The Five Elements of a Short Story
- Characters. The characters are the subject of your story. ...
- Setting. The setting is the place where the story happens. ...
- Plot. The plot is the series of events that takes place in your short story. ...
- Conflict. The conflict is the struggle or tension that happens in your story. ...
- Theme. The theme is the central belief or topic that your story has. ...
- Exposition.
- Rising Action.
- Climax.
- Falling Action.
- Conclusion.
What are the 5 parts of a short story?
- Coming of age
- Facing death or loss of a loved one
- Remembering a traumatic event
- The loss of innocence or trust
- Falling in love
- Good versus evil
- Motherhood and transformation
- Empowerment
What are the five plot elements of a story?
What are the elements of storytelling?
- Plot. The plot is the most important part of any story.
- Character. Characters are the elements who are living in the story.
- Theme. The theme is a word that can be defined in a few words.
- Dialogue. It is the way how characters connect with each other and to you, The Audience.
- Melody.
- Decor.
- Spectacle.
What are the literary elements of short stories?
- Story of Character – the writer concentrates on presenting a character. ...
- Story of Plot – the reader is most interested in what is happening or what is going to happen. ...
- Story of Setting – the reader’s Interests center In the surrounding or place In which the story occurs. ...
- Story of Theme – illustrates strikingly and idea of a taught of human kind. ...
What are the five parts of a story?
- Exposition (or Introduction)
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Resolution
What do you do at the end of a story?
At the end of your story, you want to make sure you fulfill the promises you made to the reader.
How to write a compelling story?
These following are the most important elements to creating a strong and compelling story. 1. Determine Your Message. “ Fiction lets us try different mental states and experience other minds in action.”. — Lisa Zunshine. When you write a short story, your short story will usually fit into a genre.
What are genre tropes?
You can use genre tropes to describe certain common recurring motives, tactics, images, language or even clichés of a particular genre. In terms of Fantasy, ‘the hero is orphaned’ and ‘you follow the Hero’s Journey’, are common tropes. However, don’t be a slave to the common tropes. You need to be a chef, not a cook.
What does your character want?
“What does your character want, what is his dream, what shape has it , and how expressed? Given expression, this is the dynamo of his life, and your life, then, as Creator.” — Ray Bradbury
What happens when you change one element of a story?
If you change one story element, you’ve changed the whole story.
What is a character in a story?
Character. Characters are the people (or animals, or even inanimate objects) who have a role to play in the story. They might be important characters at the very centre of the action. Or they might be smaller characters who only pop up to engage with the main characters.
What is the plot of Rocky IV?
The elements of plot are generally centered on a timeline beginning with a problem and ends with the story’s resolution. In Rocky IV, our hero accompanies Apollo Creed to a boxing match against Russian boxer, Ivan Drago. Drago beats Creed so badly that he dies (this bit gets the tears flowing).
What is the setting of a story?
Setting is where your story takes place. Not just the physical location, but the time it’s set in, too. It’s the where and the when of the story. Sometimes you’ll explicitly tell your audience where the action is set. Otherwise, you might just leave small clues that hint at the time and place.
How many elements are there in Lord of the Rings?
R. Tolkien, who allegedly spent between 12 and 17 years nailing all the important elements of a story for Lord of the Rings. But when you boil it down, each story is actually made up of five basic story elements: Character. Conflict. Plot. Setting. Theme.
What is conflict in a story?
Conflict is the problem in the story. It’s also act two of a three-act story structure – the turning point where everything kicks off. A conflict can be internal, like when a character’s battling with their inner demons.

What Are Story elements?
Story Elements Examples
- We explained each story element above, and now it’s time to put our teachings into practice. Here are some common story element examples we created.
Free Story Elements Worksheet
- Put everything you learned into practice with our free story elements worksheet PDF. This PDF includes a blank story elements anchor chart or graphic organiser, two completed examples and an explanation of each of the story elements. This worksheet pack is great for planning your own story:
Common Questions About Story Elements
- Why Are Story Elements Needed?
Writing a story is a huge task. Simply just putting pen to paper isn’t really going to cut it, especially if you want to write professionally. Planning is needed. That’s where the story elements come in. Breaking a story down into different components, helps you plan out each area carefully. It also r… - What are the 7 elements of a story?
Some writers have expanded the traditional 5 elements to 7 elements of a story. These 7 elements include: 1. Theme:What is the moral or main lesson to learn in your story? 2. Characters: Who are your main and supporting characters? 3. Setting: Where is your story set? Think about l…