{"id":115349,"date":"2023-10-18T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T21:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=115349"},"modified":"2023-10-20T09:51:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T13:51:24","slug":"basic-elements-of-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/basic-elements-of-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Basic Elements of a Story: Insights From Storytelling Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What do you want to be sure to include in every story you write? What are the essential ingredients that help make a story coherent and compelling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to storytelling experts, readers want two things: an emotional impact and a truth about life. If you want to satisfy these desires, the experts agree that your story needs three basic elements: a realistic and relatable protagonist, a goal that\u2019s blocked by obstacles, and a big-picture theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to find out what the experts have to say about each of these basic elements of a story<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Basic Story Element #1: A Realistic & Relatable Protagonist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first basic element of a story<\/a> is a protagonist who is realistic and relatable. This element is important not only for your readers but also for you as the writer. In Wired for Story<\/em><\/a>, story coach Lisa Cron asserts that the protagonist helps you, as a writer, determine what information is important and what isn\u2019t<\/a>. The audience relates to the protagonist and understands the importance of the story\u2019s events through the protagonist\u2019s emotions.<\/strong> If the audience doesn\u2019t understand how something makes your protagonist feel, the detail will seem unimportant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Story<\/em><\/a>, Robert McKee explains that, when you show the audience that your protagonist has the same universal human desires as they do, they\u2019ll empathize with that character<\/a>. They\u2019ll recognize themselves in your protagonist and feel emotionally invested in the character\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more realistic your protagonist is, the more truth about life the audience will expect from them, making the character more compelling. As Thomas C. Foster explains in How to Read Literature Like a Professor<\/em><\/a>, three-dimensional characters<\/a> have backstories, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and contradictions<\/a>. Additionally, they grow and change throughout the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen King notes in his book On Writing<\/em><\/a> that adding dimension to your characters <\/strong>can make them more compelling<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> If you portray the motivations and complexities of otherwise wooden characters, the audience will find something to identify with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic Story Element #2: A Goal That\u2019s Blocked by Obstacles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Storytelling experts agree that your protagonist needs a goal<\/em> to pursue throughout the story. This is the second basic element of a story. The protagonist\u2019s goal is their overarching objective or aim. According to Lisa Cron, this is what drives the story internally<\/a>. The emotional impact that something has on your protagonist\u2014and your audience\u2014is determined by how it impacts their ability to reach their goal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot of a story is largely composed of obstacles<\/em> that stand between your protagonist and their goal.<\/strong> Robert McKee elaborates that these obstacles need to be unexpected<\/em><\/a> for both the protagonist and the audience. If events transpired exactly as the protagonist expected, they would simply achieve their goal, and you wouldn\u2019t have a story. Therefore, the most basic unit of storytelling is: The protagonist takes a single action<\/em> toward a goal and the world reacts<\/em> in a way the protagonist doesn\u2019t expect, creating an obstacle<\/em> that complicates the protagonist\u2019s plan to achieve their goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, here\u2019s an unexpected obstacle from Finding Nemo<\/em>: As Marlin watches his son Nemo swim out into dangerous open waters, he yells, \u201cYou\u2019re going to get stuck out there!\u201d in an attempt to scare Nemo back to safety (since Marlin\u2019s goal<\/em> is to keep his son safe). Nemo, angered by his father\u2019s implication that he\u2019s weak and determined to prove Marlin wrong, swims farther out into more dangerous waters. Marlin\u2019s action<\/em> provokes an unexpected reaction<\/em> from Nemo, introducing new complications in Marlin\u2019s path toward his goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Cron asserts that you shouldn\u2019t coddle your protagonist<\/strong><\/a> by keeping them out of trouble or protecting them from obstacles<\/strong>. Instead, put them into situations that seem impossible to overcome\u2014but aren\u2019t\u2014and show the audience the protagonist\u2019s grueling, painful journey to achieving their goal. According to Cron, great stories are about how people change<\/em>, and change is painful. This means your protagonist will suffer. Because we relate so closely to our characters, Cron says this is often a difficult thing for writers to do, but it\u2019s also what makes a great story<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic Story Element #3: A Big-Picture Theme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephen King believes all good writing has a theme<\/a>. Themes focus the story, making it feel more unified and coherent. Other experts agree that the theme is the third basic element of a story that you can’t do without. According to Rob Biesenbach, the author of Unleash the Power of Storytelling<\/em><\/a>, the most effective themes involve values you share with your audience<\/a>. King contends that the theme shouldn\u2019t be premeditated. He recommends that you start with the story and discover the theme as you go along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts note that a story\u2019s theme is often conveyed through internal change<\/em><\/strong>. Lisa Cron contends that any story is truly<\/em> about how the protagonist changes<\/a> as a result of the story\u2019s events. She adds that the plot is the external events of the narrative, while the story is about<\/em> the protagonist\u2019s internal reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, for a change in your protagonist\u2019s life to be meaningful, Robert McKee argues that the change must occur <\/strong>because of your protagonist\u2019s actions<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. A few random events that change your character\u2019s life are fine to include in your story, but they don\u2019t create meaning<\/a> on their own. To communicate the kind of meaning that resonates with the audience on an intellectual and emotional level, show the cause and effect of your protagonist\u2019s choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you want to be sure to include in every story you write? What are the essential ingredients that help make a story coherent and compelling? According to storytelling experts, readers want two things: an emotional impact and a truth about life. If you want to satisfy these desires, the experts agree that your story needs three basic elements: a realistic and relatable protagonist, a goal that\u2019s blocked by obstacles, and a big-picture theme. Continue reading to find out what the experts have to say about each of these basic elements of a story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":91655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1295],"class_list":["post-115349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","tag-the-master-guides-storytelling-for-fiction-writers","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 3 Basic Elements of a Story: Insights From Storytelling Experts - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Experts say that a story needs a relatable protagonist, a blocked goal, and a big-picture theme. 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