WRITING A STORY IN SEVEN EASY STEPS

This is an introduction to the seven bare bones or basic elements of story writing. They can be used by children or adults because the rules are the same.

My definition: A short story is a COMPLETE telling about a SITUATION involving a MAIN CHARACTER in CONFLICT over a PROBLEM leading to an OBJECTIVE and his/her efforts to overcome OBSTACLES and achieve the OBJECTIVE.

To start a story, you need four main elements. To write a complete story, you need an additional three story elements; a total of seven. Of course, more sub-elements are required to flesh out the story, but the main seven are the “bones” or foundation that you must have to support the rest.

To start, ask yourself these questions:

Idea: What is the unique concept I have in mind to make this a good story?
Situation: What are the story circumstances that have changed or are about to change?
Character: Who is the appealing main story person to be impacted by this change?
Problem: What problem faces the focal character as a result of the change?

With these four questions in mind, readers logically want to know what the main character is going to do about her situation, so you need to know the answers yourself before starting to write the narrative. This can be done in a simple sentence, as:

My (IDEA) is to dramatically show what happens when a 14-year-old girl (CHARACTER) returns to her Ozark Mountain home one June afternoon in 1934 and finds that (SITUTATION) her stepmother has taken the girl’s siblings and moved away without leaving any idea of where they went, leaving the girl with a (PROBLEM) of what to do.

I like to have a working name for the main character to help me to visualize that person and why he/she is likeable.

This information is the beginning of a story plot which can be fully developed by first asking and then answering the remaining three questions:

Objective: What specific, tangible goal does the main character desperately want?
Obstacles: Who or what prevents the main character from reaching that objective?
Outcome: What is the resolution to the story?

After you answer these last three questions, you will have plotted your entire story and also set up the three-part structure necessary to support the narrative in a complete and satisfactory way.

My answers to the last three questions:

Objective: The girl (Hildy) wants to find and be reunited with her stepmother and siblings. That’s what drives Hildy and advances the story. So the rest of the narrative is going to show the many trials and failures she encounters in trying to achieve that goal.
Obstacles: Since conflict is the heart of any story, you must show the girl clashing with all kinds of people and impediments that that prevent her reaching the goal. These obstacles can be broken down into three kinds of conflict: person versus person, person vs. self and person vs. environment. That includes everything else, such as other culture, time, fire, accidents, race, etc.

Person vs. person: There can be more than one, but there should be a single major adversary who continuing tries to thwart the main character throughout the narrative. In this story, Hildy’s
cantankerous backwoods granny doesn’t want her to leave, so she hires a despicable but talented hunter to track the girl and bring her back. Of course, throughout the story, there can be others who oppose the focal character in the quest. .

Person vs. self: Everyone has fears, doubts or weak faith. Hildy is unworldly, broke, with no means of support, yet she must travel across country in trying to catch up with her family. It is logical that she would have times when her fears threatened to and make her doubt that she can ever reach her objective. She can sink so low emotionally that she has moments when she’s ready to give up, but she can’t. If she did, there would be no story.

Person vs. environment: Since this means anything beyond Hildy’s relentless pursuer and others who hinder her search, Hildy’s inexperience heightens her self-doubt. So whatever else I could think that was a hindrance went into this story. That includes hunger, places to sleep, lack of transportation across country, a myriad of dangers along the way, etc. This conflict with the environment was only limited by how long or short the story would be,

Outcome: The resolution to the story requires a dramatic “dark moment,” when it seems impossible for the main character to every reach her objective. The ending must include whether the main character achieved her objective or failed after a final valiant effort.

Readers don’t like unhappy endings, so I always insist on the resolution being positive and upbeat. The suspenseful ending episode must show how the focal character used her own ability to snatch victory from defeat, satisfy the reader and make the editor want to buy the next story.
In fact, the above first story about Hildy led to eight more novels in a best-selling series.

For a complete mini-writing course on this subject, check out my latest book shown on this page.
Homework: Now, to prove that the above really works, write a 500 word maximum story which includes all of the above elements. Let me know how it turns out.

Lee Roddy
Author/Speaker
Member, Authors
Guild of America

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LOIS JOHNSON continued....“Lee Roddy has clearly marked the way. Out of his own success as the bestselling author of countless short stories and over 50 novels, he gives well-thought-out sign posts. Through these lessons follow his tried and true plan to understand and develop the structure, story elements, and compelling interest needed to write and sell effective fiction.” Lois Walfrid Johnson, author, Hearts of Courage and other Viking Quest novels.