Yesterday we delved into character development, which is an important part of the story. Detailed characters can make any setting shine.

The television show Seinfeld was aired for 9 years, but most of the setting was about normal everyday happenings in the apartment. If the characters were not fully developed with quirks, depth, and fullness, the show couldn't have worked.

A great cast of well rounded and carefully thought out characters will almost write your story for you!

Almost equally as important as the beings your story is centered around, is the story itself. The plot must be believable and relatable. It's your choice whether the story will be character driven or plot driven; is the plot going to propel the character or will your character determine the plot?

But all good stories have the same elements:

Setup

The setup introduces the reader to the story and tells who, what, where, when and sometimes why. I say sometimes because in horror, thriller and suspense especially, the why may not be known until the end.

During the setup, we learn about the character and setting. The story should have a main character, but the supporting cast is equally important. Each character needs to stay true to their description so they remain consistent and believable. Here you will strategically place background information so the reader can paint a picture of the story in their mind. The setup is important- if you do not paint a compelling picture, the reader will not be invested in your story and will move on to one which captures their attention.

If you write this well, your reader will be emotionally invested in the character and want to know more and keep reading.

Describe the environment in vivid detail so your readers can visualize the setting.

Here you will also provide clues as to where the story is heading, to further pique the reader's interest.

Conflict

What is the thing that your character must overcome? Conflicts consist of:

• Man vs Man- your character battling another- an example of this would be Batman: he battles the evil villain.

• Man vs Self- the battle within. Examples would be a character fighting addiction, or Fight Club- he battles the multiple personality his brain has conjured.

• Man vs Nature- examples would be 2012, where the character battles against cataclysmic weather events.

• Man vs Society- an example would be the Hunger Games: Catniss battles the Capitol society and the rules they have imposed.

Many stories will have more than one of these, for instance in the Hunger Games, the main conflict is man vs society, but also has elements of man vs self as she battles her own beliefs, man vs nature as she survives the elements, and man vs man when she is against President Snow or a fellow tribute in the arena.

A well-crafted conflict has a series of events which slowly (at first) build up from the beginning of the story, filled with suspense and giving the reader tension and urgency, and that feeling that something is about to happen.

Climax

Your story plot is centered on the conflict and how your character reacts or acts to solve the problem. When the excitement of the story is at the height of action it's called the climax.

This is the showdown, where the action happens. The conflict led up to this point and now the battle happens. This is the peak of your story.

Resolution

This is the final step: the series of events has all led up to the conflict, the climax happened, and now it's time for the action to wind down as we head to the ending. This is the outcome of the story, the conclusion, and the resolution. Everything returns to normal and emotions level out. This is also where the reader's emotions wind down and level out.

Be sure the resolution solves all conflict so there are no loose ends.

It is important to scrutinize your character going through each of these stages. It has to flow right; if your character does not feel right to you in one stage, it will not read right and the readers will feel unsatisfied. Change the characters reaction or tweak your story so it feels right.

Images via Pexels

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