Elements of a Story

•The 8 elements of a story are: character, setting,

plot, conflict, theme, point-of-view, tone and style.

• These story elements form the backbone of any

good novel or short story. If you know the 8
elements, you can write and analyze stories
more effectively
 1. Setting

•The first of the story elements is the story setting. All stories have a setting. The setting
includes the time and place in which the story will be taking place. There may be just one
story setting, such as in a short story that only takes place in a single room of a house. Or,
there may be many different settings spanning many locations and times, such as stories
that span generations or that have characters who travel the globe.
•Common setting considerations are:
 Time
 Place
 Alternative reality
•In regards to time, stories can be set in the past, present, future, or even a mix of the
three. For example, Back to the Future uses all three settings. Marty McFly travels back and
forward in time, capturing the audience’s imagination as settings and time zones change
from scene to scene.
•Authors also need to create compelling place-based settings in their stories. Things to
consider when looking at the sense of place in a novel or short story include:
Setting
•Some stories may also choose to have alternative
realities. Alternative reality books followed the true history
of the world to a point. Then, they diverge after a fictional
event occurs such as a war or natural disaster.
•Lastly, some authors want to make the setting of a story
ambiguous. This works well in sci-fi and fantasy stories which
want to detach themselves from our current world. With such
an ambiguous setting, the author could create their own
technologies, religions and planets without the need to refer
to any contexts of the ‘real’ world here on earth.
 2. Characters

•The next of the elements of a story is the characters. Of

course, characters are one of the most important elements
of a novel or short story. The characters are the people (or
sometimes animals!) who are featured in a story. The
different characters in a story that you need to know about
are: the protagonist, antagonist, static character, dynamic
character, and confidante character.
•The protagonist is the hero of the story and central
character. We’ll also usually call them the ‘main character’.
They will get most of the attention of the author. Every
narrative – whether it’s a novel or short story – will have a
protagonist.
Character
•The antagonist is the opponent of the main character. This person
stirs trouble and is often the main cause of tension in the plot line. The
hero’s role is often to prevent the antagonist from doing harm to
people.
•There can also be peripheral and dynamic characters. Peripheral
characters who don’t change much throughout a story but set the
context are often called ‘static characters’. Parents are often seen as
static characters in books and movies. They are reliable, always there,
but don’t do much to compel the plot forward. By contrast, a dynamic
character might start out as an unassuming peripheral person in the
story. As the story progresses, they move toward the center of the
storyline, become closer to the main character, and increase in
importance.
Character

• Lastly, the confidante is the sidekick (foil) for the main character. It often
takes the role of a wise or philosophical character, although not always. In The
Lion King, Timon and Pumba act as confidantes to Simba during his exile years.
Other confidantes in that story include Rafiki and Nala.
• Also Consider Character Conflicts and Fatal Flaws
•Often times a character will have their own inner conflicts, challenges or
struggles to overcome. By giving characters inner conflicts they are made more
realistic. Flaws in personality traits also humanizes them. A good book will have a
range of realistic and flawed characters. For example:
 Edmund from the Narnia series must overcome jealousy to help save Narnia
and protect his family;
 Professor Snape from Harry Potter suffers from an inability to get past his
grudges from the past.
 3. Conflict

•Nobody wants to read a novel or short story without conflict

– so you’ll find every story will have some sort of conflict.
What would be the point? The conflict in a story is the main
challenge to overcome. It compels the plot forward and is
usually resolved during the plot’s climax.
•The main types of conflict you will come across in a story
are:
 Protagonist vs Antagonist
 Protagonist vs Nature
 Protagonist vs Self
 Protagonist vs Society
Protagonist VS Antagonist

• In the protagonist vs antagonist conflict, the

protagonist (hero) must challenge the antagonist
in order to prevent the antagonist from doing
something harmful.
• For example, this occurs in Harry Potter. Harry
(protagonist) must defeat Voldermort (antagonist).
Harry is the only person who can save the world
from Voldermort and represents the child savior.
protagonist vs nature conflict

•In the protagonist vs nature conflict, the

protagonist goes up against a challenge that occurs
in nature. This may involve a main character taking
on a natural challenge like escaping the jungle, or a
natural disaster like a tsunami or asteroid coming at
earth.
•
protagonist vs self conflict
• In the protagonist vs self conflict, the protagonist
may have inner struggles to overcome in order to
succeed. The protagonist may need to get over a lost
love, learn courage, or achieve a personal goal that
they set out for themselves in the beginning.
• For example, this happens in The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy
and her companions each has to learn that the
characteristics they most desire are within them. The
Cowardly Lion seeks courage, the Tin Man seeks the
ability to love, and the Scarecrow seeks intellect.
protagonist vs society conflict
• In the protagonist vs society conflict, the
protagonist may identify an enemy or problem in
society that they must overcome, often single-
handedly. In children’s books, this model is often
recast as Child (protagonist) vs. Adults (Society)
where the child must save adults from themselves.
We see this in ‘child savior’ complex such as
in The Hunger Games.
 4. Theme

•The next of the story elements is theme. The theme is the author’s central
argument or big idea they want to convey. Themes are often associated with a
‘moral of a story’ or an analogy (a hidden meaning in the text). They attempt
to convey a piece of wisdom or fundamental truth about human nature for us
to think about. Even in a short story there will be a key theme.
•Common types of themes include:
 Good vs. evil
 True love
 The absurdity of life
 The pain of war
 Seeking freedom
 Political corruption
 The power of redemption
 The importance of faith
good vs. evil

