Edmundo’s English Lesson Today
How Stories Actually Work
Every story ever written — from The Odyssey to Scooby-Doo to Star Wars — is built from a few basic ingredients. Think of it like cooking. The recipe might change, but the core elements stay the same.
Today we look at three of the most important parts of storytelling:
Plot
Characters
Setting
Theme
Let’s begin.
1. Plot – The Shape of a Story
In 1864, a German writer named Gustav Freytag studied stories and noticed something interesting.
Most of them followed the same shape.
He drew a triangle to explain it. Today we call it Freytag’s Pyramid.
The Six Parts of Plot
1. Introduction (Exposition)
This is where we meet the characters and learn where we are.
Example:
Harry Potter living under the stairs
Simba as a young lion cub
Sherlock Holmes sitting in Baker Street
We learn the world of the story.
2. Inciting Incident (Initiating Incident)
Something happens that starts the problem.
Examples:
Harry receives the Hogwarts letter.
Mufasa dies.
A murder occurs in a Sherlock Holmes story.
Without this moment, the story never begins.
3. Rising Action
Problems grow worse.
New obstacles appear.
The tension rises like water heating in a kettle.
Examples:
The hero trains
The villain becomes stronger
Secrets begin to appear
Most of the story lives here.
4. Climax
The most intense moment in the story.
Everything leads to this point.
Examples:
Luke Skywalker attacking the Death Star
Simba fighting Scar
The detective revealing the killer
This is the turning point.
5. Falling Action
After the climax, things begin to settle.
Questions start getting answered.
6. Conclusion (Denouement)
The story closes.
The dust settles.
We see what the world looks like after the conflict.
Important:
Modern stories don’t always follow this perfectly. But the pattern still appears in most storytelling.
2. Characterization – The People in the Story
A character is anyone who appears in a story.
Usually they are people.
But not always.
Examples:
Simba (The Lion King)
Flounder (The Little Mermaid)
The sled dogs in Eight Below
Stories often treat animals like people.
Types of Characters
Protagonist
The main character.
The person whose journey we follow.
Examples:
Harry Potter
Frodo Baggins
Katniss Everdeen
The protagonist is usually good — but not always.
Antagonist
The force working against the protagonist.
Often this is a villain.
But it can also be:
nature
society
fate
the character’s own mind
Examples:
Darth Vader
The ocean in The Perfect Storm
Fear in a psychological story
Flat vs Round Characters
Flat Character
Simple.
Only one or two personality traits.
Examples:
the strict teacher
the grumpy neighbor
the comic relief sidekick
They serve a purpose but rarely change.
Round Character
Complex.
Feels like a real person.
Has contradictions.
Examples:
Walter White
Hamlet
Tony Soprano
These characters feel alive.
Dynamic vs Static Characters
Dynamic Character
A character who changes.
Something in the story transforms them.
Examples:
Ebenezer Scrooge becoming generous
Simba accepting responsibility
A coward learning courage
The change is important to the story.
Static Character
A character who does not change.
Their personality stays the same from beginning to end.
This doesn’t mean they are boring — only stable.
Sherlock Holmes, for example, is mostly static.
Stereotypes and Stock Characters
A stock character is a familiar type that appears again and again.
Examples:
the mad scientist
the evil stepmother
the dumb jock
the wise old mentor
These characters are easy for readers to recognize quickly.
When overused, they become clichés.
Character Foils
A foil is a character who highlights another character by contrast.
Example:
In Harry Potter:
Harry is brave
Draco Malfoy is cowardly and cruel
Seeing them together makes the differences clearer.
Caricature
A caricature exaggerates traits for humor.
Think of:
Mr. Bean
cartoon villains
exaggerated comic characters
One trait becomes ridiculously large.
Hero and Anti-Hero
Traditional Hero
Historically, heroes were noble and admirable.
They had:
courage
honor
strength
moral clarity
Examples:
King Arthur
Superman
Aragorn
Anti-Hero
Modern stories love anti-heroes.
These characters are flawed.
They may be:
selfish
cynical
weak
morally complicated
Examples:
Deadpool
Walter White
Tony Stark (early Iron Man)
We still follow them — even when they are messy.
How Writers Reveal Characters
Authors show us characters in several ways.
Look for clues in:
Appearance
What they say
What they do
What they think
What other characters say about them
Narrator descriptions
Good readers notice these clues.
3. Setting – Where the Story Lives
The setting tells us where and when the story happens.
It has two parts.
Physical Setting
The concrete details:
location
time period
season
environment
Examples:
Victorian London
outer space
medieval castles
a small Canadian town in winter
Emotional Setting (Mood)
The feeling of the story.
Examples:
dark and frightening
romantic
peaceful
tense
Writers create mood through word choice and imagery.
4. Theme – The Big Idea
The theme is the message about life the story communicates.
Important rule:
A theme is not a topic.
Topic
The subject of the story.
Example:
mystery solving
war
love
Theme
What the story says about that subject.
Examples:
Love requires sacrifice
Power corrupts people
Courage appears in unexpected places
Good can overcome evil
A theme is usually expressed as a complete thought.
Common Themes in Literature
Stories across centuries often return to the same ideas.
Some of the most common are:
The struggle against nature
The struggle against society
The search for identity
Love and friendship
Family loyalty
Revenge
The loss of innocence
The power of fate
Sacrifice for others
Writers keep returning to these ideas because human life keeps returning to them.
Final Thought from Edmundo
If you remember just one thing, remember this:
Every story asks the same four questions.
Who is it about? (Character)
What happens? (Plot)
Where does it happen? (Setting)
What does it mean? (Theme)
Answer those four questions, and you understand the story.
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