Dan’s Writing Blog

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Stories may differ in message, content and characters, but each one is required to have these 16 different elements. When you finish reading this article, you will be equipped with a checklist that you will want to keep.

• The theme weaves the story together, and every story has a theme. This is the thread that weaves seamlessly throughout the story, revealing the general theme.
• It will also have a plot, usually found in the center climax, or perhaps in a series of events.
• All stories have an arc. This is the gradual increase of momentum that builds and builds to the center climax, and then resolves.
• Whether a story moves fast or slow, it will have some rate of speed. Every story will have pacing.
• You may do it formally or informally, but some kind of outlining goes into every story.
• The resolutions at the end of the story sum up the questions raised within.
• Every story must begin with a good hook in the first paragraph, or you won't have a reader to worry about entertaining.
• All stories are told from a point of view; either first person, second person, third person limited or third person omniscient. The latest reports say editors are looking for third person limited.
• Stories always center around the problems that characters have, and how they resolve those problems.
• And, as you know, stories have dialog. The trick is to write dialog that actually sounds natural. Writers who want to learn to write believable dialog must learn to eavesdrop every chance they get.
• The characters in your story will always have physical descriptions, emotional and psychological hoopla, etc.
• It would be challenging to write any story without a little research. The research may be nothing more than defining an insane person, or studying irate parents, etc., but there will always be research.
• A timeline will rise to the surface in every story. Some authors will dwell on the same scene for ages, while others skip ten years in one sentence.
• You will have scenery and settings in every story, and if you're good, you can turn it into imagery.
• And whether you like it or not, every story has verbiage. Out of every 2,500 words, you can cut 300-500 words.
• Analyze the stories and articles you see in magazines; every one of them will have Show, Don't Tell. If I told you what show, don't tell is, I would only be telling and not showing since this article is too long already. I'll save that for some other time.

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