THE HERO STEPS OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND ENTERS A
‘NEW WORLD.’
6. TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES. OUR PROTAGONIST FACES NEW CHALLENGES — AND MAYBE PICKS UP SOME
NEW FRIENDS. THINK OF DOROTHY ON THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.
7.APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE. THE HERO GETS CLOSE TO THEIR GOAL. LUKE SKYWALKER REACHES
THE DEATH STAR.
8. THE ORDEAL. THE HERO MEETS (AND OVERCOMES) THEIR GREATEST CHALLENGE YET.
9. REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD). THE HERO OBTAINS SOMETHING IMPORTANT THEY WERE AFTER, AND
VICTORY IS IN SIGHT.
10. THE ROAD BACK. THE HERO REALIZES THAT ACHIEVING THEIR GOAL IS NOT THE FINAL HURDLE. IN 10.
FACT, ‘SEIZING THE SWORD’ MAY HAVE MADE THINGS WORSE FOR THEM.
11. RESURRECTION. THE HERO FACES THEIR FINAL CHALLENGE — A CLIMACTIC TEST THAT HINGES ON
EVERYTHING THEY’VE LEARNED OVER THEIR JOURNEY.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. HAVING TRIUMPHED,
OUR PROTAGONIST RETURNS TO THEIR OLD LIFE. DOROTHY RETURNS TO KANSAS; IRON MAN HOLDS A
PRESS CONFERENCE TO BLOW HIS OWN TRUMPET.
4.THREE ACT STRUCTURE
• Following the old adage that “every
story has a beginning, middle, and
end,” this popular structure splits a
story’s components into three distinct
acts: Setup, Confrontation, and
Resolution. In many ways, the three-act
structure reworks The Hero’s Journey,
with slightly less exciting labels.
ACT 1: SETUP

EXPOSITION. THE STATUS QUO OR ‘ORDINARY WORLD’ IS ESTABLISHED.

INCITING INCIDENT. AN EVENT THAT SETS THE STORY IN MOTION.
PLOT POINT ONE. THE PROTAGONIST DECIDES TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGE HEAD-ON. SHE ‘CROSSES THE THRESHOLD,’ AND THE
STORY IS NOW TRULY MOVING.

ACT 2: CONFRONTATION

RISING ACTION. THE STORY'S TRUE STAKES BECOME CLEAR; OUR HERO GROWS FAMILIAR WITH HER ‘NEW WORLD’ AND HAS
HER FIRST ENCOUNTERS WITH SOME ENEMIES AND ALLIES. (SEE TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES)
MIDPOINT. AN EVENT THAT UPENDS THE PROTAGONIST’S MISSION. (SIMILAR TO THE CLIMAX IN FREYTAG’S PYRAMID)
PLOT POINT TWO. IN THE WAKE OF THE DISORIENTING MIDPOINT, THE PROTAGONIST IS TESTED — AND FAILS. HER ABILITY TO
SUCCEED IS NOW IN DOUBT.

ACT 3: RESOLUTION

PRE CLIMAX. THE NIGHT IS DARKEST BEFORE DAWN. THE PROTAGONIST MUST PULL HERSELF TOGETHER AND CHOOSE
BETWEEN DECISIVE ACTION AND FAILURE.
CLIMAX. SHE FACES OFF AGAINST HER ANTAGONIST ONE LAST TIME. WILL SHE PREVAIL?
DENOUEMENT. ALL LOOSE ENDS ARE TIED UP. THE READER DISCOVERS THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLIMAX. A NEW STATUS
QUO IS ESTABLISHED.
DAN HARMON'S STORY CIRCLE
DAN HARMON'S STORY
CIRCLE
THE BENEFIT OF HARMON'S
APPROACH IS ITS FOCUS ON THE
PROTAGONIST'S CHARACTER
ARC. INSTEAD OF REFERRING TO
ABSTRACT CONCEPTS LIKE
'STORY MIDPOINT' AND
'DENOUEMENT', EACH BEAT IN
THE STORY CIRCLE FORCES THE
WRITER TO THINK ABOUT THE
CHARACTER'S WANTS AND
NEEDS.
 STRUCTURE
A CHARACTER IS IN A ZONE OF COMFORT... THIS IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE STATUS QUO.

