13 Elements of a Good Story

Many elements go into making a book  lovable and memorable. The reason we like  some books and  dislike  others  is not just because  of the writing style or the story, but for several other reasons.  I have read many not so great books only because I found the characters worthy of following. Unfortunately these characters were caught in a not so great story. Many other books  I  have read because I liked the way  the plot  twists  kept me on tenterhooks, though I disliked the language and  the writing style was ordinary.

For a book to make the cut, many elements must fall into place. The ones that instantly come to mind, I have listed below.

1.      A  Strong  Protagonist: who beckons the reader into his/her story and  makes them follow him/her page after page. The protagonist has to be likeable and has to have a few redeeming qualities which would make a reader chase him /her through the story. 

2.      A Powerful Antagonist:  who evokes  immense dislike from the readers. An antagonist so vile that to see the antagonist fall readers will stay awake the entire night to turn the pages.    

      

3.      A Unique, Original, and Amazing Setting that makes the readers take an amazing journey into a previously unchartered territory. Settings take time to create, but they are well worth the effort.

4.      An Engrossing Conflict that sucks the readers in its grip.

5.      Unexpected Twists and Turns of the Story: keeps the readers engrossed.

6.      A  Generous Sprinkling of  Romance: brings a smile on the readers’ faces and makes their hearts flutter.

7.      Heart Tugging Emotions: very  crucial for the emotional connection with the readers.

8.      Rounded, Peripheral Characters : they help in  pushing the story forward.

9.      Atleast two Strong  Subplots that Intersect the Main Plot:  this can involve the peripheral characters and  is extremely crucial to break the monotony if the main plot slackens.

10.  A Gripping  Plot: packed with racy scenes that add tension and make it a page    turner.

11.  Awesome Writing Style: full of vivid and unusual descriptions that tease the senses.

12.  Wonderful Dialogues or as I prefer to call them Conversation Pieces that are remembered long after the book has been put down.

13.  A Great Resolution ; preferably a Happily Ever After or a resolution that leaves the readers satisfied with the way the story has ended.

Do you think there are other elements that I have overlooked? Is there any other element that is crucial?  Please share with us. Not only are we keen to hear about it, we can also add it into our next manuscript and perhaps get close to writing an awesome book.

P.S. I suddenly realized that Friday had crept up on me and I had not written a post. So, I cheated by reposting an older post with a few changes. Hope cheating is allowed once in a while. 

Tips to Craft the Sub – Plots

Sub- plots are a vital part of any story. As we all know, a  sub- plot is a secondary plot that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. When one or two sub- plots  are added to a story,  the  story  becomes  powerful and the conflict is enhanced.  The story then  gets its required amount of tension and its grip on the readers becomes firm.

Here are few points I have learnt while  working  and researching on sub-plots.

             1. A sub-plot involves  lesser important characters or what we call secondary or supporting characters. The significance of the events in a sub-plot are also of less importance when compared to the main plot.

             2. A sub-plot  should  connect  or be related to the main plot in some way: the characters involved in the sub-plot may have a vested interest  to sabotage either the protagonist or the antagonist’s agendas.

             3. A sub-plot can run parallel to the main plot  without intersecting or affecting it at all. But these sub-plots have to be powerful by themselves and should involve characters who are important enough by themselves. The actions of these characters should affect the story in some way.

             4. A sub-plot can intersect the main plot at regular intervals when the characters involved in the sub plot feel that their interests are being affected by either the protagonist or the antagonist’s actions. These characters can have hidden agendas of their own, which though the protagonist and the antagonist are not aware of, yet it affects them in some way. It requires a lot of planning to create sub-plots  that constantly cut into the main plot.   

            5.  Sub- plots take up less action and the conflict from the subplot is milder when compared to the conflict in the main plot. The conflict in the sub-plot has to be interesting and has to affect the story in some way: directly or indirectly.

            6.  Many experts advise that  good stories should have two subplots intersecting  the main plot at regular intervals. When these subplots cut into the main plot, then the conflict is intensified; this increases  readers' attention and keeps them glued to the pages of the book.

 I feel I am a sub-plot novice.  I am completely clueless where sub-plots are concerned. I have been looking a lot for resources and tips to help me with sub-plots. While outlining I try to plan the details of atleast two sub-plots. What about you all? Do you all pay a lot of attention to sub-plots? How do you plot and plan  the sub-plots which are extremely important. We all would love to  learn and get these details from you.