{"id":101314,"date":"2023-05-07T13:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T17:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=101314"},"modified":"2023-05-08T14:07:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T18:07:26","slug":"components-of-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/components-of-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Essential Components of a Story: What an Audience Expects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What makes a story a story? What does your audience expect from your narrative?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his 2018 book <em>Unleash the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-power-of-storytelling\/\">Power of Storytelling<\/a><\/em>, speechwriter-turned-actor Rob Biesenbach asserts that you can make any message much more compelling by simply telling a story. Whether you&#8217;re writing a novel or preparing a toast, you can learn from his advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn the three necessary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/basic-elements-of-a-story\/\">components of a story<\/a>, no matter what your message is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-essential-components-of-a-story\">The Essential Components of a Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We encounter stories every day, but few of us stop to think about how we\u2019d define a story. A story is a narrative that draws its power from its fundamental structure, its delivery, and its ability to affect listeners down to the neural level. We\u2019ll look at what Biesenbach identifies as the essential components of a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biesenbach defines a story as an account of <strong>a character who pursues a goal and encounters obstacles along the way<\/strong>. A narrative that lacks one of these fundamental components of a story (character, goal, and obstacle) isn\u2019t a story and won\u2019t affect listeners like a story can. Because we\u2019re familiar with stories that include<strong> a character, a goal, and obstacles, <\/strong>we expect these elements in a story and feel disappointed when those expectations aren\u2019t met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The character\u2019s efforts in the face of obstacles drive the story forward. A relatable character\u2014one who shares values or circumstances with your audience\u2014makes an abstract brand, mission, or message more concrete. Every story needs a character who embodies the message and makes it more human to listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the knitwear brand baba\u00e0\u2014which makes the cult-favorite cardigan a New Yorker writer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/culture-desk\/all-knit-up-in-sweater-instagram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spotted on \u201corganic moms\u201d<\/a> across Instagram\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/babaa.es\/making-babaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tells a story<\/a> about how it makes its sweaters with local materials and artisans. When the brand names the shepherds who tend its sheep and the knitters who run its factory, these people become characters in the story. They make the company feel more relatable because we can understand working in a family-run workshop or carrying on a traditional craft, even if we haven\u2019t done those things ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>How a Character Changes How We See Things<\/strong><br><br>Biesenbach\u2019s definition of a story might surprise you if you think of a story as a plotline or a series of events, but he\u2019s not alone in putting more emphasis on characters than plotlines when articulating what makes a story a story. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/215504\/wired-for-story-by-lisa-cron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wired for Story<\/em><\/a>, Lisa Cron offers her own definition: \u201cA story is how what happens <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/the-brave-writer\/do-you-need-to-know-the-end-of-your-novel-before-you-start-to-write-d38a99f2097b#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20story%20is%20how%20what,of%20Wired%20for%20Story%2C%20explains.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affects someone who is trying to achieve<\/a> what turns out to be a difficult goal, and how he or she changes as a result.\u201d<br><br>Cron explains that though we tend to think that a story is about events, it\u2019s really about the character\u2019s response to those events. In fact, she thinks that the external events of the story\u2014like the obstacles that Biesenbach talks about\u2014only matter insofar as <a href=\"https:\/\/writerunboxed.com\/2016\/02\/11\/where-real-drama-comes-from\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they push the character into an internal struggle<\/a>. During that struggle, the character realizes that something important is at stake\u2014this relates to the goal that Biesenbach explains your character must have\u2014and that they have to act.<br><br>You ask your listeners to follow along with what your character is doing and thinking to change what your listeners do and think. Cron believes that the entire purpose of a story is to change how your audience sees things. After all, once you change how they see things, the members of your audience are more likely to be willing to change how they do things.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exercise: Find the Message for Your Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest lessons of <em>Unleash the Power of Storytelling<\/em> is that a story provides you with a powerful way to convey a message. But before you can choose the right story, you\u2019ll need to figure out the message you want to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Most of us are great at talking about ourselves. So to practice, think about the message you\u2019d like listeners to come away with the next time you introduce yourself\u2014a message about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-genius\/\">who you are<\/a> or why you do what you do. Write that message down here.<\/li><li>Now try to think of that message in terms of a story. Think of yourself as a character: What is your goal? What are the obstacles that you encounter when trying to reach that goal? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/write-down-your-goals\/\">Write down your goals<\/a> and obstacles here.<\/li><li>Think about what your listener might find relatable about you as a character. Which of your values are universal, or what situation do you find yourself in that others have also experienced? (The things you have in common with your listener are things you\u2019ll want to emphasize when you create your story.)<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What makes a story a story? What does your audience expect from your narrative? In his 2018 book Unleash the Power of Storytelling, speechwriter-turned-actor Rob Biesenbach asserts that you can make any message much more compelling by simply telling a story. Whether you&#8217;re writing a novel or preparing a toast, you can learn from his advice. Keep reading to learn the three necessary components of a story, no matter what your message is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":75128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,30],"tags":[1007],"class_list":["post-101314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-work","tag-unleash-the-power-of-storytelling","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 3 Essential Components of a Story: What an Audience Expects - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether you&#039;re writing a novel or preparing a toast, you have a story to tell. 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