LEARNING OBJECTIVES
THE LEARNER WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND –
• five components of story writing
• understand the structure of story writing
• use creative writing skills
• the exposition, climax and resolution of a story
STORY WRITING
What is a Story?
• A story is a connected series of events
told through words (written or spoken),
imagery (still and moving), body
language, performance, music, or any
other form of communication.
• You can tell a story about anything, and
the events described can be real or
imaginary; covering both fiction and
nonfiction; and leaving no topic, genre,
or style untouched. There are stories
about all things and all times; past,
present and future.
• As such, stories are of great value to
human culture, and are some of the
oldest, most important parts of life.
• To write an original story , one
requires a good faculty for
observing one’s surroundings and a
lot of imagination.
• Most of the writers seek inspiration
from real happenings and
sometimes base their story upon
them.
• A story may be wholly
autobiographical like Khushwant
Singh’s story, ‘The Portrait of a
Lady’. On the other hand a story
can be imaginative and fictive like
Harry Potter series.
Essential Elements Of A Story
1.Setting
•The setting is the time and location in
which your story takes place. Settings
can be very specific, but can also be
more broad and descriptive.
•A good, well-established setting creates
an intended mood and provides the
backdrop and environment for your story.
•Example 1: July 21st, 1865 –
Springfield, Missouri – Town Square –
6pm.
•Example 2: A tired little cottage on a
lonely night.
•2 . Characters
•A story usually includes a number of
characters, each with a different role or
purpose. Regardless of how many
characters a story has, however, there is
almost always a protagonist and
antagonist.
•Central Characters: These characters
are vital to the development of the story.
The plot revolves around them.
•Protagonist: The protagonist is the
main character of a story. He or she has
a clear goal to accomplish or a conflict to
overcome. Although protagonists don’t
always need to be admirable, they must
command an emotional involvement
from the audience.
•Antagonist: Antagonists oppose
protagonists, standing between them
and their ultimate goals. The antagonist
can be presented in the form of any
person, place, thing, or situation that
3. Plot
•The plot is the sequence of
events that connects the
audience to the protagonist and
their ultimate goal.
•Example: A group of climbers
plan to escort paying clients to
the summit of Mt. Everest.
•There is always a clear goal. In
this case, it’s to get the paying
clients safely up the mountain
and return them to basecamp
unharmed.
4. Conflict
The conflict is what drives the story. It’s what creates tension
and builds suspense, which are the elements that make a
story interesting. If there’s no conflict, not only will the
audience not care, but there also won’t be any compelling
story to tell.
Example 1: “We climbed Mt. Everest without issue.”
Without some sort of conflict, there’s no story. It’s just a
statement. As an audience member, I think, “Oh, cool.
Sounds like fun. Did you take any photos?”
Example 2: “We attempted to climb Mt. Everest and were
suddenly hit with an unexpected storm, causing our team to
become dispersed with zero visibility and a lack of oxygen,
ultimately leading to the death of 13 people.”
Now there’s a story. As an audience member, I want to know,
“What happened? How did 13 people die?”
Conflict is what engages an audience. It’s what keeps them
white-knuckled, at the edge of their seats, waiting
impatiently to see if the protagonists will overcome their
obstacle.
5. Theme
•5. Theme
•The theme is what the story is really about.
It’s the main idea or underlying meaning.
Often, it’s the storyteller’s personal opinion
on the subject matter. A story may have both
a major theme and minor themes.
•Major Theme: An idea that is intertwined
and repeated throughout the whole narrative.
•Minor Theme: An idea that appears more
subtly, and doesn’t necessarily repeat.
EXAMPLE :
Complete the following story. It has to be a scary story that terrifies people.
Give a suitable title to your story.
I stopped my scooter in front of an old and dilapidated building. A haggered,
skinny old man
with drooping shoulders came towards me. “Don’t go in, Sir”, he whispered.
“It is dangerous…”
ANSWER: I stopped my scooter in front of an old and dilapidated building. A haggered,
skinny old
man with drooping shoulders came towards me. “Don’t go in, Sir”, he whispered. “It is
dangerous…”
I got angry at the old man and asked him to go away as I had to prepare a report on old
forts as a part of my museology course. He murmured something and stared at me with
a strange expression.
For a moment a chill ran through my spine and I shuddered but I shrugged off the
feeling and entered through the rusty gate. The atmosphere was eerie and the air was
still. The withered wines on the walls of the building looked like veins on the hands of
some witch. I stepped towards the stairs on the entrance of the fort and no sooner did I
step on the first stair, then many bats came screeching and flew above my head. I dived
down with a start and again thought of moving further. Just then I heard someone
Suddenly my blood froze to see a shadow like a figure floating above the
railings of the terrace of the building. I turned only to see the same old man
standing before me. Surprisingly, I felt a- sense of relief to see someone else
there. The old man smiled and said, “Haven’t I told you? Now come out, as
soon it will be dark and we will never be able to see the light of the day.”
Sweat poured out of my body through the air was chilly and I followed the
old man in a trance-like situation. After coming out, I was about to thank the
old man when to my surprise, he just disappeared in thin air. Collecting my
wits I drove fast my scooter back home and decided never to pass by that
way. It was really a scary experience.
CLASSWORK
1. He was fond of his grandmother. She
would bathe him, give him breakfast,
prepare his bag and take him to the school.
While he was in the school, she sat in the
temple, saying her prayers… Complete the
story in your own words. (150-200 words)
