Twelve Storytelling Musts
Note: This is based on a three act story format.
1. There must be s a story.
2. Every story must have an instigating event.
3. The major dramatic question must ask what the protagonist (main
character) wants.
4. The protagonist’s want must motivate their actions throughout the story
until they get what they want.
5. Things must never be too easy for the protagonist.
6. There must be an ally to help the protagonist overcome obstacles.
7. The protagonist must fail before they succeed.
8. There must be a dramatic moment or event in the middle of “Act Two”
that turns up the heat of the story a few degrees.
9. There must be some crucial piece of new information two-thirds of the
way through the story, usually at the end of “Act Two”.
10. “Act Three” must be the most interesting and most exciting.
11. There must be a change in the protagonist’s personality that brings them
to a better place than they were at the beginning of the story.
12. The ending does not have to be happy or sad, but it must satisfy the
audience.