These are the five key elements of a story

1. Character: Depending on the nature of the story, characters are most

often people or animals. Writers use characters to perform the actions
and speak the dialogue of a story. They move a story’s plot forward.
They are the who of a story.
2. Setting: A story’s setting refers not only to the physical location, but
also the time the action takes place. It is the where and the when of a
story.
3. Plot: The plot relates to the events that happen in a story. Plot can be
further divided into sub-elements such as: introduction, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution. It is the what of the story.
Plot usually begins with a problem and ends in the story’s resolution.
4. Conflict: Every story worth its salt requires conflict. This conflict can be
thought of as a challenge or problem that drives the action of the story.
No conflict, no story. Setting up a series of cause and effect events,
conflict gives these events their why.
5. Theme: a little more abstract than the previous elements, the theme
refers to the underlying insight, the moral or idea that the writer is
expressing through the story. It is often thought of as the ‘message’ of
the story.

More advanced story elements.

1. Point of View: To identify the POV in a story, students must ask “who is
telling the story?” Is it a first, third, or even second (rare!) person
narrator? Are they omniscient or limited in their perspective? Does the
perspective shift between different characters?
2. Tone: A writing’s tone is established through word choices, use of
literary devices, grammar, rhythm, and rhyme etc. Tone is the overall
‘flavour’ of the story that is created by using all of these techniques
combined. It is the attitude the writer displays towards their subject or
theme.
3. Style: Related to tone in many regards, style is the individual author’s
unique voice and it is again evidenced in their word choices, plot
patterns, sentence structures etc. The writer’s personal style is a strong
contributor to a writing’s tone.
4. Mood: This is about the effect the writer creates in the reader and how
they evoke it through their use of language.