Story Writing - Introduction, Important Elements and format

A narrative is, in its most basic form, an account of a series of events that are linked together. These occurrences can either be stated categorically or inferred from the context. Take a look at this well-known six-word narrative that is frequently and wrongly credited to Ernest Hemingway:

It's possible to draw a lot of conclusions from just this one sentence. You might be able to draw conclusions about who is selling the shoes, why they have never been worn, and why the person selling them wants to be paid for them rather than giving them away for free based on the little hints that are provided in the story. As you draw these conclusions, a narrative is starting to take shape in your head. 

However, a recounting of events does not always take the form of a narrative. The following five components must be present for there to be a narrative:

1. Setting
2. Plot
3. Conflict
4. Character
5. Theme

1. Within the context of our six-word example from earlier, the reader is tasked with deducing the majority of these components from the limited information provided, such as the identities of the persons and the conflict that resulted in the baby shoes being put up for sale. Another example of a piece of flash fiction, this one consisting of only one letter, is as follows:
2. “Cosmic Report Card: Earth,” by Forrest J. Ackerman: F.
3. Who is this mysterious person? The organization responsible for compiling the cosmic report card. Where does the action take place? The universe. What's going on? Planets are given grades depending on their overall contribution to the cosmos. The disagreement? The poor grade for Earth. The core idea? The disappointing results of humanity's efforts.
4. The title is what actually sets the scene for the narrative and makes it feasible for the story's one letter to communicate the story's conflict and topic. Although the story itself is only one letter long, the title is what really sets the scene for the story.
5. The sole requirement for writing a story is to include all five of these components in some way. Aside from that, you may make a tale about virtually anything you want it to be. It could be as brief as a few words or as lengthy as a number of books. Its length is up to the author.
6. Different types of stories
7. Isn't it true that every single tale is one of a kind? 

Every narrative may have its own distinct blend of characters, place, plot, conflict, and theme; nonetheless, Christopher Booker, a journalist and author, recognized seven distinct sorts of plots that stories can fall into. These several sorts of plots are:

1. prevailing against the adversary
2. From squalor to luxury
3. The endeavor
4. The journey and its conclusion
5. Rebirth (reborn)
6. Comedic effect
7. Tragic event

These storylines are broad categories; for example, two stories about a person going from poverty to wealth can be very different from one another, as can two stories that fall into any other category. For instance, Groundhog Day and Pride and Prejudice might not seem to have much in common at first glance, yet they are both examples of rebirth stories. This means that their respective narratives describe how a flawed character overcame a challenge that compelled them to become a better person. The process of discussing, classifying, and comprehending stories is facilitated with the grouping of tales into the aforementioned categories. 

As was just mentioned, there is no predetermined minimum time requirement for a tale. There is also no restriction on the maximum allowed length. However, stories are frequently arranged according to how long they are. These are the designations that are utilized most frequently:

Novel: A work that is longer than 40,000 words.

Novella length ranges from 17,500 to 40,000 words.

A short story is defined as having 7,500 words or fewer.

A novelette and flash fiction are two other types of short stories that you might be familiar with. Within the context of these broader categories, these are subcategories that pertain to stories that are a particular length. A novelette is longer than a short story but shorter than a novella, and a flash fiction tale is often told in fewer than 1,500 words. A novella is longer than both a novelette and a short story. 

Is an anecdote the same as a story?

An anecdote is a brief recounting of events that does not contain any of the five components that are necessary to build up a story. Anecdotes can be a brief summary of a conversation you had at work or a review of your experience at a theme park. 

On the other hand, a story is referred to as a narrative. In the same way that the term "composition" can be used to refer to a particular piece of writing or the art of writing, the term "narrative" can be used to refer to the story itself or to the manner in which the story is conveyed. The narrative of a story is the presentation of the story's various plot points.

You have most likely heard of the fairy tale known as "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." The narrative that you are familiar with is written in the third person and is narrated in the version that you are comfortable with. Now, picture yourself reading the story as it was recounted from Mama Bear's point of view; the narrative might contain a section like the one below: 

"I followed the small, dirty footprints from the front door to the kitchen, where I found that somebody had ransacked the pantry and left crumbs all over the place," you say. "I found out that they were left by the person who had left the footprints." 

"Mama, hurry up and get here! Someone has been sleeping in your bed! The call came from Papa Bear in the bedroom. I told Baby Bear to remain in the kitchen despite the fact that my heart was racing. I had no idea what to expect, and I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this intruder dangerous?"

