There are thirteen elements of fiction that are crucial to captivating storytelling. While it may feel like quite the handful of elements, it is is very possible to learn them and learn them well.
When I wrote my first novel, I didn’t know much about character development or plot structure. I knew creativity was a skill to grow, but I didn’t know how…other than just practice.
Thankfully, I entered into a mentorship with a New York Times bestselling author. Through his guidance, I made it through the learning curve and today, have written numerous books, taught at writing conferences, and coach writers.
If I can go from novice writer to writing coach, you can certainly learn the various elements of fiction. Plus, over the last 10 years, we’ve taught over 8,000 authors how to write, publish, and market their books. Teaching is our job! All you have to do is pay attention. Ready to get going?
Elements of fiction: what you learn
What are the elements of fiction?
When stripped to the bare essentials, the basic elements of fiction include character, plot, and setting. Everything takes place somewhere (setting). To write a story, by nature you must have things that happen (plot). And if you have things that happen, they must be experienced by someone (character).
However, if you really want to make money publishing books, it’s helpful to include the 12 elements of fiction, as well as a bonus element that my writing mentor teaches is absolutely crucial to great storytelling.
What are the 12 elements of a story?
The 12 elements of fiction are your protagonist and antagonist, plot, setting, point of view, goal, stakes, rising action, falling action, symbols, voice, theme, truth, and change.
1. Protagonist and antagonist
Your protagonist is the character your readers experience the story through. Usually, you want your protagonist to be a “round character,” or a character who feels like a real person and experiences a character arc by the end of the story.
Great characters have:
- Interests
- Motivations
- Complex characteristics
Just as humans can’t be condensed into a single stereotype or box, our character should read as individuals with their own nuance. Of course, the same should be true of your antagonist.
My writing mentor stresses the importance of giving your protagonist a worthy opponent. Imagine if Frodo needed to defeat another hobbit from The Shire rather than Sauron. The entire trilogy would feel much less epic.
In fact, a very similar plot point happened when Sméagol took the Ring from his hobbit friend. In the movie, it was just a few minutes, if that, of run time. Your antagonist will reveal the strength of your protagonist, so take care to make them a worthy adversary.
2. Plot
Your plot is one of the most foundational elements of fiction. It’s what happens in the story: the events that take place. It’s helpful to think of it this way, “If ___ happens, what will be the effect?”
Typically, your answer to the “if” question should be the option that best propels your story forward, while showcasing your protagonist as a proactive character. For example, if you’re writing a modern day survival story, what happens if your character breaks their leg?
This will add conflict to the story (which is important) but it may also hold your story back, rather than propel it forward, and hinder your character from important, proactive choices…they just have to wait until they can walk again.
Plus, if your character is now stuck in one place, your setting won’t change, and it will feel impossible to drive your events (plot) forward.
Instead, what if your protagonist stumbles upon someone with a broken leg? Now there’s multi-layered conflict and the option for the protagonist to make proactive choices.
3. Setting
Your setting is where your story happens. This is one of the elements of fiction that can most impact the overall tone of your story. This is your story world.
While you don’t need to go full J.R.R. Tolkien, whether you’re writing a fantasy novel or modern romance, it’s helpful to take some time to orient yourself to the story’s surroundings, so you can in turn orient your reader.
Once you choose your setting, learn the details of your story’s location: the main places your character exists. If you’re writing realistic fiction, consider what city or state you’re working with. What’s life like there? How do the struggles unique to that location play a part in your story?
If you’re writing fantasy and you’ve got some worldbuilding to do. Geography is hugely important. A port city will look radically different from a desert city, and both will be way different than a village in the tropics.
4. Point of view
The point of view you choose for your story is the character in which you want your reader to see the story from, and therefore empathize with.
When reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, written from soon-to-be villain President Snow’s perspective, I was stunned to realize Suzanne Collins had led me to empathize with the villain. This is masterful writing, and can be accomplished through various points of view.
First person
First person is my current favorite and quite common in young adult literature (think Divergent) and character-driven fiction. It’s very intimate, as it uses the pronoun “I.”
Second person
Second person is the “you” point of view. This sometimes gets confused with epistolary books, which are actually technically first person, but here’s how you tell them apart: in the second person, “you” is the main character, not the addressee.
