The Six Elements; The Keys to a Successful Story

This month I would like to look into how to start writing your own book. 

Starting such a big project is intimidating and the reason most people never attempt to write a book is because they don’t know where to start. 

I did a course last year on how to write a book and in one year I had accomplished just that. For the next few months I'll delve into the process of writing it, and today I want to look at the first step, what you will write about. 

First, we need to know the way things are (context), have someone to care about (main character), something to want (the story goal), something to dread (villian or a fear), something to suffer (the price paid), and something to learn (the theme). 

I like to start by deciding the context, what world is the book written in? Pirates? Vikings? Knights? Dragons? England? United States? Decide on a context and learn about it. If you are writing a story based in England you need to know how it looks, smells, sounds, and the culture. Learn all you can, that way your story is realistic, if your story isn't realistic your readers won't believe it.

Next is someone to care about, this person is your main character. They should be likeable, not someone that is rude or mean, they need to be relatable, you don't have to know everything about this person at this point, you will fill in the blanks as you go. 

The story goal, or something to want, this is something that the readers want to happen. The knight to get the princess, the dog to find its way home, or the orphan to get adopted. The story goal signals the end of a story. 

Something to dread is a very complex part of a story, dread builds suspense and is very important. This can be a person, a villain, or something completely different, just as long as it ensures dread in your main character (someone to care about).

Something to suffer is arguably one of the most important things in a story, if your character wins too easily the reader won't respect them, in fact they will resent them. 

Lastly, something to learn, without this your story has no substance, yes it is the least necessary but what is the point of a story if your character doesn't learn anything? 

I encourage you to use those six elements to figure out what you want to write a story about. 

And with that, here is the first chapter of my own book;

   Chapter One

     Location; Texas Home

     Time; 9:00 AM

     Date; Friday, August, 18 2023

     I, fourteen year old Addie Bordan woke up to the sun peaking through my curtains. Today was gonna be great. My mom was coming back from her three week vacation in Mexico and I couldn't wait to see her. I swung my legs out from under my blankets and stood up. I then grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt off the floor and ran down the hall to the bathroom. After getting changed and brushing my teeth I went to the kitchen. My eleven year old step brother, Theo, his messy brown hair sticking up at odd angles, was meticulously sorting the red and blue loops in his bowl and my dad was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his own bowl of cereal.   

     “Hey,” I said as I walked over to the cupboard and opened it up. 

     “Hey Honey,” my step dad Mike, his usual early-morning stubble shadowing his jaw, looked up and smiled, a kind crinkle forming at the corners of his eyes.. My mom had married Mike when I was three, and I considered him my Dad and Theo my brother. 

     Theo grunted as he shoveled another bite of cereal into his mouth. I pulled a rice krispies box out of the cupboard and set it down. 

     “Are you working today?” I asked. 

     Dad swallowed before answering “Yes ma’am.” 

     I nodded and poured myself a bowl of cereal. My dad was a firefighter for the fire station down the street. 

     “What time will you be back?” I asked. 

     “I should be back tomorrow morning by 8, Theo is going to his friend Jake’s house for the night so you get the house to yourself, until Abigail gets home,” he replied grinning.

     “Alright but. . .” I was cut off by a knock on the door. 

     Dad stood up, walked to the door and opened it, “Hey guys what’s up?” he asked, smiling.

     I looked up to see who was standing there, it was two of his cop friends, Miles and Graham. They looked awfully serious.

     “Mike, it’s Abigail . .” Miles started. 

     My dad’s grin slipped off his face and he went pale. 

    “There has been a terrible accident. . . “ Graham started. 

     “There was a fire. . . she didn’t make it out,” Miles finished. 

     As my dad slumped to the ground, I felt the color drain from my face. As I stood in the kitchen, my feet frozen to the floor, the realization hit me, my mother was dead. 

     Location; Texas, Glenwood Cemetery

     Time; 1:09 PM

     Date; Wednesday, August 23, 2023

     I looked down at the casket just a mere few feet away from me. The rain drops splashed as they hit the lid, it was a cold, cloudy day. Today was the day I would have to say my final goodbye to my mom. People started to gather around the grave, everyone was dressed in black, some had a few tears slip down their cheeks. No one was as sad as my family though. My dad stood beside me and my brother stood on the other side. I grasped my dad’s hand as the minister began to talk. I had soon tunned him out though. I was thinking about how I would never get to see my own mother again, I would never see her smile, or watch her wave goodbye as I left for school, and I would never again get to eat her horrible cooking. Tears slipped down my cheeks, and my dad squeezed my hand. As people began to lay their flowers down on the casket the minister came up to my dad. 

     “I’m very sorry for your loss Mike,” He told my dad.

     “Thank you sir,” he replied, his voice shaking. 

     “The church can organize some meals for you guys for the next few weeks.” the minister offered.

     As I looked over the minister's shoulder I noticed a man standing by the tree line. He was dressed in all black with a wide brimmed hat on his head. For some reason he looked very familiar. As I was about to turn and ask my dad if he knew the man, I noticed something on his wrist. It was hard to make out from so far away but it looked like a metal bracelet or something. 

     “What are you looking at?” Theo asked from behind me. 

     I turned and looked at Theo, “There’s a man watching us,” I said, pointing to the tree line.

     Theo looked at me funny, “There's no one there.” he said.

     I turned and looked. He was right, there was no one there. The man had vanished.

     “All right guys, we should get going, people are gonna be showing up at our house soon,” my dad said. 

     I stared at the casket. How could I say goodbye to someone who has been there for me my whole life? 

     Theo looked up at me. “Can you come with me?” he asked.

     I nodded and together we walked up to the casket. Theo laid his flower on the lid, tears rolling down his cheeks and I grasped his hand. He turned and hugged me. I held him tight. It must have been about ten minutes before he let go. My dad came up and squeezed my shoulder.

     “Do you want us to give you a minute?” he asked. 

     I shook my head, “No, I just want to go home,” I replied. 

     He got a pained look on his face “Alright then, why don’t you two wait in the car,” he said, handing me the keys. 

     Theo and I walked to the car that sat about fifteen feet away on the side of the road. After starting the vehicle up and turning the radio on low I glanced out the window at my dad. He stood above the casket, his lips moving and tears rolling down his cheeks. 

     “Is he gonna be okay?” Theo asked.

     “I don’t think we are ever going to be okay,” I replied, staring out the window at what seemed to be an evil and empty world. 

If you have any questions email me at; everythinginbetween55@gmail.com.