BUT THEY WANT SOMETHING... THIS 'WANT' COULD BE SOMETHING LONG-

STANDING AND BROUGHT TO THE FORE BY AN INCITING INCIDENT.

THEY ENTER AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION... THE PROTAGONIST MUST DO

SOMETHING NEW IN THEIR PURSUIT OF THE THING THEY WANT.

ADAPT TO IT... FACED WITH SOME CHALLENGES, THEY STRUGGLE THEN

BEGIN TO SUCCEED.

GET WHAT THEY WANTED... USUALLY A FALSE VICTORY.

PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR IT... THEY REALIZE THAT WHAT THEY 'WANTED'
WASN'T WHAT THEY 'NEEDED'.
THEN RETURN TO THEIR FAMILIAR SITUATION... ARMED WITH A NEW TRUTH.

HAVING CHANGED... FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

5. FICHTEAN CURVE
FLESHED OUT IN JOHN GARDNER’S THE ART OF FICTION, THE FICHTEAN
CURVE IS A NARRATIVE STRUCTURE THAT PUTS OUR MAIN
CHARACTERS THROUGH A SERIES OF MANY OBSTACLES ON THEIR
WAY TO ACHIEVING THEIR OVERARCHING GOALS. RESEMBLING
FREYTAG’S PYRAMID, IT ENCOURAGES AUTHORS TO WRITE NARRATIVES
PACKED WITH TENSION AND MINI-CRISES THAT KEEP READERS EAGER TO
REACH THE CLIMAX.

BYPASSING THE “ORDINARY WORLD” SETUP OF MANY OTHER

STRUCTURES, THE FICHTEAN CURVE STARTS WITH THE INCITING
INCIDENT AND GOES STRAIGHT INTO THE RISING ACTION. MULTIPLE
CRISES OCCUR, EACH OF WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO THE READERS’
OVERALL UNDERSTANDING OF THE NARRATIVE — REPLACING THE NEED
FOR THE INITIAL EXPOSITION.
INCITING INCIDENT.
THE NOVEL BEGINS WITH THE LINE: “LYDIA IS DEAD. BUT THEY DON’T KNOW THIS YET.”
WITHIN THE FIRST THREE PARAGRAPHS, MARILYN REALIZES THAT HER DAUGHTER LYDIA
IS MISSING. THUS, READERS ARE THROWN STRAIGHT INTO RISING ACTION AS MARILYN
ANXIOUSLY SEARCHES ALL THE USUAL PLACES LYDIA MIGHT BE FOUND.

FIRST CRISIS.
LYDIA’S FAMILY IS INFORMED HER BODY WAS FOUND IN A NEARBY LAKE. FROM THIS FIRST
CRISIS'S CLIMAX, THE NARRATIVE FLASHES BACK TO PROVIDE EXPOSITION AND DETAILS
OF THE FAMILY’S HISTORY.
SECOND CRISIS.
IN FLASHBACKS, WE DISCOVER THAT, 11 YEARS PRIOR, MARILYN ABANDONED HER FAMILY
TO RESUME HER UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES. IN HER ABSENCE, THE FAMILY BEGINS TO
FALL APART. MARILYN LEARNS SHE IS PREGNANT AND IS FORCED TO RETURN HOME.
HAVING LOST HER OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER EDUCATION, SHE PLACES THE PRESSURE
OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS ON HER CHILDREN.
THIRD CRISIS.
BACK IN THE PRESENT, LYDIA’S FATHER, JAMES, IS CHEATING ON MARILYN. THE POLICE
DECIDE TO CLOSE THE INVESTIGATION, RULING LYDIA’S DEATH A SUICIDE. THIS RESULTS
IN A MASSIVE ARGUMENT BETWEEN HER PARENTS, AND JAMES LEAVES TO STAY WITH THE
“OTHER WOMAN.”
FOURTH CRISIS.
FLASHBACK TO THE DAY LYDIA DIED. FROM HER PERSPECTIVE, WE SEE THAT SHE’S
MISUNDERSTOOD BY HER PARENTS. SHE MOURNS HER BROTHER’S IMPENDING
DEPARTURE FOR COLLEGE, LEAVING HER AS THE SOLE FOCUS OF HER PARENTS’
PRESSURE. ISOLATED, SHE TRIES TO SEDUCE A FRIEND — WHO REJECTS HER ADVANCES
AND EXPLAINS HE’S IN LOVE WITH HER BROTHER.
 CLIMAX

LYDIA TAKES A BOAT INTO THE LAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT —
DETERMINED TO OVERCOME HER FEAR OF WATER AND RECLAIM CONTROL OF
HER LIFE. LYDIA JUMPS OFF THE BOAT, INTO THE WATER, AND OUT OF THIS
LIFE. AS IN A CLASSICAL TRAGEDY, THIS MOMENT IS BOTH DEVASTATING AND
INEVITABLE.

FALLING ACTION

SOME LEVEL OF RESOLUTION IS ACHIEVED, AND READERS GET TO AT LEAST

GLIMPSE THE “NEW NORM” FOR THE CHARACTERS. LYDIA’S FAMILY LEAN ON
ONE ANOTHER IN THEIR GRIEF. WHILE THEY MAY NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE
THEIR AMENDS WITH LYDIA, THEY CAN LEARN FROM HER DEATH. NOT ALL OF
THE LOOSE ENDS ARE TIED OFF, BUT READERS INFER THE FAMILY IS ON THE
LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY.
5. FICHTEAN CURVE
6. SAVE THE CAT BEAT
SHEET
ANOTHER VARIATION OF THE THREE-ACT
STRUCTURE, THIS FRAMEWORK CREATED BY
HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER BLAKE
SNYDER, HAS BEEN WIDELY CHAMPIONED BY
STORYTELLERS ACROSS MANY MEDIA
FORMS.
OPENING IMAGE
IF YOU’RE STARTING A NOVEL, THIS WOULD BE AN OPENING PARAGRAPH OR SCENE THAT SUCKS READERS INTO THE WORLD OF
YOUR STORY.

SET-UP
ESTABLISHING THE ‘ORDINARY WORLD’ OF YOUR PROTAGONIST. WHAT DOES HE WANT? WHAT IS HE MISSING OUT ON?

THEME STATED DURING THE SETUP, HINT AT WHAT YOUR STORY IS REALLY ABOUT — THE TRUTH THAT YOUR PROTAGONIST WILL
DISCOVER BY THE END.

CATALYST THE INCITING INCIDENT!

DEBATE
THE HERO REFUSES THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. HE TRIES TO AVOID THE CONFLICT BEFORE THEY ARE FORCED INTO ACTION.
BREAK INTO TWO
THE PROTAGONIST MAKES AN ACTIVE CHOICE AND THE JOURNEY BEGINS IN EARNEST.
B STORY
A SUBPLOT KICKS IN. OFTEN ROMANTIC IN NATURE, THE PROTAGONIST’S SUBPLOT SHOULD SERVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE THEME.
THE PROMISE OF THE PREMISE
OFTEN CALLED THE ‘FUN AND GAMES’ STAGE, THIS IS USUALLY A HIGHLY ENTERTAINING SECTION WHERE THE WRITER DELIVERS
THE GOODS.
IF YOU PROMISED AN EXCITING DETECTIVE STORY, WE’D SEE THE DETECTIVE IN ACTION. IF YOU PROMISED A GOOFY STORY OF
PEOPLE FALLING IN LOVE, LET’S GO ON SOME CHARMINGLY AWKWARD DATES.
MIDPOINT
A PLOT TWIST OCCURS THAT UPS THE STAKES AND MAKES THE HERO’S GOAL HARDER TO ACHIEVE — OR MAKES THEM FOCUS ON A
NEW, MORE IMPORTANT GOAL.
AD GUYS CLOSE IN THE TENSION RATCHETS UP. THE HERO’S OBSTACLES BECOME GREATER, HIS PLAN FALLS APART,
AND HE IS ON THE BACK FOOT.

