Think you know what a "story" is? Check out this short guide to see if you're right!
It can be surprisingly difficult to explain what a story is. There are, of course, experimental stories that defy all conventions! But the theory is: learn the rules before you break them. Here are some of the more "traditional" ideas of what a story should be:
A story has a beginning, middle, and an end
A story has a “shape” and it usually builds like a mountain: beginning, also called "exposition"; action that speeds up ("rising" action); a high point or "climax"; and a resolution or "denouement" where things come back together in the end.
A story has “cause and effect”! The famous author E.M. Forster explained it best:
The queen died (this is a statement)
The queen died, then the king died (this is a sequence of events)
The queen died, then the king died of grief (now this is a story!)
Some elements of story:
Scene
Characters that surprise!
Dialogue; remember to avoid “Question & Answer” format!
Summary
Reflection
Point of View
- First person (“I” or “We”)
- Second person (“You”)
- Third person (“She,” “He,” or “They”)
Tense (Past, Present)
Inventory and detail
Conflict and tension
Descriptions that make the story easy to visualize:
Characters
Setting
Sentence-level precision
The story “engine”...the thing that makes you want to turn the page!
How much of this guide matched your definition of what "Story" is? Now you're ready to dive deeper to understand how a story works, and how to go about writing one.
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