Elements of a Story
Module 3 * Part 2
According to Fog et al. (2001) in their book "Storytelling: Branding in Practice", there are four elements to storytelling: (1) the message, (2) the conflict, (3) the characters and (4) the plot.
The Message The message is what you would like to communicate. What do you want people to get out of your story? What core value does your story reflect? You will need to clearly define your value first before moving onto the next part. The Conflict The conflict is the problem that you want to tackle. It is that which is causing harm to other human beings (which can include yourself, if you are in the story). It is a situation that is unpleasant, something that needs to be changed. The conflict is more powerful if the problem is widespread, urgent and serious. People have a sense of justice, and they want to restore harmony. Hence, a powerful conflict can trigger a powerful emotional response. A "conflict" does not need to be something that causes bodily harm. Every day inconveniences that cause social, economic, cultural or even personal detriments would also be enough if it is resonating. The Characters In your story, you want to have a character. Contrary to a piece of fiction, the character in your story does not need to be a heroic figure. In fact, the more ordinary, the better. As a pitch for a solution to a social or business problem, your character should be someone common and easily identifiable, so that the problem affecting him is also a problem that affects many others. Alternatively, if you want to solve a problem for a small group of people, you want to make that group of people someone who need help, or someone who deserves help or protection from harm. The Plot The trickiest part of the story is a compelling plot. Pitches for a solution to a problem generally follow the pattern below: