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There are many ways to break up the elements that go into creating a work of fiction, but the classifications that I have found more useful are character, conflict, plot and background. If you can work these four elements into your story well then the rest will fall into place.

Each of the four elements of a good story hold an important place but first among them is character. The character is what connects your reader to the story. The keys to a good character are that in some way the reader wants to be the character, the character must be in some way likable, the character must have a way to grow, the character must struggle, the character shouldn't be a stereotype and you should use all five senses. If you can bring together these elements into your protagonist then you will have someone the reader cares about and that will make a story they care about.

While Characters are the connection to the story it is conflict that creates the energy. This can be a protagonist, flaws in the character, the weather, or anything else that creates doubt in the mind of the reader that the protagonist can succeed. In the best stories it often appears as if the conflict will overwhelm the character. This can be physical or emotional but it should threaten to destroy the protagonist in some way. It is also worth mentioning at this point that the protagonist who creates the conflict should believe that he is the hero of the story. Conflict must be believable and no one believes they are evil.

Plot and conflict are often difficult to untangle from each other but they are two different things. Conflict are the events that stop the character from following the plot. The plot on the other hand is the ticking time bomb that is set to go off on the last page. Many of the best plots involve situations in which the protagonist has two important goals and is unable to achieve both. This forces the character and the reader to decide which they believe is the more important. The plot is also where you have the best chance for a twist. Surprises in a character are dangerous and surprises in conflict are often considered easy answers.

Often the most overlooked of the four elements of storytelling is history. Everything that happened before the story began, yet some of the most beloved moments in storytelling come from discovering some history about the characters. The most famous of these is in the Star Wars movies when Luke discovers that Darth Vader is his father. Even if you don't have a major revelation like this though history is important. Real people are effected every day by the decisions they have made and story characters should be the same.

No matter how you define the basic elements of fiction it is in the mixing of them, the connections that become unbreakable in the story that make it good. So, once you begin to write don't focus too much on each element instead focus on how you can weave together what you have so that no one piece can be taken away without the entirety collapsing and you will have a story that is uniquely your own.

Learn more about this author, Elton Gahr.
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