5 Elements That Make a Great Story

Have you ever listened to someone or read a story that captivates you? Great stories do not just pass information, they engage the listener. The storyteller takes the audience on a virtual tour to have first-hand interaction with another person’s experience. Great storytellers use some simple tactics to transform an ordinary narration into a captivating story. Let’s take a look at the recipes for creating a great story.

A Captivating Intro

Great stories tend to captivate the listeners right from the onset and grab the attention until the end. Storytellers achieve this by using a captivating intro for their story. The intro can be a recap of the entire story, such as

“Let me tell you about the shocking experience that changed my life forever.”

It can be a question that the audience can relate to. For instance,

” Have you ever been at the brink of disaster and was saved miraculously?”

Once the storyteller has the attention of the audience, they attempt to hold it till the end of their story.

Create a Vivid Story Settings.

Besides merely narrating an event, great stories tend to make the audience feel they are present when the event was happening. Storytellers achieve this feat by creating a vivid description of the story settings and characters involved in the story. The description allows the storyteller to activate the imagination of the audience and helps them build a picture of the scene or character in their mind. For instance,

” It was a rainy night, and everywhere was dark, lightning was flashing sporadically as I walked home through the lonely alley.”

Such a description creates a more realistic scene than a sentence like,

“I was on my way home on a fateful night...”

Arouse Emotions.

Once the story settings have been created, great stories would want to get the audience emotionally connected with the narration. There are many ways to achieve an emotional connection with a story. It can be in the form of suspense or creating elements of fear and anticipation. Some stories would rather describe the emotional experience of the character. Take for example,

“After walking for some minutes, it heard a low shriek from a deserted building. Although I did not see anything, I started having a weird feeling.”

Interact with the Audience

Interacting with the audience brings life into a narration. Whether you are telling a story to a live audience or writing one, it is essential to add elements of interaction to keep the audience engaged. Most authors use questions to make a story interactive, while others would inspire the audience to use their imagination. Here are some examples:

“How would you feel if you were in my shoes on that dark lonely night?”

“What should I do? Perhaps, I should go closer to satisfy my curiosity? Should I run away?”

Asking such questions while telling a story allows the audience to express their opinion, thereby striking a silent conversation with them.

Teaches a Lesson

On the final note, a captivating story should teach a lesson. Do not assume that the audience would understand the moral of the story. Spell out the lesson in clear terms to drive your point home. The lesson in our sample story can be summarized as follows:.

“I realized I should never walk through a dark alley alone on a lonely night.”

What an audience learned from a story engraves the narration in their mind for years to come.