Here are 100 narrative elements, reformatted as actionable command prompts for a writer, storyteller, or creative.
🎭 Character Prompts
Craft a Protagonist who is... (e.g., as flawed as Winston Smith in 1984, as witty as Elizabeth Bennet, as determined as Harry Potter).
Design an Antagonist who is... (e.g., as symbolic as Big Brother, as manipulative as Iago, as powerful as Lord Voldemort).
Create a Foil Character to... (e.g., a logical Watson to an intuitive Holmes, a rival Malfoy to a heroic Harry, a passionate Laertes to a pensive Hamlet).
Develop a Deuteragonist who... (e.g., provides loyalty like Samwise Gamgee, provides intellect like Hermione Granger, provides a grounding presence like Dr. Watson).
Introduce a Mentor who is... (e.g., as wise as Gandalf, as morally complex as Atticus Finch, as mysterious as Dumbledore).
Employ a Character Archetype such as... (e.g., The "Trickster" like Loki, The "Innocent" like Ophelia, The "Rebel" like Han Solo).
Utilize a Stock Character for... (e.g., The "Mad Scientist" like Dr. Frankenstein, The "Damsel in Distress," The "Hard-Boiled Detective").
Plot a Dynamic Character's Arc from... (e.g., selfish to selfless like Scrooge, good to evil like Walter White, prejudiced to loving like Elizabeth Bennet).
Write a Static Character to serve as... (e.g., a moral anchor like Atticus Finch, an unchanging enigma like Sherlock Holmes, a voice of reason like Miss Maudie).
Build a Round Character with... (e.g., deep contradictions like Hamlet, complex motivations like Scarlett O'Hara, a tormented psyche like Raskolnikov).
Use a Flat Character for... (e.g., comic relief like Mrs. Bennet, a simple obstacle like Crabbe & Goyle, a specific plot function like Benvolio).
Define a complete Character Arc, such as... (e.g., Macbeth's fall from hero to tyrant, Katniss's journey from survivor to revolutionary).
Reveal a compelling Backstory through... (e.g., a sudden memory like Snape's, a gradual investigation like in Citizen Kane, a direct confession).
Define an Internal Motivation for your character... (e.g., Macbeth's ambition, Hamlet's need for existential proof, Raskolnikov's desire to be a "superman").
Define an External Motivation for your character... (e.g., Katniss's need to protect her sister, Frodo's quest to destroy the Ring, a character needing to win prize money).
Assign a Fatal Flaw (Hamartia) to... (e.g., Othello's jealousy, Oedipus's hubris, Macbeth's ambition).
Engineer an Epiphany where the character... (e.g., suddenly understands their error like Scrooge, realizes the truth from a letter like Elizabeth Bennet, sees the world differently like in "Araby").
Use Direct Characterization to... (e.g., state a fact plainly: "Scrooge was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.").
Use Indirect Characterization to... (e.g., show a messy room to imply a chaotic mind, reveal a character's secret kindness to their sister like Darcy).
Write an Internal Monologue that... (e.g., debates a decision like "To be or not to be," reveals a chaotic mind like Molly Bloom's soliloquy).
Craft Dialogue with Subtext that... (e.g., has witty banter like Much Ado About Nothing, carries unspoken tension like a Hemingway story).
Employ Dialect or Idiolect to... (e.g., build character like Hagrid's accent, establish setting like the folksy speech in Huckleberry Finn).
📈 Plot & Structure Prompts
Establish the Exposition by... (e.g., an opening crawl like Star Wars, a description of the world like in 1984, an introduction by a narrator like The Great Gatsby).
Trigger the Inciting Incident where... (e.g., a wizard delivers a letter, a character volunteers as tribute, a character inherits a powerful object).
Construct the Rising Action as... (e.g., a series of tests like in The Odyssey, a series of tense encounters like Darcy and Elizabeth, a hunt for objects like the Horcruxes).
Execute the Climax as... (e.g., the final duel between hero and villain, a dramatic confession, a shocking revelation).
Map the Falling Action where... (e.g., a letter explains everything, the hero returns home, the side-effects of the climax are explored).
Deliver a satisfying Resolution where... (e.g., the feuding families reconcile, the main characters marry, the case is officially closed).
Write a Dénouement that... (e.g., shows the characters "19 years later," features the narrator's final reflections, shows the aftermath of the trial).
Structure a Linear Narrative that... (e.g., follows a clear A-B-C progression like The Hunger Games or Of Mice and Men).
Structure a Non-linear Narrative by... (e.g., fracturing time like Pulp Fiction, jumping between past and present like Slaughterhouse-Five).
Begin In Medias Res with... (e.g., a battle scene like The Iliad, a character already in peril, the middle of a mysterious event like Oedipus Rex).
Weave in a crucial Flashback using... (e.g., a narrator's story like in Wuthering Heights, an investigation of the past like Citizen Kane).
Insert a Flash-forward that... (e.g., shows a prophetic vision like in A Christmas Carol, reveals a future state like in Slaughterhouse-Five).
Use Foreshadowing to... (e.g., hint at the future with a prophecy like Macbeth, a symbolic object like Lennie's dead mouse).
Plant a "Chekhov's Gun" that... (e.g., a pistol introduced in Act I, a necklace shown in an early scene, a specific skill mentioned in passing).
Deploy a Plot Twist where... (e.g., a character's identity is revealed like in Fight Club, a parent's identity is revealed like in Star Wars).
Plant a Red Herring to... (e.g., create a false suspect like Snape in Sorcerer's Stone, stage a fake death like in And Then There Were None).
End a chapter with a Cliffhanger like... (e.g., Han Solo frozen in carbonite, a character learning a shocking truth, a "To Be Continued..." moment).
Develop a meaningful Subplot such as... (e.g., the romance between Sam and Rosie in LOTR, the love triangle in King Lear).
Construct Parallel Plots that... (e.g., follow different timelines like Dunkirk, follow separate journeys like in The Two Towers).
Control the narrative Pacing to be... (e.g., breathless and rapid like The Da Vinci Code, or slow and methodical like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).
Create a MacGuffin which is... (e.g., an object everyone wants like the One Ring, a mysterious briefcase like in Pulp Fiction, the Maltese Falcon).
Deliver Poetic Justice where... (e.g., the villain is undone by their own scheme like Jafar, the evil stepsisters get their comeuppance).
Use a Deus ex Machina (and justify it) such as... (e.g., the eagles rescuing Frodo and Sam, a sudden inheritance, a last-minute cavalry charge).
Outline a Quest Narrative for... (e.g., a journey home like The Odyssey, a quest to destroy an object like The Lord of the Rings).
Structure your story on The Hero's Journey by... (e.g., following the steps for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars or Neo in The Matrix).
⚔️ Conflict Prompts
Define the Central Conflict as... (e.g., Harry vs. Voldemort, The Rebellion vs. The Empire, