1: Basic Format

What Exactly is a Beginning, Middle, and End?

If you were to ask a random person on the street to break down the parts of a story, they’d probably say three words: Beginning, Middle, End. However, if you really want to annoy this random person on the street even more, just ask them, “But what makes a beginning?” or “When does the middle start?” or “What triggers the end?” A simple response is to just to say that time happens: The beginning is near the start, the middle starts somewhere in the center, and the end is at the last part. Perhaps it looks something like this:

Most people assume a story is evenly split like this.

In the image above, the beginning, middle, and end are evenly spaced. If this story took an hour to read, then that would mean each section would take 20 minutes. However, most stories are not structured so evenly. In fact, it may look something more like this:

However, many stories are structured like this.

In this image, the beginning and end are quite short, with the middle taking up most of the read time. Again, if this story were an hour, this would mean the beginning and end are around 10 minutes each and the middle is 40 minutes. However, writing a story isn’t the same as a movie. How long should a beginning be? How many paragraphs, pages, or chapters are we talking about? It depends. That’s a really annoying answer to give, but it depends on whether or not certain requirements have been met. These requirements are called story elements:

For example, if a character is walking down the street and then suddenly falls through a manhole, a story element has occurred. The story has now moved in a different direction, and it cannot go back to its original state. Because the character has fallen into the sewer, they now have to figure out how to escape. Falling down a manhole would be an element in this scenario that moves the plot forward.

Every story has certain elements in its narrative that move the story along. More importantly, there are major elements that trigger the beginning, middle, and end. Below is a collection of elements that, when strung together, create a full story. These are the most basic of elements, so let’s call it basic format:

Now, let’s break down each section to its essential elements, so we can have a better sense of what is the beginning, middle, and end (BME). Please note that all of these elements could have their own separate chapters, but for this section, I’ll keep it brief. However, all of these elements will occur in some way throughout the rest of the guide, so I’ll provide more elaboration in later sections.

The Beginning

A beginning comprises of three essential elements:

• The setting
• The protagonist
• The problem

The beginning does not exactly push the plot forward. Instead, the beginning provides critical details for the reader to know before the plot pushes forward. Think of the beginning answering the journalistic questions of who, what, where, when, and why. It is the job of the author to supply some answers to the reader before the story can really move forward. These answers can be broken down into three elements: setting, protagonist, and problem.

Let’s start with the setting. Often overlooked by novice writers, the setting is important in order to ground the reader’s imagination to exactly where the story is taking place.

Stories are not often told in a spaceless void. While most readers will naturally create a setting in their head with their imagination, there still needs to be some prompt. If the setting is too vague, it may not be enough to trigger the imagination. If it is too descriptive, then it may become too tedious to read and leaves little for the reader to imagine. Designing a good setting is a bit complex, and it will be discussed in far more detail later in Section 2 – Describing Settings and Characters.

Next is the protagonist. Also referred to as the main character, the protagonist is the person the story revolves entirely around. They are the focus of the narrative, and often their actions will have consequences—good or bad:

In basic format, there is only one protagonist. There can be multiple characters in a story, but only one person is the main focus. This is the character that the audience will connect with throughout the story and become invested in how their story plans out.

Finally, for the beginning, there is the problem. The word “conflict” is sometimes used, but it essentially means the same thing. Suddenly, there is a situation that deeply affects the protagonist, and they must do something about it:

The problem cannot be ignored or be pushed off for a later time. More importantly, the problem could affect multiple characters, but it is ultimately up to the protagonist to address this issue.