There will be no mention of an “I,” since we’re reading from the perspective of “you.” In an epistolary book, we’re reading from the perspective of the person writing the letter. They might use “I,” and they’re addressing “you.”
Third person limited
Third person limited means we’re reading from the perspective of a specific character, and we’re using he or she. Because the perspective is limited, we can only see inside our narrating character’s head, and we don’t get the thoughts or perspectives of other characters.
Third person close
This is a subtype of third person limited. In third person close, we’re in our narrator’s head just as intensely as we might be if we were in first person, but we’re using third person pronouns.
Third person omniscient
Third person omniscient is the only point of view where we get more than one character’s perspective in a scene. (New writers often write in omniscient point of view by accident. This is why it’s important to have a good editor work through your manuscript!)
Third person omniscient isn’t the same as having alternating POV in a novel. You might have chapters of a book from different characters’ perspectives, but in each of these chapters, we’re usually reading from that character’s perspective.
Because you’re able to see everyone’s perspective, motives, and thoughts, this perspective can make it difficult to have meaningful conflict. But it’s not impossible!
5. Goal
Your character’s goal creates conflict and often coincides with their needs. For example, in Avatar the Last Airbender, Zuko wants to recapture the Avatar and regain his honor. This is the goal. What he really needs is to accept himself and help Aang restore balance to the world. This is the need.
6. Stakes
Without stakes, goals fall flat. In Harry Potter, Harry’s goal is to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If he doesn’t, Lord Voldemort will win and Harry will lose everything. These are high stakes.
7. Rising action
Rising action (and falling action) are the elements of fiction that propel your story to the climax and the ending. Your rising action are the events that increase in intensity until they climax at…you guessed it, the climax.
8. Falling action
Your falling action is a kind way to orient your readers to life on the other side of the climax. It’s Frodo and Sam being picked up by the eagles, spending time with their friends, and slowly acclimating to life without the conflict of needing to defeat Sauron.
9. Symbols
Whether or not you realize it, symbols often appear in elements of fiction. Fantasy often showcases many symbols (Harry’s lightning-shaped scar), but can be included in other genres as well. Consider the feathers Tate gives Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing. They are a symbol of friendship.
10. Voice
Voice is the way you use words to tell the story. It’s the diction and structure you use. Out of all the elements of fiction, this may be the most subjective.
Do you favor shorter, more brutal sentences, like Cormac McCarthy, or do you like more colorful descriptions and a more academic tone, like Donna Tartt?
To help pinpoint your voice, read as much as you can and as broadly as possible. We often write what we read, especially when we’re starting out, so it’s good to have a wide variety coming in.
Second, practice writing as much as possible. The more you practice, the more you’ll shake copying other authors’ styles and start developing and honing your own.
11. Theme
Theme is the recurring issues brought up in a story. A theme of many superhero movies is sacrifice. Our hero has a new ability to stop evil, but at a great personal cost.
A theme in The Lord of the Rings is the effect of war on people. Frodo is unable to return to The Shire after what he’s experienced and has to go West to be at peace.
Read broadly in your genre to identify common themes your readers will expect. A cozy romance novel might not be the place for a gritty examination of loss and sacrifice.
12. Truth
Great stories are drawn out of realism: human wants, needs, strengths, and weaknesses. When you’re writing, keep in mind what this story is about, not just at a surface level, but on an analytic, symbolic level.
What does the end imply? How do your characters change, and how does that impact the themes you’re exploring? What truths are you shedding light on?
13. Change
At least not as it pertains to the reader, change is not often considered in the elements of fiction. Yes, we want characters to grow and change. But great literature often turns into a classic based on the universal truths it teaches.
Because of this, adding the possibility of reader change to your elements of fiction can take your writing to the next level. By change I don’t mean forcing element 12 (truths) on your reader, but allowing them to learn from the characters you write.
This means letting your characters grow and make mistakes in ways your readers can relate to and maybe even by inspired by.
Element of fiction: take your next step
Now that you have a grasp of the 12 elements of fiction, plus our bonus element, it’s time to take your next step. Use our free resource below to move forward in your own author journey!
This blog was rewritten from the original version published by Gloria Russell.
