The Elements of Fiction

This article on the Five Elements of Fiction is simply a checklist of all the ingredients that a passage of narrative writing might contain.

You can use it in two ways...

• First, it is something to read through whenever you sit down in front of an empty sheet of paper or a blank computer screen to write your novel's next chapter.

  When you go away on a trip, you might write a packing list so you don't leave home without something important. The elements found in a piece fiction is a list of things not to leave out of your writing.

• More likely, though, you will find this list most useful after you have written a chapter and it is time to revise it.

  In the heat of creativity, it is easy to forget things. You will find yourself so caught up in the characters and the events that you will plain forget to bring the scene to life by describing the peeling wallpaper or the dog yelping outside.

The Five Elements of Fiction

1. Action

Novel writing is essentially all about describing things happening, and you must bring all these events to life for your reader. Of course, you won't forget to mention the big events - they are the raison d'etre of a chapter.

But be careful to describe the little actions, too - a man running his fingers over his stubble, a little girl clutching her doll tighter. These small actions might not be consequential to the plot, but they are nevertheless important in giving scenes and characters more depth.