First, a reminder:
• “It’s not a Story unless Something Happens.”
• “It’s not a Good Story unless Something Interesting Happens.”
• “It’s not a Great Story unless Something Interesting and Unexpected Happens.”
Now, with that in mind, we can discuss CHARACTER, SETTING, STORY, CONFLICT, ARC, AND RESOLUTION!
These are the six essential elements in storytelling, be it in novels, screenplays, stage plays, news reports, or short stories.
1) CHARACTER: Who are the people in the story? What do they do/will they do to propel the story forward? (Character development will be discussed in depth in subsequent posts.)
2) SETTING: In what era will the story unfold? (Bible times, Civil War, the future?) In what geographic location? (Big city, small town, foreign country?) In what specific settings? (A prison, a university, a church, a family’s home, on a ship?)
3) STORY: What is the genre? (Romance? Action? Mystery? Comedy?) How is the story structured? What events take place? What happens to the characters? What things do they make happen? What relationships exist? What bonds are forged with other characters? What elements of storytelling technique will be employed?
4) CONFLICT: Without conflict, there is no story. Which characters want what? How far are they willing to go to get what they want? Which characters want to prevent that from happening? What strategies and tactics will they use to frustrate the goals of the other characters?
5) ARC: What situations change over time? What happens to change them? (Story Arc.) Which characters will grow? Which ones will remain about the same? Which ones will regress/get worse? (Character Arc.)
6) RESOLUTION: How does the story end? Is everything resolved satisfactorily or are there “loose ends?” (Some loose ends are acceptable, of course.) Do the characters achieve their objectives? Is there some logic/plausibility to the ending? Will the reader/audience be satisfied with the outcome?
As you begin to write your first, or next, work of fiction—a screenplay, stage play, short film, novel, or short story—”think on these things!”
Write On!
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Gottry
All Rights Reserved.
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