3. WHAT IS FICTION WRITING?
Fiction writing is a product of the author's imagination. The story is
made up by the author, who creates the characters, plot or storyline,
dialogue, and occasionally even the setting. A work of fiction does not
claim to be based on true events. Instead, it immerses us in experiences
we might never have in real life, introduces us to people we might
never meet otherwise, and transports us to locations we might never
see otherwise. Fiction has the power to inspire, enchant, terrify, and
interest us in new ideas. It has the potential to help us see ourselves
and our surroundings in fresh and intriguing ways. Furthermore, it's
frequently just plain enjoyable! In contrast to nonfiction, which is based
on real-life events and people, fiction writing is narrative writing that
includes elements of story and character developed wholly by the
author.
4. 6 ELEMENTS OF FICTION
• Plot: The “What Happens: of your story
• Characters: whose lives are we watching?
• Setting: the world that the story is set in
• Point of View: from whose eyes do we see the story
unfold?
• Theme: the “deeper meaning” of the story, or what
the story represents
• Style: how you use words to tell the story
5. 6 ELEMENTS OF FICTION
All six elements synergize to make a work of fiction, and
like most works of art, the sum of these elements is
greater than the individual parts. Still, you might find
that you struggle with one of these elements, like maybe
you’re great at writing characters but not very good with
exploring setting. If this is the case, then use your
strengths: use characters to explore the setting, or use
style to explore themes, etc.
7. REALISTIC
A fiction, or untrue, a story that has believable events
and characteristics that could actually happen in real
life. Although it can take place in a real setting, it is not
based on history or science
EXAMPLES:
• When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really
Angry—by Molly Bang
• Frindle—by Andrew Clements
• The Great Gilly Hopkins—by Katherine Paterson
8. HISTORICAL
A mix of fiction and historical fact based on historical
events, but the story is mostly untrue. Could possibly
have historical character
EXAMPLES:
• I Love You since 1892 - by binibingmia
• Uncle Jed’s Barbershop—by Margaree King
Mitchell
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963—by
Christopher Paul Curtis
9. FANTASY
A fiction, or untrue, story couldn’t happen in real life.
Typically involves magic or supernatural powers, oftentimes
takes place in another world or has make believe
characters, such as wizards or dragons
EXAMPLES:
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—by Roald Dahl
• Magic Tree House (series)—by Mary Pope Osborne
• A Bad Case of Stripes—by David Shannon
10. MYSTERIES
A fiction story based on a mysterious event or a crime.
The story provides clues throughout the story, but the
mystery isn’t typically solved until the end of the story
EXAMPLES:
• I Want My Hat Back—by Jon Klassen
• The Boxcar Children (series)—by Gertrude
Chandler Warner
• Holes—by Louis Sachar
11. TRADITIONAL
Stories that are typically passed down from generation
to generation
A VARIETY OF TYPES OF TRADITIONAL
LITERATURE INCLUDE
• Fairy tales—these stories typically have a theme of good vs. evil
and typically have a happy ending
• Fables—these short stories often have animals as characters
and teach a moral, or lesson
• Legends—these stories often exaggerate characteristics of a
person that makes them notable
12. GRAPHIC
NOVELS
Similar to comic books in that they use art, and text, in
sequence to tell a story, although, graphic novels are not
considered a separate genre there are many fiction graphic
novels that are motivating young readers around the globe
EXAMPLES:
• Hamster and Cheese—by Colleen Venable
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—by Eric Shanower and L.
Frank Baum
• Coraline—by Neil Gaiman
14. DEVELOPING
FICTIONAL
PLOTS
If you don’t know where to start your story, but you
have a few story ideas, then start with the conflict. Some
novels take their time to introduce characters or explain
the world of the piece, but if the conflict that drives the
story doesn’t show up within the first 15 pages, then the
story loses direction quickly.
That’s not to say you have to be explicit about the conflict. In
Harry Potter, Voldemort isn’t introduced as the main
antagonist until later in the first book; the series’ conflict
begins with the Dursley family hiding Harry from his magical
talents. Let the conflict unfold naturally in the story, but start
with the story’s impetus, then go from there.
15. CREATING
CHARACTERS
Think far back to 9th grade English, and you might remember the basic
types of story conflicts: man vs. nature, man vs. man, and man vs. self. The
conflicts that occur within stories happen to its characters – there can be no
story without its people. Sometimes, your story needs to start there: in the
middle of a conversation, a disrupted routine, or simply with what makes
your characters special.
16. GIVE
LIFE TO
LIVING
WORLDS
Whether your story is set on Earth or a
land far, far away, your setting lives in the
same way your characters do. In the same
way that we read to get inside the heads of
other people, we also read to escape to a
world outside of our own. Consider starting
the story with what makes your world live:
a pulsing city, the whispered susurrus of
orchards, hills that roil with unsolved
mysteries, etc. Tell us where the conflict is
happening, and the story will follow.
17. PLAY
WITH
NARRATION
Maybe you’re stuck starting your story because you’re
trying to write it in the wrong person. There are four
POVs that authors work with:
• First person – the story is told from the “I”
perspective, and that “I” is usually a protagonist or
close to the protagonist.
• Second person – the story is told from the “you”
perspective. This point of view is rare, but when
done effectively, it can create an eeriness or a
personalized piece.
18. PLAY
WITH
NARRATION
If you can’t find the right words to begin your piece, consider
switching up the pronouns you use and the perspective you write
from. You might find that the story flows onto the page from a
different point of view.
• Third person limited – the story is told from the
“he/she/they” perspective. The narrator is not directly
involved in the lives of the characters; additionally,
the narrator usually writes from the perspective of
one or two characters.
• Third person omniscient – the story is told from the
“he/she/they” perspective. The narrator is not directly
involved in the lives of the characters; additionally, the
narrator knows what is happening in each character’s
heads and in the world at large.
19. USE THE STORY TO
INVESTIGATE THEMES
Generally, the themes of the story aren’t explored until after the
aforementioned elements are established, and writers don’t always know the
themes of their own work until after the work is written. Still, it might help
to consider the broader implications of the story you want to write. How
does the conflict or story extend into a bigger picture?
Let’s revisit Harry Potter’s opening scenes. When we revisit the Dursleys preventing
Harry from knowing about his true nature, several themes are established: the
meaning of family, the importance of identity, and the idea of fate can all be
explored here. Themes are often a post hoc consideration, but it doesn’t hurt to
consider the message of your story from the start.
20. EXPERIMENT
WITH
WORDS
To write a story or even write a book,
fiction writers need these tools first and
foremost. Although there’s no
comprehensive guide on how to write
fiction for beginners, working with these
elements will help your story bloom.