So now that we have a brief description of the beginning elements, let’s see them in a more tangible form. Below is an outline of a story using the elements as guides. Throughout this chapter, we’ll be adding to this outline and eventually map out a story from beginning to end:

In this outline, the setting provides just a bit of context to spark the imagination of the reader. For the outline, using a key word like abandoned can change the setting significantly. Just writing barn is too vague, so try being a bit more precise when outlining. Next, Susie, our protagonist, is described as being timid and young. This not only provides some description of the character but also connects to the problem. Finally, the problem is immediate. Susie must accept the dare and address the situation. If we were to write out these elements, it could look something like this:

Again, nothing really has happened yet. The story is just getting started, and before the plot really moves, the reader needs to prime their imagination. Note that spending too much time on the beginning—describing the setting or the protagonist in a ton a detail—can get boring fast. While there is no exact science as to how long a beginning should be, if the reader is thinking “Let’s get a move on,” it’s probably time to transition to the middle of the story.

The Middle

In this section, there are three more elements:

• Address the problem
• Change in the protagonist
• The point of no return

In many stories, the middle is the longest. This is because most of the plot revolves around these elements. Now that the reader understands the setting, protagonist, and problem, the author can spend some time having the protagonist move around in this world.

Once the protagonist decides to address the problem, it officially triggers the middle of the story. The protagonist must do something significant about the issue.

It’s important to note that in basic format, the protagonist needs to be the one who addresses the problem. It cannot be the protagonist’s friends or family. The protagonist alone must address it. As for Susie, if she refuses, then the narrative remains stagnant, and the story does not go anywhere. If her friends climb into the loft for her, that would be uneventful. Facing her fears, Susie, the protagonist, must go into the abandoned barn in order to address the problem.

While the protagonist is addressing the problem, it’s going to have some effect on them. If the situation isn’t that serious, then it wouldn’t be a problem. For example, if Susie goes into the barn, climbs to the loft, and exits with no issues, then our story would be quite boring. Instead, the problem must affect the protagonist so significantly that it causes a change in the protagonist. This change could be either a good or bad thing. Having a character go through a rough breakup could make them more and more depressed. A character entering a dance competition could make them more and more confident about themselves. Regardless, the character needs to evolve, and when a character transitions emotionally from A to B, they are beginning to change.

Often, seeing the protagonist change throughout the story can be very satisfying for the reader (I’ll discuss more about this in Character Arcs in Section 6). Seeing a grumpy old man change into a caring individual is rewarding. Change is natural in the human experience, and readers want to see that. In fact, the change in the protagonist needs to be so significant that it becomes permanent. This permanence is known as the point of no return.

By the time a character has changed this much, there needs to be a story element that seals the change in the character. If the reader has experienced growth in a character throughout the whole story, only to find that they reverted back to their old self at the end, then the story would probably feel like a giant waste of time. The point of no return is the proof that the protagonist’s change is permanent. This event is so significant that once it happens, there is no going back to normal. For Susie, this is when she reaches the loft. Will she or won’t she actually climb the ladder? If she climbs to the loft, then the dare is complete, and a significant change has occurred.

Let’s break down how the middle story elements of Susie’s story would be written out:

Susie addresses the problem by walking into the barn. The action by the protagonist doesn’t need to be something huge, it just needs to be an action that indicates the protagonist is going to do something about the problem. While going through the barn, it is old and unnerving—bothering Susie. Still, she continues and gathers her confidence. However, Susie could have all the confidence in the world, but it doesn’t mean anything if she fails to climb the ladder. Once she climbs the ladder, there is no going back, and the audience wants to know what will happen. The middle of Susie’s story could be written out like this:

To cover all the story elements in the middle, more time is needed. Notice how much longer this section is compared to the beginning of Susie’s story. The middle is often the longest section. The protagonist needs space to change and rushing it will make it feel unwarranted. When she reaches the ladder, it is the way for Susie to prove she is no longer afraid of the barn. The point of no return is also a great way to build up tension, as the reader wants to know if the protagonist will succeed or not. I’ll talk more about building tension in Section 7 – Writing Tension and Suspense, but now it’s time to wrap up the story with the end.

The End

The End only has two story elements:

• The Test
• The Conclusion

These last two elements are a chain reaction. The Test is what happens after the point of no return and The Conclusion is what happens after The Test. That’s a little confusing, but it will make more sense by using Susie’s story as an example.

