The Core Elements Every Compelling Novel Needs
When crafting a compelling story, these elements work in tandem to create something unforgettable
We have all read a few memorable novels. One’s that refuse to leave us, and one’s that cause us to stop and think.
However, as writers, we often wonder: What elements are needed to craft a compelling fiction novel?
Opening Hook
It is common before purchasing a book for a reader to peruse the first few pages of a novel. This is how we vet a book to see if it’s worth our time.
This is also why an excellent opening hook is key in capturing your reader.
An opening hook could be:
What happens in a moment of disruption, allowing the reader to know something is already wrong
A voice-driven narration that grabs the reader and places them in the protagonist’s shoes
Provide a question that the reader wants answered
Ideally, our hook forms a premise that the reader needs the book to fulfill.
For example, say the reader is dropped into the middle of a bank robbery at the beginning of the book. However, the reader finds out the robber actually doesn’t want to rob the bank, but they have to.
This immediately forms questions for the reader.
Why don’t they want to rob the bank? Is someone forcing them to? What will happen next?
It’s all in the way it’s presented.
Characters Motivations
What is a story without compelling characters?
Readers want to see the characters’ struggles, conflicts, wants, and needs. More specifically, the reader wants to see what the character wants and how emotionally complicated it is to achieve that goal.
Consider:
What is their external goal (What are they hoping to achieve?)
What is their internal conflict? (What is emotionally holding them back?)
What are the stakes involved? (What do they stand to lose if they should fail?)
When we reveal characters’ motivations, we provide more context for the decisions they make and for the plot.
For example, what happens when a housewife wants to leave her mundane life to chase her passion for the culinary world across the country in New York City? But to do so would mean leaving her husband behind and creating a strained relationship with her children.
Mixing the emotional and real ramifications with the character’s external goals creates an interesting mix of situations that the reader will want the outcome of.
Clear Stakes
Without something the character could lose in the process of achieving their dreams, the story would fall flat, and the protagonist would uneventfully move on with their life.
Readers stay invested when something meaningful is at stake.
We need to consider:
Personal Stakes: emotional loss, identity, and relationships
External Stakes: danger, failure, real-world consequences
When taking these into consideration, we don’t just want high stakes; we want specific stakes. Stakes that matter to the protagonist or supporting characters.
Ask yourself: What will be lost, and why does it matter to the character?
Rising Tension
Every story contains a three-act structure.
Beginning includes:
Exposition: The introduction to the main characters and their world.
Inciting Incident: The thing that throws our protagonist into the situation that will either make or break them.
The middle includes:
Rising Action: Protagonist begins to respond to the inciting incident and encounters internal conflict while doing so.
Falling Action: The protagonist changes their approach and begins to tackle the central conflict.
Ending includes:
Climax: This is the highest point of action in the story. The protagonist either triumphs or fails.
Denouement: How the story closes. Where our characters are left after everything occurs.
This is where we plan and use it to our advantage.
Cause And Effect
Strong stories feel like they were meant to be told.
They show the reader:
The events that occur happen because of previous choices
Actions by the character move the plot forward, good or bad
Actions have consequences, good or bad
We need to remember that:
Each scene should shift or move something forward in the plot
Characters are the main driving force for the plot
Mistakes create consequences
Remember to tell yourself: This happens because…
Familiar Tropes Marry Original Ideas
We all know the various types of tropes.
Young, unlikely hero saves the world against all odds. The grumpy next-door neighbor falls in love with the girl. Just to name a couple…
However, audiences of each genre don’t want to read the same book with different characters. Because what fun would that be?
This is where your original idea mixes with familiar tropes within the genres.
Original ideas stem from:
The character’s perspective: how can we change how they perceive their world or situation, so that it feels fresh?
What can be original about your setting that makes it feel different to the reader?
How can you amp up the complexity of the morals the characters struggle with?
What spins can you put on the outcome of the story to wow the reader?
Readers who enjoy tropes don’t want something completely new. They want the familiarity of the trope but fresher.
Emotional Payoff
A great novel delivers on what it promises in the beginning, what it promises through the setup of the novel, the questions that need to be answered, and what is true to the genre.
This means:
The characters’ growth or their failure to grow
The resolution you provide for their internal conflict
Emotional closure you provide, even if that doesn’t promise a happy ending
We want the ending to be satisfying and earned. The reader wants to feel accomplished or changed by the end.
Showing the Theme Through Subtext
When we show the theme of our story, we don’t need to spell it out for the reader.
Why?
Because we need to trust that the reader can figure it out. That they can pick up on the subtext to figure out the deeper meaning of the story. To, in a sense, act as an amateur sleuth for the story’s meaning.
The theme should emerge through:
The character’s choices
The consequences of their actions
Repeated patterns in the story, or in the characters’ choices
Trust that your reader can read between the lines to discover your story’s theme.
A Distinct Voice
As writers, we experience other writers’ voices or tones through reading their stories.
Some voices are direct, some are somber, and some are action-packed and fast-paced.
The point is, voice is what sets your story apart. It’s what makes it unique because only the writer could tell this story this way.
We see this through:
Narrative voice choices
Word selection
The rhythm of the sentences
Character-specific dialogue
The writer’s voice and style make the story memorable.
Everything Working Together
The point of all these elements is that together, they craft a compelling novel.
The plot supports the theme of the story, allowing the reader to pick up on subtext and find the deeper meaning. The decisions the characters make reflect the internal conflict they experience. And the stakes presented to them escalate naturally.
Everything in the story feels like it belongs when all the elements work together.