ALL IS LOST THE HERO HITS ROCK BOTTOM. HE LOSES EVERYTHING HE’S GAINED SO FAR, AND THINGS ARE LOOKING
BLEAK. THE HERO IS OVERPOWERED BY THE VILLAIN; A MENTOR DIES; OUR LOVEBIRDS HAVE AN ARGUMENT AND
BREAK UP.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL HAVING JUST LOST EVERYTHING, THE HERO SHAMBLES AROUND THE CITY IN A MINOR-KEY
MUSICAL MONTAGE BEFORE DISCOVERING SOME “NEW INFORMATION” THAT REVEALS EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDS TO
DO IF HE WANTS TO TAKE ANOTHER CRACK AT SUCCESS. (THIS NEW INFORMATION IS OFTEN DELIVERED THROUGH
THE B-STORY)

BREAK INTO THREE . ARMED WITH THIS NEW INFORMATION, OUR PROTAGONIST DECIDES TO TRY ONCE MORE!

FINALE THE HERO CONFRONTS THE ANTAGONIST OR WHATEVER THE SOURCE OF THE PRIMARY CONFLICT IS. THE
TRUTH THAT ELUDED HIM AT THE START OF THE STORY (ESTABLISHED IN STEP THREE AND ACCENTUATED BY THE B
STORY) IS NOW CLEAR, ALLOWING HIM TO RESOLVE THEIR STORY.

FINAL IMAGE A FINAL MOMENT OR SCENE THAT CRYSTALLIZES HOW THE CHARACTER HAS CHANGED. IT’S A
REFLECTION, IN SOME WAY, OF THE OPENING IMAGE.
7. SEVEN-POINT STORY STRUCTURE
ACCORDING TO AUTHOR DAN WELLS,
WHO DEVELOPED THE SEVEN-POINT
STORY STRUCTURE, WRITERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO START AT THE END,
WITH THE RESOLUTION, AND WORK
THEIR WAY BACK TO THE STARTING
POINT: THE HOOK. WITH THE ENDING IN
MIND, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR
PROTAGONIST AND PLOT BEGIN IN A
STATE THAT BEST CONTRASTS THE
FINALE — SINCE THIS STRUCTURE IS
ALL ABOUT DRAMATIC CHANGES FROM
BEGINNING TO END.
 • THE HOOK.
DRAW READERS IN BY EXPLAINING THE PROTAGONIST’S CURRENT SITUATION. THEIR STATE OF BEING AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL SHOULD BE IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO WHAT IT WILL BE AT THE END OF THE NOVEL.

2. PLOT POINT 1. WHETHER IT’S A PERSON, AN IDEA, AN INCITING INCIDENT, OR SOMETHING ELSE — THERE SHOULD BE A
"CALL TO ADVENTURE" OF SORTS THAT SETS THE NARRATIVE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN MOTION.

3. PINCH POINT 1. THINGS CAN’T BE ALL SUNSHINE AND ROSES FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST. SOMETHING SHOULD GO WRONG
HERE THAT APPLIES PRESSURE TO THE MAIN CHARACTER, FORCING THEM TO STEP UP AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

4. MIDPOINT. A “TURNING POINT” WHEREIN THE MAIN CHARACTER CHANGES FROM A PASSIVE FORCE TO AN ACTIVE
FORCE IN THE STORY. WHATEVER THE NARRATIVE’S MAIN CONFLICT IS, THE PROTAGONIST DECIDES TO START MEETING
IT HEAD-ON.

5. PINCH POINT 2. THE SECOND PINCH POINT INVOLVES ANOTHER BLOW TO THE PROTAGONIST — THINGS GO EVEN MORE
AWRY THAN THEY DID DURING THE FIRST PINCH POINT. THIS MIGHT INVOLVE THE PASSING OF A MENTOR, THE FAILURE
OF A PLAN, THE REVEAL OF A TRAITOR, ETC.

6. PLOT POINT 2. AFTER THE CALAMITY OF PINCH POINT 2, THE PROTAGONIST LEARNS THAT THEY’VE ACTUALLY HAD
THE KEY TO SOLVING THE CONFLICT THE WHOLE TIME.

7. RESOLUTION. THE STORY’S PRIMARY CONFLICT IS RESOLVED — AND THE CHARACTER GOES THROUGH THE FINAL BIT
ONE OF UNDERESTIMATED TASKS IN NONFICTION WRITING IS
TO IMPOSE NARRATIVE SHAPE ON AN UNWIELDY MASS OF
MATERIAL.” ― WILLIAM ZINSSER