Let’s first address the Test.

When Susie decides to climb up the ladder, the reader wants to know what will happen. Will she chicken out? Will she conquer her fears? Those questions will be answered during this test. Often, the Test is the most exciting part of the story because everything has been building up to this moment. If Susie climbs the ladder and easily reaches the loft, then it would be uneventful. Something notable should happen—especially to check whether the character has truly changed. In Susie’s case, the event is testing her fear, so it is a good idea to create an event that is fear-inducing. Perhaps the ladder isn’t stable or maybe Susie slips. In Susie’s story, we’ll write it so that Susie is going to succeed and reach the top.

Because she is successful, we’ll have Susie look out the window of the loft and wave to her friends. Something as simple as that moment could be The Conclusion.

As the final story element, The Conclusion lets the reader know what the character is like now that they have changed and faced the test. When learning the basics in storytelling, it is far easier to let the protagonist succeed in the test. If they don’t succeed in the test, it is known as a tragedy—which requires more sophisticated techniques to get right. For beginners in storytelling, try having the protagonist succeed when it comes to The Test. In Susie’s case, she has emerged triumphant and performing an action like a wave to her friends shows that not only has she succeeded, but also is proud of her accomplishments. To break down the end, it would be outlined like this:

Much like the beginning, the end doesn’t need to be very long. In fact, many stories have the end being short. Once the Test is completed, which is often the most interesting part of the story, dragging out the story any longer could make it boring. Obviously, it is good to wrap up any loose ends of your story, but you should be brief. The party’s over, so don’t spend another hour hanging around when the host wants you to leave. For Susie’s story, the end could be written like this:

Susie tentatively stepped onto the first rung of the ladder. It bowed but did not snap. She put her hands on the rungs above. Dust clung to her palms, but she ignored the need to brush it away. She climbed. A sharp squeak erupted from every step she took. It wasn’t like the metal ladders she used for her chores. This ladder hated her. It squealed around the halfway point. She froze. She listened intently for any other sounds. If the ladder snapped, so would her neck. After a moment, she climbed another rung. It squealed, but the wood remained steady. Confidently, she advanced upward a bit too hastily. Suddenly, her foot slipped and dangled in the air. Susie stifled a scream and held on to the ladder for dear life. Calmly, she placed her foot back on the ladder and reached the top of the loft. At the top, the loft was empty and deserted. Nothing remained but spiders and mouse pellets. She walked towards the bright light of the window. Her friends, losing their patience, suddenly saw her face and waved excitedly. Susie waved back—towering above them—and smiled.

And there we have it, the elements of Beginning, Middle, and End. As a recap, here are all the elements as one list:

• Beginning
  • The setting
  • The protagonist
  • The problem
• Middle
  • Attempt to solve the problem
  • Change in the protagonist
  • Point of No Return
• End
  • The Test
  • The Conclusion

It’s a lot to take in at first, but with practice, remembering and utilizing these elements will come more naturally.

Is Basic Format Required?

Although many stories are written using an outline similar to this, many stories also completely abandon this formula. In fact, as you continue to improve as a writer, you may alter or deviate from this format. However, it is called basic format for a reason. This is the fundamental way to tell a story, and once you have mastered it, you can feel free to experiment. Veteran basketball players do all sorts of unconventional dribbling down the court, but often they can do that only because they have mastered the fundamentals first. A musician masters the scales before they can do more complex pieces. The purpose of this section is not to say that there is only one way to write. Instead, this is a great way to understand the basics of a plot, and then perhaps break it if it feels warranted.

Therefore, the next time you start a story, try outlining it with basic format. It’s a great way to understand what direction the story needs to go, and it can help you stay on task. Remember that once you write it out, you can always adjust the story as it progresses. Using the basic format outline is a tool not a rule, and it is highly recommended for beginning and advanced writers alike.

Check In: Match the Correct Story Elements

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