Basics of Any Story

Basics of Any Story

In every story, there are 6 basic components. I’ve also provided some more resources to check out! 

Theme

The theme is essentially what the story is trying to tell you. When you are developing your theme, you should let it grow with the story. You want the readers to feel as though they figure it out on their own. You can read more here. Also, you can get some theme ideas here. 

Plot 

The plot is usually about the conflict or struggles that the main character goes through. An easy reference is the Plot Pyramid, which includes the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. You can find more here. 

Story Structure 

There are a few things you need to decide when structuring your story. First, decide which point of view you’re going to use. There are three basic POV’s: 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. 3rd person all branches off into two sub-POVs. 3rd person omniscient and 3rd person limited. 1st person uses words like “I, me, we”. 2nd person uses words like “you”. 3rd person uses words like “he, she, they, them” 3rd person limited is when the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. Omniscience is when the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters. You also need to decide whose POV you are following. Another factor to take into account is whether you are writing in past tense or present tense. Learn more on Point of View here. 

Characters

Before you start writing, you need to know your character’s extremely well. With that knowledge, you will be able to write your characters with more depth. I will be making another post soon on how to create characters, keep an eye out! Until then, read this for more information. 

Setting

The setting is the time and place in which your story takes place. Make it interesting and do lots of research! Some elements to consider are locale, the time period, elapsed time, geography, mood, climate, eras of historical importance, and more! Here, you can read a little more in depth of these elements. 

Style and Tone

When writing your story, use language that feels right for you, personally. If you try to use words that you don’t fully understand, it’ll make the story seemed forced. Another tip is to give speech in direct quotes. For example “I did it,” he said. versus “He told me he did it.” Always use the best word possible (that makes sense). Read each sentence carefully and evaluate it. Some questions to ask yourself: Is it the best you can write? Is it in the right place? Does it make sense? Do you even need it? If not, get rid of it! Here is some more useful information! 

~Alice