Literary Elements: The 7 Building Blocks of an Epic Story

Are you ready to write your first big novel?

Before diving in, you need to master the literary elements, using them correctly to craft your tale and keep readers at the edge of their seats. 

Discover the literary elements and why they’re essential to every story. 

What is a Literary Element?

A literary element is a component of fiction required for a functioning story. All significant works of fiction include literary elements, as crafting a tale without them is impossible. 

Literary elements serve as the backbone of every narrative, central components to your first outline. 

The 7 Major Literary Elements

There are seven major literary elements, present in every story, from the first classic poem to modern-day thrillers.

Every guide you will read on literary elements will have slightly different definitions of what one is. Some say there are nine major literary elements; others say five. 

Some scholars will group certain features as one, while others will claim each stands independently.

We’ve identified seven literary elements that most scholars agree upon and showcase why they’re essential to proper storytelling. 

Plot

The plot is what happens in the story, the basis for the entire work. Without a plot, nothing happens, and if nothing happens, you have no story. 

A great plot is crucial to success, as the action, drama, and resolution often serve as the most exciting part of any narrative. 

Plot has five essential elements:

• Exposition
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution 

The exposition sets the stage, while the rising action builds up to the climax, which slowly reduces tension through the falling action and leads to the resolution. 

The climax is generally thought of as the epic action scene at the end of the story, where your main character defeats the evil villain in the final battle. While that’s an easy way to think about it, many stories don’t include epic action scenes. It’s the point of highest tension and the turning point where that tension starts resolving. 

Character

The second main feature of a story outside of what happens is who it happens to. Every story needs a character, the person who drives the narrative forward. 

Compelling characters can make up for a lackluster plot. People will fall in love with their favorite heroes and villains, even if the story doesn’t make much sense. 

Writing good characters takes effort. To make readers care about your characters, they must feel authentic. They must have human feelings and make choices you’d expect – even if they’re the wrong choices. To engage your reader, build three-dimensional characters with backstories, hopes, dreams, quirks, and flaws. 

New writers often struggle with character development, creating flat, two-dimensional characters. Their heroes are too perfect, with no human flaws we can relate to, while their villains epitomize evil with no hope or desire for redemption. They have singular goals and never make human mistakes. 

Although stories with flat characters can be enjoyable, the best books have complex, relatable characters who make us want to root for them. 

Point of View

Point of view is an essential yet oft-forgotten element of literature. It’s all about perspective. Who is telling the tale, and how does that impact the narrative?

Deciding upon your point of view can have enormous impacts on a story’s plot and theme. First-person stories (I, we) thrust the reader into the action yet rely on the narrator for perspective. Is the person telling the tale trustworthy? What motives might they have for framing each event the way they do?

A third-person (he, she, they) tale feels more reliable, giving the reader the impression of someone on the outside looking in on what is happening, watching the events unfold like a movie. 

Some authors use the second person (you) to captivate the audience. 

Narration

Point of view is closely related to our next element, narration. Will the story be told by someone who was there watching events, or will it be told by someone as the events unfold? Will your narrator be reliable?

A common trope in literature called “the unreliable narrator” features a person who is present in the action and telling the story but isn’t constantly aware of everything. Sometimes, they tell the story based on what they remember, and as the tale unfolds, you learn they didn’t know everything. 

The unreliable narrator is most common in first-person stories but can also appear in the third person. Many fans of Harry Potter assume Harry is narrating the story, and they call him an unreliable narrator.

A common way to handle narration is to tell the story from a 3rd person’s point of view, as someone who can watch all events and tell them exactly as they unfold. Readers can assume that the narrator is reliable and does not leave out important information in these stories. 

Theme

The theme of a story is the underlying idea that the author or storyteller hopes to convey. It’s the overall message, which may be overt or subtle.

Aesop’s fables are renowned for their simple, easy-to-understand themes. One of his most famous tales, The Tortoise and the Hare, showcases that hard work and perseverance are often more important than skill alone.

As readers age and become involved in more advanced literature, the themes become more subtle and easier to miss. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Sometimes, it’s as simple as good triumphing over evil, and other times; it can be a complex theme regarding the struggles of growing up, finding the beauty in the mundane, or any number of ideas an author may wish to convey. 

Setting

The setting of a story is where and when it takes place. The environment can drastically impact the plot and allow the author to bring a story to life with descriptive writing. 

For example, if you’re writing a space drama, how would you describe the spacecraft, the feeling of floating the stars, and the various planets your hero discovers? How would your descriptions differ if the story takes place in a garden on Earth?

Time is an essential part of the setting. A 21st-century crime thriller would have to consider modern technology, but if you choose the 19th-century instead, your heroes will have to solve the crime without cell phones, fingerprinting, or current medical investigations. A futuristic setting allows authors to imagine new technologies to help with crime-fighting. 

Tone

A great story leaves the audience feeling something, whether happy, sad, thrilled, anxious, or even uncomfortable.

The tone of a story describes its mood or feeling. Some stories handle heavy subjects in comedic ways, whereas others can turn ordinary events into stressful thrillers.

 As an author, deciding how you want your audience to feel is essential, not only during a story’s climax but throughout the entire narrative. You’re setting the tone. 

How Do I Use Literary Elements to Craft a Story?

The magic of storytelling is that you can use these literary elements however you want to make your perfect story. The author gets to decide what happens, who it happens to, where it happens, what they want the reader to take away, and everything else in a story.

Sometimes, it’s harder to put things together when we have a world of options. Mind maps, outlines, and worksheets can help.

Outline

Your outline serves as your best tool for crafting your work. Although many writers swear by freewriting (writing whatever comes to your mind), generating an outline can help you visualize all aspects of the story before you dive into writing. It will ensure you cover all the essential components of your work and that you don’t miss vital details. 

The outline should include key plot elements, a setting, the climax, and the resolution. It will help guide the writer through the story as they are writing.

Mind Maps

Mind maps are great tools for visual learners. You can use a mind map to help you combine the literary elements into a perfect story.

There are thousands of ways to use a mind map to help you visualize and brainstorm your story. Here’s an easy example highlighting the significant elements an author wants to use in their story.

Canva has thousands of mind map templates that can help with every aspect of crafting a story.

Worksheets

Worksheets can help you craft characters, develop your plot, and build your world. Each creative writing prompt available for sale in our store includes a worksheet to help you with a vital aspect of storytelling. 

The thriller prompts include a character-building worksheet, the horror prompts have a monster-building worksheet, and the fantasy prompts have a world-building worksheet.

If you opt for the ultimate bundle, which includes all three prompt sets, you get all three worksheets. 

Literary Elements Versus Literary Devices

Literary elements are the big-picture components essential to every story. Without a plot, characters, and setting, you don’t have a story—these are non-negotiable. 

Literary devices, on the other hand, are optional. They are techniques that authors can use to make their stories stand out or to play with literature in fun ways.

Common literary devices include:

• Simile/Metaphor
• Alliteration
• Foreshadowing
• Personification
• Dialect

There are numerous examples of literary devices used in literature, novels, poetry, and even Shakespearean classics.

The crucial difference is literary elements are needed for any narrative, while literary devices are option enhancements for storytelling. 

Literary Elements Versus Literary Techniques

Literary devices and literary techniques are often used interchangeably. They are the same thing. 

Don’t let naming conventions trip you up.

Use the Literary Elements as Building Blocks for Your Novel

Now that you know the literary elements, it’s time to combine them to craft your perfect story. These are the building blocks of every epic novel. Start yours today.

Need help? Grab our creative writing prompts! We crafted 3 genre-specific writing prompts bundles to help you craft your perfect tale. Check them out on our store!