Besides the technical rules pertaining to things like grammar, spelling, and rhetoric, here are 7 essential rules that are crucial for the function of storytelling, regardless of cultural or story structural differences (Western vs. Eastern, or other global storytelling approaches).
“There are no rules.” That’s what many, if not most, writers say about the creative writing process and story development.
I don’t know why they say that, because there are rules. There have always been rules.
Actually, I know why writers push back on the idea of rules. No one enjoys being told what to do. No one enjoys being forced down any single creative rabbit hole, or being prescriptively directed into creative choices based on someone else’s sensibilities.
We want to be free to choose on our own, and rules just get in the way and artificially constrict the creative juices. It’s easier to just reject out of hand the idea of rules themselves and embrace the Muse and freedom.
A nice placebo, to be sure, but sorry — rules for storytelling exist.
The reason there are rules to storytelling and creative writing isn’t because some stick-n-the-mud guru imposes their arbitrary dictates onto everyone else (for a price, of course). That happens, but that’s just a bunch of hooey and snake oil.
The real reason there are rules is because there are rules in any system. It’s physics, not opinion. All systems operate according to rules (principles).
What Is a System?
A system is a collection of components or elements that are connected and interact with one another, working together to create a unified whole. Specific rules or relationships often govern these parts, which guide their interaction to achieve a specific purpose or goal.
All systems, whether natural, social, technological, or conceptual, operate under some form of guiding principles — or rules. These rules help to create order, structure, and consistency.
Rules can vary from being strict to more flexible, depending on the complexity and objectives of the system in question.
Storytelling is a system. Creative writing is a system. They are not the same system; they are two different systems. Each comprises various parts and elements that combine to achieve a desired impact or goal, i.e., a story.
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Whether or not we like it, there are rules that govern storytelling — and that’s a good thing.
Besides the technical rules pertaining to things like grammar, spelling, and rhetoric, here are 7 essential rules that are crucial for the function of storytelling, regardless of cultural or story structural differences (Western vs. Eastern, or other global storytelling approaches).
7 Fundamental Rules for Storytelling:
- You need a protagonist
- You need an opposition
- You need a beginning, middle, and end
- You need a clear story goal
- You need a central conflict
- You need story stakes
- You need a story resolution
(Extra credit rule: Payoff every setup — I’ll explain this in a bit.)
Are there more rules than these?
Sure. But I think these are the most obvious and useful rules everyone can understand and implement, regardless if they are writing a screenplay or a novel or a piece of creative nonfiction.
Can you break these rules?
Absolutely.
Can you choose to follow only some of them?
Yes.
But, as with any system, messing with the rules may lead to the story not working as intended. Every creative story decision you make has creative consequences. Not bad or wrong, just consequential.
Story development is a reductive process, it is not an open-ended, creative free-for-all. It’s about eliminating creative options, not leaving all options on the table. If that were the case, then you’d get nothing written. You have to make choices, pick scenes, decide outcomes, etc. For every creative choice you make, you eliminate countless other choices you could have made.
The “trick” is making the right creative choices, so you get the result you want. This is where the rules come in; the rules guide that decision-making process and assure (not guarantee, there are no guarantees) your creative choices add up in the end.
I call this “story math,” story beats have to add up to cause-and-effect scenes and sequences of scenes that move the story forward. Story math is a fundamental idea that can rescue you from getting lost in the story woods or drowning in the story floodplain.
Chekov’s rifle is a great example of story math. Chekov said, “One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn’t going to go off. It’s wrong to make promises you don’t mean to keep.”
This is what I meant earlier with the extra-credit rule: payoff every setup.
Whenever you setup an expectation, you must deliver on that expectation either by producing the expected result OR turning the expectation on its ear in a reversal. Don’t set up an expectation (make a promise) with a reader and fail to deliver; they will be pissed. It’s basic story math.
If you’re conscious of the story choices you’re making (e.g., “I don’t want conflict in my story”), that’s fine — as long as you can accept the consequences of those choices. Ignoring a rule generates its own story math that can negatively affect the reader’s experience. So, know what you’re writing, know why you’re writing it, and know how you want to write it. Be a conscious writer.
