How to Tell a Story

Everyone loves a good story. Telling stories are part of our heritage as humans. In fact, that was the way the history was originally passed from generation to generation - through stories. Story telling is a means of education and entertainment, and often people use stories to make a point or teach a lesson, by appealing to our basic nature, and by relating the point in a story, it is more easily understood and remembered when included in a story. Simple stories like nursery rhymes, fairy tales and Aesop's fables all use this technique.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. There are seven parts to every story. Whether is short and sweet, or a complete epic, every good story includes those seven parts. They are, in order: 1. "Once upon a time," 2. "And every day," 3. "But then one day," 4. "And because of this," 5. "And because of this" (a second time), 6. "Until finally," and 7. "From that day forward."

2. Let's start with Step One - "Once Upon a Time." This is how your story begins, showing the world and conditions you wish to introduce to the listener. In order to understand your story, the listener has to know the environment in which the action takes place. You need not use the phrase "Once upon a time," but that's the gist of what you're going to describe.
   
   How does the story begin? "Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a castle on the hill." This tells your listener that the story takes place in an earlier time.
   
   "Our story begins in a far off land where evil dragons terrified the local villagers." This tells the listener that the story takes place in a fantasy world where magical happenings are possible.
   
   "Beyond the planet Neptune, a satellite drifted aimlessly." This tells us where (outer space) and what (modern science or science fiction) to expect.

3. Step Two ("And every day...") tells us what the world of your story is like, what happens there. "And every day the villagers cowered in the caves, afraid to look out for fear of the horrid dragons." Now we understand where the story begins. The story itself is a journey, and the first two steps tell us where the story starts.

4. Step Three ("But Then One Day....") in the inciting incident, the event that changes the story world you've just introduced. With the first two steps, you've told us what where the story starts, and the third step shows us how things are going to be different. "Until one day, Gordon the cobbler realized there was a weakness to the dragon attacks." Everything has been normal up til now (normal within your story world anyhow), but now we interject a change, something that is going to start the journery.

5. The inciting incident lead to change - consequences, which are Step Four and Step Five - "And because of this..." Okay, so Gordon figured out something about the dragons that might prove to be a weakness. "And because of this," the villagers were able to construct a weapon that would kill dragons. The weapon was the consequence of the inciting incident, Gordon's discovery, which leads to another consequence - Step Five - "and because of this," the villagers killed a dragon. Now we see how the story is moving forward.

6. Step Six shows the results of the changes: "Until finally" all the dragons were dead. The world of our story has changed. The problem introduced in Steps One and Two has been solved.

7. Step Seven shows the final resolution - how the story world has changed because of the previous steps. "And from that day on" the villagers lived in peace without fear of dragons.

8. Let's try a simple story. Remember Jack and Jill? Try it for yourself, using the seven basic steps.
   
   1. Once upon a time there was a well at the top of the hill.
   
   2. And every day, Jack and his girlfriend Jill, walked up the hill to fetch water in a pail, and then walked down again.
   
   3. But then one day, Jack tripped on his shoe lace and and fell down, spilling the water.
   
   4. And because of this, Jack fell down the hill and broke his crown.
   
   5. And because of this, Jill also fell and came tumbling after Jack.
   
   6. Until finally, the two of them came to rest at the bottom of the hill, injured and pummeled by an empty pail.
   
   7. And from that day forward, Jill would remind Jack to tighly tie his shoes before walking up the hill.

9. Now, you have a story. It can be as simple (like Jack and Jill), or as complex as "Les Miserables," depending on the level of detail and characterizations. Of course, you can add plot twists, and revelations, and assorted other writer's tools, but the seven simple steps will always keep the structure of your story clear.