•Most contemporary American movies tell stories of good

vs. evil, with good usually triumphing thanks to a heroic
protagonist. For example, in Spiderman.
•Similarly, love has been a theme throughout millennia in
stories. What is true love, how can it be found, and how can
we keep it? Perhaps the most famous example is in Romeo
and Juliet.
•Existentialist literature attempts to expose the absurdity
of life, e.g. how life is futile, pointless and meaningless. Two
great examples are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
and Catch 22.
theme

•Many stories throughout history have been cautionary tales

about the pain of war and its devastating effects on life. A
compelling example is The Diary of Anne Frank.
•The desire for freedom is another common motif in
stories and movies. This often involves the struggles in
escaping oppression, war or nature. One example of this
theme that I love is The Truman Show’s theme.
•Stories of political corruption usually highlight how
fascism, communism or other political systems lead to
concentration of power and corruption. A famous example
is Animal Farm by George Orwell.
theme

•Often based on Christian beliefs, redemption

stories show how characters can come back from
sin and shame to redeem themselves through good
deeds and repentance. A great example of this is A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
•Many tales have morals about religion and
faith and the importance of penance to a god as
their central theme. A famous example is the short
story sets of Sinbad the Sailor’s Seven Voyages.
 5. Plot

•The next of the story elements is the plot line. The plot is the
sequence of events that tell the story. Sometimes we call it the
‘narrative structure’. Another way to use the term ‘plot’ is to make
a plan. For example, “There is a plot to rob a bank.”
•Plots usually follow a familiar structure. We tell children that plots
have a ‘Beginning’, ‘Middle’ and ‘End’ – and that might be true for
a short story:
 Beginning: Introduce the characters and set the scene;
 Middle: Introduce a complication and tell the story of how it is
overcome
 Ending: Resolve each character’s individual story and provide a
sense of closure.
Plot
•As students get older, we go into a bit more depth and use more formal terms:
 Exposition: The exposition begins the story. It provides the necessary
background information like the setting and character details. It may also
outline the relationships between characters and any other important
information. This section should set the scene but also entertain the reader
from page one.
 Rising Action: The rising action part is the part of the story where “the plot
thickens”. Challenges, conflicts and complications are introduced during the
rising action segment. This is often the longest part of the story. Authors aim
to create and build tension as long as possible to entertain the reader and
create a true ‘page turner’ of a story.
• Climax: After rising action comes climax. This is the turning point of the
story where the tensions in the plotline come to a head. A good climax may
involve a twist or a big reveal. Other examples of
Plot
 a climax might be a big battle, police chase or exposure of
a love affair.
 Falling Action: After the climax comes falling action. I
often find the falling action segment is brief but may be
necessary to conclude the key scenes that occurred in the
climax. During the falling action, tension starts to dissolve
 Resolution (denoument): The resolution gives a sense
of closure to the reader. It may tie up loose ends in
character plotlines and explain what becomes of the key
characters after the story. To use The Lord of the
Rings example, the resolution shows Frodo sailing to the
Grey Havens and Sam marrying Rosie Cotton.
 6. Point of View

•The next of the story elements is point of view. The point of

view of a story has a big impact on how the story will be told.
Point of view also influences how the audience will respond
to it. There are three common points of view: first person,
second person and third person.
Point of View
•First person stories are told by the protagonist. You can tell a first person story
from the use of first person phrases like ‘I’ and ‘We’. A benefit of first person point of
view is that you can get inside the head of the main character. They can talk about
what they’re thinking and what their opinion is of all the other characters
throughout the piece.
•Second person stories are narrated by an outsider (not a character in the story),
but talk directly to the reader. It is like we are in a conversation with the author. This
is called ‘breaking the fourth wall’. An example of second person is when the author
directly says ‘you’ to the reader.
•Third person stories do not talk directly to the reader and do not insert
themselves into the story either. This is the most common type of point of
view. Most third person books have an omniscient narrator. This means the narrator
is an all-knowing person who can get into characters’ heads and explain their
thoughts. The author tells the story as if looking through a looking glass. They refer
to the characters (including the protagonist) using terms like ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’.
 7. Tone

•Authors choose a tone to act as the backdrop to a story. The

tone often overlaps with the protagonist’s mood or
circumstance. Tones include moods like:
 Melancholy
 Uplifting
 Hopeful
 Ominous
 Some examples of tones in books include:

 Brave New World: Dystopian

 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Funny
 Tuesdays with Morrie: Heartwarming
•Tone can be conveyed through elements like weather
conditions, time of day, and a soliloquy.
•Tone is often conveyed through the weather conditions.
Some stories are set in long, endless summers. Others are
anticipating an endless winter to come (e.g. Game of
Thrones). Rain is a good idea for when a character is sad or
moody. By contrast, sunshine will signify happy times.
Some examples of tones in books include:
•Similarly, you might want to define the time of day,
particularly for one scene or a simple short story Night time
might show that the tone is eerie and full of mystery and
magic. A warm Evening might set a tone of drowsiness. A
morning setting might convey a tone signifying starting
afresh and heading out excited for a day’s adventures.
•Tone is often also set through the soliloquy of the narrator
of a first-person text. A soliloquy is a piece of writing (or
speaking) where the author reflects on their moods and
thoughts.
 8. Style

•Writing style is one of the most important elements of a story, but very
personal to each author. We also tend to find authors whose styles we
like and continue to read their works whenever they publish something
new. A style is simply a way of speaking about our subjects.
•Below are a range of styles to consider:
 Short sentences: I first came across very short sentences in
Hemmingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hemminway’s curt writing
style comes across as masculine, but is often very easy to read.
 Highly Descriptive: When reading The Lord of the Rings, I was
bemused at just how long it took JRR Tolkein to describe a fireplace.
While I personally prefer a short story, many of the classics have this
descriptive style.
• Fast-Paced: If you like entertaining books, ensure your writing is
always compelling the plot forward and not getting into the weeds.
By: Chris Drew, PhD