This begins with knowing the consequences (or story math) that come from breaking the rules.
Potential Outcomes of Ignoring Story Rules:
1. No protagonist
Readers won’t know where to focus their emotional investment. Without a protagonist or a clear point-of-view character, readers may struggle to know who to relate to or follow in the story. This is easier to manage in novels with a large cast but is harder to pull off in movies or TV shows, where the main character usually carries the dramatic weight. Scattered reader focuses lead to less engagement overall.
2. No opposition
Without opposition, stories become loose and episodic. Too many or no opponents create narrative mush. Opposition — whether from an antagonist, internal struggle, or external forces — generates the conflict that drives the story forward and raises the stakes. No (or weak) opposition means slow pacing, flat stakes, and dulled conflict, i.e., a boring read.
3. No beginning, middle, or end
A story without these structural components may feel disjointed and unsatisfying, both in terms of plot and character development. While avant-garde stories may ignore these conventions, they often lack an alternative structure, leaving readers disengaged and confused.
4. No clear story goals
Without goals, whether individual character goals (“I want the money”) or larger goals (“We have to stop the alien invasion”), the story becomes weak. This can lead to disjointed scenes, poor pacing, and diminished emotional impact.
5. No conflict
A story with little or no conflict results in flat character development, a lack of narrative tension, and stagnant pacing. Conflict fuels the story and facilitates character growth, and without it, the story becomes boring.
6. No stakes
If nothing is at stake, there’s no sense of dramatic urgency or dramatic weight. Without stakes, readers have little reason to care about outcomes. Stakes raise the tension and give the story a sense of consequence and mattering.
7. No resolution
If the story lacks resolution, the audience is left feeling incomplete and unsatisfied. Unresolved conflicts and unanswered questions leave readers hanging, creating frustration.
(Extra credit rule: Payoff every setup)
Make sure you take Chekov’s rifle at its word — don’t make promises to the reader that you don’t intend on keeping.
The Bottom Line
If you choose to break the rules, understand the challenges you’ll face. If you can find clever ways to address these potential problems, go ahead. The more rules you break, the more creative and innovative you’ll need to be to avoid what waits for you and your story on the other end.
However, the rules and their consequences still exist, whether or not we like them.
But if following rules just chafes your hide and sends you screaming down the hall, I get it.
Then just call them what you will — best practices, guidelines, parameters, whatever — but always remember: creative choices come with creative consequences. Know the choices you’re making and be aware of the consequences. If you can live with the consequences, then gird your loins and jump off that cliff.
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The fact is, there are no story police going to arrest you, no story guru standing over you with a clipboard checking off all your mistakes. Nobody really cares if you follow the rules or not — except of course your audience.
They know a good story when they read one or a bad one when they read one. They may not have the language or technical savvy to explain what is working or broken in a story, but you can bet your sweet bippy they have internalized the rules of good storytelling after decades of consuming stories through TV, film and books. Don’t ever take the audience’s innate wisdom for granted—you will lose.
So, just to be on the safe side, hedge your bets, do what all great artists do — as Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a professional, so you can break them like an artist.”
STORY RULESWRITINGSCREENWRITINGSCREENWRITING RULESWRITERSRESOLUTIONSTORY GOALPAYOFFJEFF LYONSSETUP AND PAYOFFSTORYSTRUCTUREWRITING RULESGOALSSTAKESOPPOSITIONCONFLICT
BY
Jeff Lyons is a traditionally published author, screenwriter, and story development consultant with more than 25 years’ experience in the publishing and entertainment industries. His writing has appeared in Writer’s Digest Magazine, Script Magazine, The Writer Magazine, and Writing Magazine (UK), among others. He has many craft-of-storytelling books published through Focal Press and Storygeeks Press, all available on Amazon. His feature film, American Thunderbolt, will go into production in 2023 and he has several other project in development with Content Kings Films (UK). Jeff is the founder of Storygeeks.com.