Elements of a story

By Geoffrey Gevalt
YWP Editor

All of us are storytellers. We tell stories in the halls to our friends in the morning after a long weekend. We tell our teachers great yarns as to why the assignment wasn't completed. We tell our parents or their friends something memorable to keep them from asking so many darned questions.

But for some reason many of us have trouble putting those stories onto paper; somehow we never think they're good enough, or we can't find that conversational tone or we just don't feel like it.

This piece is aimed at offering you some guideposts for writing a short story that is both memorable AND fun to write. And my first thought is for you to set aside your worries, really, find a nice spot for them on the desk or the shelf -- the worry that you're no good, that the story won't work, that you can't write, that it's no fun. Just set those aside.

And here are some thoughts on what you'll need to write the story:

The idea. What is the story you want to tell? Explore a lot of places for ideas -- your own journals, experiences or situations; what has happened to you that involved conflict? Can you tell a story AND keep everyone's identities secret? Can you alter parts of it to make it more interesting or dramatic? ... Look to external things to stimulate ideas: a book you liked, a magazine, newspaper or photographs. What about something you saw on TV or the Internet? Or an overheard conversation. Take a kernel of an idea and work with it.

The pitch. Put your idea on paper. Three sentences or less. And take 30-seconds or less to write it. A test for yourself: Are you intrigued? Does the idea make you think of other parts of it? Do you find yourself going deeper? OR, does it flatten out? You aren't that interested; it's hard to think of how you'd write it. If it's the latter, find a new idea.

Elements to a good short story. Here are the important words to remember in a story:

The plot. You obviously need to have a story line: What happens?.

Characters. Choose strong characters who fit into your story line. Focus on the main characters first; develop them -- create a background to help you know how they would behave and speak within the story.

Viewpoint. From whose vantage point are you going to tell the story? The main character? An impartial or third-person narrator? Or from the omniscient -- or all knowing -- perspective: This viewpoint allows the writer to enter the minds of all the characters.

Voice. What is the tone or voice of the writing? Is it humorous? Serious? Sad? Tense?

Confidence. Remember that all voice must have confidence -- you as a writer can develop your confidence in your story by preparing: Explore all the possibilities for your story ahead of time or do some research on the subject or place or time period you've chosen. Know where you are going.

Conflict. All good stories have a compelling conflict, something that challenges or threatens the well being of the main character or characters. How will the main character (protagonist) respond to the forces against her or him. How will the main character resolve issues with the antagonist?

Climax and resolution.The most satisfying stories create the scene, the characters, the conflict and then drive you to the pivotal point -- the climax. The best stories then have a believable resolution -- the character's actions and reactions seem consistent. The resolution is CHANGE -- the characters, the conflict, the story has changed. What happens next?

Details. Details are important throughout. Details bring writing to life. Well-used, the reader can picture what the writer is doing and thus makes a strong connection to the story that is written. For instance, it was interesting that of those who read what they wrote of "The Boy," only one gave an age of the boy. Well if you don't have that picture, telling the reader how old the character is extremely important to get the reader to visualize him or her.

Audience. Who is your audience? Initially your classmates, teachers, and other young writers. And, eventually, your parents. And, when your stories are finished, potentially thousands of people on the Web. But don't think about that. Choose one person who is close to you -- someone you trust and who also speaks to you honestly; someone who will accept whatever you say or do and not change their appreciation of you. An aunt. Or an uncle. Or a neighbor. When you write, visualize that person; make believe you are writing that person a letter, you're telling that person a story.

OK, now comes the fun part: Writing the story. Here's a trick: Work on that opening line. I worked with a wonderful writer who told me once, "Writing is easy. All you do is write one sentence at a time; the second line relates to the first, the third to the second, and so forth. The hard part is coming up with that first line."

The first line is your hook, its how you draw in your reader. Don't waste it with a clause or passive language. Take me, the reader, right to where you want me to be. Make me interested.
Noodle on it: Where is my story going? Where should I start? What moment do I want to start with?

Now here's another tip: It is NEVER necessary to know everything about the story you are about to write; in fact most writers will tell you that you should NOT have thought it all out -- discovering the story as you go is half the fun of writing. But you should have an idea of direction, characters, storyline, climax and ending.

So think up that opening line. And then write the second sentence...