If, for example, your novel is a horror story that takes place in a haunted house, the setting becomes the crux of every choice that your protagonist makes. This can play a major role in the action of the plot. It refers to both the physical location of your narrative and the way your characters are affected by their time and place: their cultural environment, their relationship with the natural world, the way they speak, what sort of social and political events are happening around them.Īll of these things are a part of how your characters formed as people. Setting is the time and place where your story happens.
SETTING ELEMENTS OF FICTION HOW TO
You can find out more about antagonists in literature, and how to craft a dynamic, compelling villain, here.
What matters is that the trajectory of the antagonist or conflicting force forces the protagonist into action and carries the story’s plot forward. The protagonist’s major conflict may also be something impersonal, such as a force of nature, or it might come from within, like a mental illness or a weakness such as addiction.Ĭonflict can come in many forms. They might even be a friend or loved one who has made different choices or has a contrasting view of the world-for example, a parent who can’t agree with their child’s plans for the future, even though the choices they make come from a place of love.Īn antagonist can also be more than one person-for instance, a collective group, society, government, or culture. Most classic villains are antagonists, but an antagonist can also be an otherwise good person whose circumstances have put them in conflict with the central character. They want something, and the protagonist wants something, and those desires cannot exist within the world at the same time. An antagonist is a story element whose goals stand in direct opposition with the goals of the protagonist. In order for your protagonist to go on a journey-which maybe a physical journey, or an emotional or spiritual one-they need someone or something to challenge them into action. It’s through their triumphs, losses, joys, passions, and agonies that we live within your world and come away from it slightly changed-with a new perspective or a new understanding about what it is to be human.įor tips on how to write a great protagonist, check out our lesson on character! 2. No matter what, everything in your plot structure should in some way be connected to your central guiding character.Ī great protagonist is particularly important because they’re the lens through while your reader will see the world of your story. These things might help them along their way, become an obstacle that the protagonist needs to overcome, shape who the protagonist is and their relationship with the world around them, or challenge that relationship and teach the protagonist something new. All other literary elements and devices including the antagonist (which we’ll look at next), environment, and conflicts will in some way support the protagonist’s journey. They’re the beating heart to which all roads lead, the one whose choices carry the plot to its conclusion. A book is always told from this character’s perspective (we’ll look more at perspective down below). A protagonistĪ protagonist is the central character within a work of literature. Here’s a closer look at each one and at why they’re so integral to crafting a good story.
The 12 essential elements of every great storyĪll great stories can be broken down into twelve basic elements. Let’s take a look at the basic story elements you’ll see again and again in the stories we love, and how to use all these elements when writing your own original tales. They’re what make us take the journey and learn those lessons right beside them. It’s these key elements that make us care deeply for the characters, their journey, and the lessons they learn along the way. These include: a protagonist, an antagonist, setting, perspective, an objective, stakes, rising action, falling action, symbolism, language, theme, and verisimilitude.
SETTING ELEMENTS OF FICTION SERIES
The elements of a story are the core building blocks that almost any narrative will have, whether it’s a short story or a series of novels, a literary coming-of-age saga or a science fiction epic.
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