The Six Major Story Elements

Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares writers’ resources on her award-winning blog Sharing with Writers

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children’s Ghostwriter, Rewriter/Editor

There are six major elements to a fiction story, and it’s the combination of these elements that makes the story complete, interesting, and considered good writing.  Too much of one or not enough of another can affect the reader’s ability to connect with the story. 

So, what are the major elements of a children’s story?

1.    Protagonist
2.    Setting
3.    Plot
4.    Conflict
5.    Point of view
6.    Theme

Here’s a breakdown:

The Protagonist: Introduce the main character. Using your imagination make him unique. He can have particular mannerisms or quirks, or even distinct physical attributes. You can also make him likable or unsavory, but remember that you need the reader to be able to create a connection to him. It’s this connection that will prompt the reader to keep reading. Your protagonist needs to be real… believable.

The Setting: This will establish the time and place where the story takes place. The setting can create a feeling and mood. For example, if you’re writing about swashbuckling pirates, your reader will be in a certain mindset. The same holds for any other setting you choose. It will be intrinsic to the plot/conflict and will help establish vivid imagery for the reader.

The Plot: This is the meat of the story; it’s the forward movement, the conflict or struggle that drives the protagonist toward his goal. This involves any danger, suspense, romance, or other reader-grabbing occurrence. 

Conflict: This is the main problem or obstacle the main character must face and overcome to reach his goal. It can be an internal struggle or an external conflict from outside factors. Overcoming the conflict forces the character to have positive growth/change. 

Point of View: This establishes whose point of view the story is being told from. It’s important to make this clear. Even if you have two main characters, there needs to be one who is primary in order to keep clarity within the story. This applies through middle-grade. 

The Theme: This establishes what is important to the story. It usually evolves along with the story and the protagonist’s progression. If Jesus is your protagonist, establishing and promoting Christianity might be the theme. It might be the story’s view on life and the people/characters the protagonist encounters. It is the idea the author wants the reader to take away.

Utilizing each of these elements can create a unique, fascinating, and memorable story. Just as a cooking recipe has its own ingredients, writing has its own set that produce a remarkable end product.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, rewriter/editor with clients worldwide. For more tips on writing for children or if you need help with your children’s story, please visit Karen Cioffi Writing for Children. While there, you can check out Karen’s books.

And don’t forget to CONNECT. 

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including “The Frugal Book Promoter” (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and “The Frugal Editor” both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are “How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically,” and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, “Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers” (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and “Great First Impression Book Proposals” (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. “The Frugal Editor “(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is “A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques” (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing–grammar, formatting and more–at “The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor” (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.