WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?

"Every good story has a main character who wants something and overcomes challenges to get it."
-Donald Miller, Author

THE PROTAGONIST

THE PROTAGONIST

• The main character; must be likeable in some way ("saves the cat") and relatable ("she's like me")
• The audience must want her/him to win or get want she/he wants
• Often reluctant at first

THE ANTAGONIST

THE ANTAGONIST

• The bad guy; must be hated by the audience ("kills the cat")
• Not always one person, sometimes an Empire, an idea or force
• Stands in the way of the protagonist's goals

TYPES OF CHARACTERS

1. ONE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS

• They exist in the story but you know nothing about them
• Waiters, cab drivers, people who simply serve one purpose in the story

2. TWO-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS

• Same as one-dimensional characters except that they show one emotion or character trait
• Lack depth, complexity, or history
• Like a "cardboard cutout"

3. THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER

• Plays an important role in the story and constitutes all major characters, including villains
• They have complex emotions and conflicting motives, troubled pasts and deep worries; they are alive with passion and ambition and desire, never apathetic (and if they are, they are overly apathetic)
• The reader must absolutely understand who they are, and have a profound feeling that they existed long before the story began

CONFLICT

• The most important ingredient of fiction (without it, you don't have a story)
• "What does the main character want?"
• "What or who is getting in his or her way?"

MAIN FORMS OF CONFLICT

• Person vs person or people (external conflict)
• Person vs himself/herself (internal conflict)
• Person vs nature (external)
• Person vs society (external)
• Person vs the machine or technology (external)

SETTING

• When and where
• Atmosphere: how the setting helps generate the mood of the story
• Mood: the general feeling of the story

PLOT

PLOT CHART

THEME

THEME

• What important belief about life is the author trying to convey?
• Universal in nature; transcends all cultural and religious barriers
• You don't have to agree with the author; you do need to understand and express it

PLOT VS. TOPIC VS. THEMES

• Plot - what actually happens
• Topics - issues that the story brings up (ie. love, power, betrayal, imperialism)
• Themes - the author's implied attitude or belief about those topics; a theme statement is "The author believes that ..."
• There can be more than one plot, topic or theme in a story

PLOT, TOPIC, THEMES?

PLOT

• Set in the mythical land of Middle Earth, a young hobbit must take a dangerous journey to destroy the Ring of Power that the evil dark lord Sauron lost

TOPICS

• The hero's journey
• The temptation of power
• Good vs Evil
• Friendship
• Courage
• Etc.

MAIN THEMES

• The author, J.R.R. Tokien, believes that the temptation of power can seduce even the most innocent among us, and must be constantly fought against

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• J.R.R. Tolkien believes that within each of us is a battle between good and evil, but ultimately, if we let it, good will triumph

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