Three years ago, my brother gave me a book for Christmas. Before I ever read it, I loved it for two reasons: 1) my brother had taken the time to read countless reviews to find a book on writing for me, and 2) he inscribed it to “My favorite author.” How could a younger sister not appreciate that? The book was called Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver, and I would recommend it as an excellent work on craft. I have applied a number of Cleaver’s recommendations, but what I come back to again and again, is what he calls The Big Five, the five elements that every successful story, and scene, need. They are:
Conflict
Without conflict we don’t have a story. Readers aren’t interested in reading hundreds of pages about blissful living. For a story to be satisfying, we need conflict, or as Cleaver defines it “want + obstacle.” Our protagonist wants something badly, and an obstacle, be it a an army of monsters, or his loyalty to his best friend, is blocking his path. That’s conflict.
Action
Conflict backs our main character into a corner. Action is what he does about it. We not only need our characters to take action to keep the story moving, action defines character. It shows us who the character is.
Resolution
Conflict got the story started, action kept it moving, and now we need resolution. Readers need a sense of completion, whether it’s victory, defeat, or partial victory, we want to know how the story ends, or at least how this portion of it does.
Emotion
Emotion is what breathes life into story. We are emotional beings, and we respond to the emotions of others. Have you ever wondered why books haven’t died out in our digital age? Why don’t we just watch movies and TV shows? Because out of all the storytelling formats available, books are the best suited to getting into a character’s thoughts, and their emotions. Emotion turns a sequence of events into something compelling.
Showing
The expression “show, don’t tell,” is an old adage in the world of writers. Telling certainly has its place. But for the most part, readers want to draw their own conclusions. This innate desire of readers to figure it out for themselves, means that writers have to work a little harder, but the result is worth the effort.
When a part of a story, or the story in its entirety, isn’t working, I go back to Cleary’s Big Five. Or for acronym lovers like me: C. A. R. E. S. Is there enough conflict to make the reader feel invested? Does the protagonist take action, and what do her choices say about her? Is there resolution? Can you feel the protagonist’s emotion on the page? And am I showing more than I’m telling?