Do you see how the perspective of the storyteller affects the telling of the tale? The first- or third-person point of view (or, in some situations, the second-person point of view) is utilized when writing a story.

How to write a story in 5 steps

The writing process that you use for other types of writing is comparable to the technique that you use for writing stories, but it is not identical to that approach. When telling a story, you need to make certain that all five of the parts that we discussed earlier are included. 

The steps to writing a short story are as follows:

1 Find inspiration

The genesis of an idea is the first stage in the process of writing a story. In the event that you are required to write the narrative for school, you will most likely be given a topic, a conflict, and/or other components to work with. If not, you should try to get some inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere: your own experiences, news items, historical events, or even just letting your imagination travel down the rabbit hole of "what if?" 

Take note. Take heed! Take a look. Take careful notes. If you make it a practice to do all of these things, then you will find inspiration everywhere you look, just like writers have throughout history. 

2 Brainstorm

After you've come up with an idea for a story, the next step is to brainstorm. Put all of your thoughts down on paper, including an overview of the general direction that the story will take. Allow yourself to experiment with different ideas for characters, settings, narrative elements, and how the major conflict will be resolved (or not!).

When you have an understanding of the fundamentals, the next step is to choose the perspective you will adopt. This is where the concept of a narrative comes into play; who is narrating the story, and how does that character's experience and perspective influence the direction of the narrative? 

3 Outline

After that, you should begin by outlining your story. An outline for a tale is very much like the outlines that are used for other types of writing, such as academic papers. Your tale's outline is essentially a structure that contains the essential plot aspects and facts that are vital to the story. When it comes to plotting out the sequence of events that comprise a novel, many authors find that working from the outline of the story is beneficial.

4 Write the first draft

It is now time to start writing. Take a seat, and despite the temptation to make changes to your story as you go along, fight it off. Just sit there and get all of that story writing out of your system. You won't be rushed to finish the editing process later on. 

5 Revise and edit your story

At this point, having other people read through your work can be really beneficial. Bring your story to the other members of your writing group so that they can offer you helpful criticism on it. Because they are approaching the story with new eyes, readers are often better at seeing plot holes, mischaracterizations, passages that can be reinforced, and other things that just aren't working than the story's creator is. This is because readers are more likely to have a different perspective than the author. 

If you do not already participate in a writing group, consider having some loved ones or close friends read through your work. We are aware that this is a challenging request to make, but if you want to produce stories that anybody other than yourself will read, soliciting input from readers is an absolute must.

You are able to make changes to your narrative by getting input from readers. This is your second draft, which is the revised version. Remember that proofreading and correcting your spelling and punctuation are vital components of the editing process and should be done at this stage even though it might be ready to publish at this point. In addition, it may be beneficial to encourage your readers to give the second draft a second read-through and provide any further criticism they may have regarding the revised version. 

3 examples of stories

The allegory known as "The Tortoise and the Hare," which is credited to the Greek storyteller Aesop, is just one of the numerous tales from the ancient world that have been passed down through the generations. When one is working toward achieving a goal, the basic idea is that consistency is more important than speed. 

One other well-known tale is called "The One Thousand and One Nights." Along the lines of The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron, this is a collection of stories that are contained within a wider narrative. The story of Scheherazade, a young lady who marries the king in order to delay her execution by telling him a new story every night, is the primary thread that runs through The One Thousand and One Nights. He puts off the execution on a regular basis for a total of 1,001 nights since he can't wait to find out how the story turns out. This type of story is known as a frame story, and it gets its name from the fact that it consists of numerous small stories that fit into a larger framework.

Mary Shelley is the author of the well-known story "Frankenstein," which was first published in 1818 under the formal title "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus." The narrative, which has been rewritten and retold in a myriad of different ways since it was first made available to the public, delves into topics such as life and death as well as the fight between humans and nature.

Writing a story FAQs 

What is a story?

A narrative is an account of events that include at least one character, a setting, a central topic or idea, a plot, and at least one conflict. 

How does a story work?

Telling the reader about a sequence of events, often known as a narrative, is one way in which a story conveys its message to the audience. A character will have at least one conflict throughout the course of the story, which will usually (but not always) cause the character to evolve. 

What are the different types of stories?

There is a wide variety of literature to choose from. The following are the seven fundamental types of plots: 

1.  prevailing against the adversary
2.  From squalor to luxury
3.  The endeavor
4.  The journey and its conclusion
5.  Rebirth (reborn)
6.  Comedic effect
7.  Tragic even