Your story must have: An exposition in which the setting and characters are introduced (make sure you have detailed description of the setting and characters) An protagonist (this character must have a realization in the story as a result of the solving the conflict) An antagonist (depending on the type of conflict this may or may not be another character) An conflict the protagonist has to solve (this might be character vs. character, character vs. nature, character vs. society, character vs. fate, or character vs. self) An inciting incident – this is an event in which the conflict is introduced. Rising action – this will mean you need to include at least two complications to your story. Complications are things that get in the way of the protagonist solving the conflict. Climax – this is where the conflict is solved. Your story may be a tragedy in which the protagonist is defeated, or it may be a comedy in which the protagonist wins. Falling action – this is where we see the results of the climax being solved on all the side characters. Resolution or conclusion – this is where we see the result of the conflict being solved on the protagonist. Make sure to include lots of dialogue in your story. At least two or three conversations between characters that are more than 10 lines long. Talking is the only way we get to know people, and your characters need to talk so we can know them. This is called indirect characterization. Have a subject your story is dealing with like: betrayal, love, revenge, justice, mercy, hope etc. Have a theme: what is your story saying about your topic? You may put this into the dialogue. Lots of imagery – describe the setting and continue to use lots of descriptive detail about what the protagonist is experiencing. Remember the five senses: sight, taste, touch, hear, and smell.