What Makes a Story Work (And Why We Care in the First Place)
Stories aren’t just entertainment. They’re how we make sense of the world. They teach, surprise, challenge, comfort, and sometimes just make us feel something on a Tuesday.
The best ones follow a familiar rhythm: a character wants something, can’t get it easily, and is changed by the effort.
So when you think about how to write a story, what you’re really asking is: How do I build something that makes people feel and keeps them reading?
Let’s break it down.
The 5 Building Blocks of Any Story
1. Characters
Good stories start with someone your audience cares about—or at least wants to understand.
Your protagonist should want something. That desire kicks off the plot.
They should also have flaws or fears that get in the way. That’s the internal tension your audience sticks around for.
Characters don’t need to be likeable. They just need to be interesting.
2. Setting
Where and when is this happening? Your setting should do more than fill space. It should shape the mood, challenges, or themes.
Think Hogwarts. Gotham. The Office’s Scranton branch. The setting feels like a character.
3. Plot
The plot is the sequence of events. But it’s not just stuff that happens. It’s cause and effect.
Every scene should make your character’s situation better or worse. Otherwise, it’s a nap.
4. Conflict
This is the juice. Without conflict, you’ve got vibes and backstory. With it, you’ve got tension and change.
Conflict doesn’t have to be a villain. It could be an internal struggle, a ticking clock, or a social dilemma.
5. Theme
Theme is what your story means underneath the plot. It’s what your audience takes with them after the last line.
It could be subtle. But it should show up in the way characters act, change, and view the world.
Want a Notion template that keeps all five elements aligned and organized as you write? The Storyteller OS has you covered.
Story Structure: The Skeleton You Build On
Most compelling stories follow a structure. It doesn’t have to be rigid, but it helps you stay on track.
Here are a few classic frameworks:
The Three-Act Structure
Act 1: Setup
- Meet the character and their world
- Introduce the goal or desire
- Drop the inciting incident
Act 2: Confrontation
- Complicate the path
- Raise the stakes
- Midpoint twist or shift
Act 3: Resolution
- Final showdown or decision
- Reveal transformation
- Wrap-up or emotional payoff
The Hero’s Journey (Think: Star Wars, Moana, Harry Potter)
- Ordinary World
- Call to Adventure
- Refusal of the Call
- Mentor/Threshold
- Trials and Tests
- Ordeal
- Reward and Return
This model is great for epic or fantasy stories. But even in quieter genres, the emotional beats still land.
The Fichtean Curve (Used in thrillers and fast-paced fiction)
- No calm setup. Start with trouble.
- Escalate tension in a series of mini-climaxes
- Drop your big climax near the end
- Then fall into resolution
How to Start Your Story
Start late. Cut the warm-up. Toss your character into the middle of something.
Good opening scenes do 3 things:
- Set the tone
- Introduce the core conflict or mystery
- Make your audience ask, “And then what?”
Examples:
- "Call me Ishmael." (Moby Dick)
- "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." (The Gunslinger)
Short. Visual. Intriguing. That’s the goal.
Character Arcs: Change Is the Point
Your character doesn’t have to end up happier. But they should end up different.
A solid arc shows how your character is shaped (or broken) by their experiences.
Types of arcs:
- Positive arc: they grow, learn, and change for the better
- Negative arc: they lose something—innocence, morality, hope
- Flat arc: they stay true to their values and change the world around them instead
Writing the First Draft
Forget perfect. Perfect doesn’t exist.
Your first draft is the messy exploration phase. The job is to finish it, not to make it good.
Try:
- Sprint writing sessions (25-minute timers)
- Skipping hard scenes and returning later
- Talking to yourself out loud when stuck
And yes, you can write scenes out of order.
Revision: Where the Real Story Shows Up
Once you have a full draft, the real work begins.
Start big:
- Does the story have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
- Does the protagonist’s desire drive the plot?
- Does each scene change something?
Then go small:
- Trim weak dialogue
- Strengthen descriptions
- Clean up pacing
- Clarify theme
Writing Tips That Actually Help
- Write like someone you know will read it
- Use short paragraphs and clear sentences
- Be specific—"she was angry" is fine, but "she slammed the mug down hard enough to chip it" is better
- Give every scene a purpose
- Keep moving. Don’t get stuck perfecting one page
Common Mistakes (That Are Easy to Fix)
- Too much setup: We don’t need 20 pages of backstory
- No stakes: Your audience needs a reason to care what happens
- Flat characters: Give them contradictions, desires, and fears
- Wandering plot: Tighten it by making sure each scene leads to the next
Tools That Make It Easier
- The Storyteller OS: Your story's command center in Notion
- Scrivener or Obsidian for organizing large projects
- Text-to-speech tools to hear your words out loud
- Character name generators (when you’re tired of naming people "Bob")
Wrap It Up: The Final Word on Story Writing
You don’t need to write the next great literary novel to tell a good story.
You just need:
- A character who wants something
- A meaningful challenge
- A transformation that feels earned
The structure? Flexible.The prose? Fixable.The effort? Worth it.
Want more help? Read this article on writing a great story structure to see how you can align your story beats without overthinking them.
Now go write something that makes people feel something.
