Settings in stories refer to three things: Location, Time Period and Mood. The only thing that changes is the lessons they learn, and how these impact them.Ĭheck out this post on 20 tips for character development for more guidance. Deep inside their personality should stay more or less the same. But be careful here – Growth should not be mistaken for a personality change! The main character must stay true to who they are. Depending on your plot, they might become a better person, or even a worse one – if this is a villain’s origin story.

All the challenges and obstacles they face in the story allow them to learn, grow and develop. The main character also goes through changes throughout the story. You should also provide a hint to what this character’s major conflict is in the story (more on conflict later). While introducing this character it is a good idea to include key information about this character’s personality, past and physical appearance.

The main character should be introduced at the beginning. Stories can also have multiple secondary characters, such as supporting characters and villain/s. Every story has at least one main character. CharactersĬharacters are the most familiar element in stories. 5 Elements Of A Storyīelow we have explained each of the five elements of a story in detail, along with examples. You may also notice that these story elements are what most book outlining techniques are based on. These five elements are a great place to start when you need help planning your story. The most universally used story elements contain just five building blocks: In fact, there can be as few as 4 elements in literature all the way up to 12 elements. Over the years, writers have adapted these elements to suit their writing process. By understanding each element, you increase the chances of writing a better story or novel. Simply put, these elements remind writers what to include in stories, and what needs to be planned. Without these blocks, a story will break down, failing to meet the expectations of readers. Story elements are the building blocks needed to make a story work.

Basic elements of a story anchor chart