Key Conclusion

The four elements of a story are Character, Action, Setting, and Theme.

Every story will incorporate all four elements but the depth of each depends on your goals.
- It is not a Zero Sum Game—increasing Character doesn’t necessarily mean you have to reduce the other three.
- But there is a price to including too much of everything. Incorporate too much and you risk creating a doorstopper that collapses under its own weight.
Stories that focus heavily on one or two elements are not “better” or “worse” than stories that balance all four. The key is to delve into each to the degree you need to weave together the story you want to tell.

Character Stories

Tips for Character-Leaning Stories:

At least one character must have an arc—he or she must change between the beginning and the end.
- More characters can have arcs, but the catch is that Character development takes time and space.
- The more Characters you develop deeply, the more you risk slowing your pacing.
- Alternatively, you could sacrifice other elements to focus more deeply on Character (this is true of any element).
You must have compelling Characters that draw your audience in.
- Characters don’t have to be likeable, but they do have to be interesting.
- Characters also need to align to the expectations of your genre—gritty sci-fi readers won’t care about rom-com quirks and rom-com readers won’t be interested in a deep dive into a serial killer’s compulsions.
- Built arcs that make your readers care, not just about what happens next, but also how it all ends.

Tips for Action-Leaning Stories:

The key to Action tales is energy.
- Momentum needs to build throughout the tale—the stakes need to rise with each scene.
- But even thrillers need to allow time for the audience to catch their breath.
  - Heavy action stories will usually be shorter and shallower pauses than other stories.
- Pauses should conclude with rising excitement or a cliffhanger.
In individual Action sequences, reduce the word count.
- Use short sentences.
- Focus on what’s happening right now.
- Warning: Pausing to focus on Character, Theme, or Setting may destroy the energy. Instead, give these elements attention before or after Action sequences. For example:
  - Before the Action: Explore a Character’s thoughts as he anticipates what is to come; in that pause, perhaps describe the Setting now so you won’t have to when the intensity builds.
  - During the Action: Focus on the immediate. What is happening? Thoughts should be visceral, focused on the “now,” and propelling the plot.
  - After the Action: Characters can contemplate what the Action means, developing their Arcs and also the story’s Theme.

Tips for Setting-Leaning Stories:

The size or scope of a Setting doesn’t determine its significance. Settings can be as important for stories set in one human’s mind as they can be for universe-sweeping tales.
A Setting may establish a specific flavor to a tale that would be different if it was set somewhere else.
- This is often common for Man vs. Nature plots but can also be important in any story where the specific location drives Character, Action, or Setting.
Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Exploration stories often rely heavily upon compelling Settings. Other genres may as well.
- There are generally three different kinds of draws—Settings that are Wondrous, Mysterious, and/or Terrifying
- Reveal such Settings gradually. For every answer, raise two new questions.
- Give readers enough Setting information to keep them grounded and curious.
- Avoid infodumps—these will kill your story. Instead, weave lore and wonder through your Action, Character, and Theme elements.
- Note: Just because you are writing Fantasy or Science Fiction, doesn’t mandate that you must make Setting a major component of your tale. Even in these genres, many Settings are familiar.

Tips for Theme-Leaning Stories:

It is natural, even vital, for authors to believe in something and to weave that into the stories they tell.
The biggest danger is preaching at your audience. If you want to lecture on something, write an editorial, not a story.
Weave any Thematic elements into your story naturally—remember the old adage “Show, don’t Tell.”

Tips for Balanced Stories:

Remember, all stories include all four elements. You can dive deeply into each of them, but be careful how much.
For Balanced stories, limit the number of Characters with complex arcs.
- Other characters can be compelling, but remain largely static throughout—who the reader meets at the beginning is who they are at the end.
- Even the main Character doesn’t have to be fully developed. Do we need to know everything about his or her past before the tale begins?
Balances stories have Action, but it isn’t nonstop. There are important pauses to allow time for the other elements.
Balanced stories can have compelling Settings, but it often is fairly focused to maintain pacing.
- The richness of the Setting is often limited what the Character experiences directly, not what is beyond the far horizon.
- Note: Just because the Character (and therefore the reader) will never see beyond the far horizon, doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t develop it. That development may help you paint a richer picture of what is at hand… but resist the urge to over-explain what won’t be directly experienced in Balanced stories.
Balanced stories can have rich Themes, but it is critical to explore these naturally through the narrative. Let the Theme emerge rather than telling your audience what it is.

Every scene should develop at least two of the four elements—the best scenes touch all four.
Get as much as you can from each scene. If it isn’t advancing at least two elements, cut it or find a way to work in more.