STORY WRITING
WHAT IS STORY WRITING?
Story Writing is a fictional writing method that is written in a
simpler way and has its own natural flow. The length of a written
story will depend on the format, whether it is a novel, novella,
short story etc. The length of a story has no bearing to its quality.
HOW TO BEGIN?
It is important to keep in mind the following five elements before
we begin with our story:
Plot
Characters
Setting
Mood
Theme
PLOT
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict,
which is the focus of any story. The plot is the story, and more specifically, how the
story develops, unfolds, and moves in time. Plots are typically made up of five main
elements:
Exposition - At the beginning of the story, characters, setting, and the main conflict are
typically introduced.
Rising action - The main character is in crisis and events leading up to facing the conflict
begin to unfold. The story becomes complicated.
Climax - At the peak of the story, a major event occurs in which the main character faces
a major enemy, fear, challenge, or other source of conflict. The most action, drama,
change, and excitement occurs here.
PLOT
Falling action - The story begins to slow down and work towards its end, tying up loose
ends.
Conclusion/Resolution - he resolution is like a concluding paragraph that resolves any
remaining issues and ends the story.
Plots, also known as storylines, include the
most significant events of the story and
how the characters and their problems
change over time.
EXAMPLE OF A PLOT
Kaitlin wants to buy a puppy. She goes to the pound and begins looking
through the cages for her future pet. At the end of the hallway, she sees a
small, sweet brown dog with a white spot on its nose. At that instant, she
knows she wants to adopt him. After he receives shots and a medical check,
she and the dog, Berkley, go home together.
In this example, the exposition introduces us to Kaitlin and her conflict. She wants a puppy
but does not have one. The rising action occurs as she enters the pound and begins looking.
The climax is when she sees the dog of her dreams and decides to adopt him. The falling
action consists of a quick medical check before the resolution, or ending, when Kaitlin and
Berkley happily head home.
CHARACTERS
A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use
characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot
line. A story can have only one character (protagonist) and still be a complete story.
This character’s conflict may be an inner one (within him/herself), or a conflict with
something natural, such as climbing a mountain. Most stories have multiple
characters interacting, with one of them as the antagonist, causing a conflict for the
protagonist.
There are often different types of characters in a story.
CHARACTERS
Major characters
These are the most important characters in the
story. There are two types, of which
there may be a couple for each.
Minor characters
These are the other characters in a story. They
are not as important as the major characters,
but still play a large part in the story. Their actions
help drive the story forward. They may impact the
SETTING
The setting of a story is where and when it takes place. In other words, story
setting involves both time period and geographic region, as well as individual
locations within that region (such as a character’s house, workplace, or favorite
coffee shop).
Setting serves as the backdrop to everything that happens in a story, and often
contributes significantly to its atmosphere.
MOOD
The mood is the feeling that the writer is trying to evoke in their readers-
feelings like calm, anxiety, joy, or anger.
A story with a cohesive and well-thought-out mood will create an emotional
response in your readers, which acts as a hook
that draws them into your story. Once your
readers experience real feelings during your story,
they’re more willing to pay attention to your
message and remember your story long after
they’ve finished and put it down.
THEME
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel,
short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using
characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
In simpler stories, the theme may be a moral or message: “Don’t judge a book by its
cover” In more complex stories, the central theme is typically a more open-ended
exploration of some fundamental aspect of society or humanity.
There are end number of themes to play around - For example: Compassion, honesty,
loyalty, importance of family, benefits of hard work, power of love, friendship.
EXAMPLE
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling embraces the
theme of friendship. In fact, every novel in the series hones in on this
concept. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's unbreakable friendship is strong
enough to allow them to stand up to even the greatest of sorcerers.
