The Basics of Writing A Story
The 5 elements that work together
Every story, both fiction and non-fiction, has five elements to it. Characters, setting, plot, conflict and a resolution. Each of these elements work together to bring a story to life, engaging the reader.
Characters
Every story has a character, a protagonist. The story revolves around this character, it is their story to tell. Without this type of character there can really be no story that will be of interest to the reader.
A reader wants a character they can relate to, someone who could be real. The personality of the character is what draws the reader into the story, making them feel some emotion toward the character. This emotion can be either positive or negative, it really depends on the character and their conflict.
Most fiction writers will tell you there is a small or large amount of themselves in their main character. This is because a writer needs to know their character inside and out to write their story, and nobody knows someone better than themselves.
Knowing your character will also help create a realistic one. Their emotions, their fears, what makes them smile, all these can be hidden in the words of dialogue and/or action. I say hidden because you don’t want to tell the reader, you…
