1. Brie loves to dance. 2. Brie goes to the store and buys dance shoes. 3. Brie enrolls in a dance studio. 4. Brie practices. 5. Brie is part of the dance studio’s show. 6. Brie has fun.
Can you tell what’s missing here? There are a number of elements missing, but one should stand out.
That would be the WHY of the story.
A reader wouldn't care what Brie does unless there’s a reason behind it... the WHY.
Brie’s series of events has no inciting incident; there’s no conflict. There’s no reason for a reader to connect with her or root for her, and want to see her succeed.
A story includes a plot (also called a story arc), a character arc, an opener (exposition), conflict, complications, a climax, and a resolution. A series of events does not have these elements.
That’s a good way to tell if your story isn’t hitting the mark. Ask yourself whether your story has the elements of a story before you think about publishing.
Of the story elements above, what are the bare bones of a story, the story structure?
Every story has four fundamental elements: conflict, complications, climax, and resolution.
To turn the Brie series of events into a story, there needs to be a reason for the story. There needs to be a WHY.
Brie’s WHY.
The why might be that Brie is a clumsy kid and lacks confidence. She wants to be a dancer. She wants to enroll in a dance studio and be part of the shows. But everyone tells her she’s too clumsy.
Even though she’s discouraged, Brie enrolls in dance classes anyway. She practices and practices, but still isn’t as good as the other dance students.
Others tell her to give up, that she’ll never get it. She’s hurt, but instead of giving up, Brie keeps practicing and works even harder. Her confidence rises.
Finally, she can dance as well as the other students, and eventually, she practices her way to becoming one of the best dancers.
Breaking the story down.
The story opener is Brie being a clumsy kid.
The inciting incident is that she wants to be a dancer but is told she’s too clumsy.
The conflict and rising action are the obstacles she faces on her way to becoming a dancer.
The climax is when the other dancers tell her to give up, but instead. she works even harder.
In the resolution she gains confidence and becomes a dancer. She fulfilled her dream.
This meets the criteria for a story.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
You can use story structure in any scenario.
Jorge wants to be on the baseball team, but he’s terrible at the game.
Alisha wants to be class president, but she’s shy and isn’t popular.
Brian wants a new bike, but his parents won’t get him one.
Take any character, give him a problem that gets in his way, have him struggle against obstacles to overcome it, and have him succeed and grow as a result of the struggle.
Hope this helps you see the difference between a series of events and a story.
I’m a working children’s writer, editor, and self-publishing specialist. I help turn your idea, outline, or manuscript into a book you’ll be proud to call your own—and provide hands-on guidance through every step of the self-publishing process.
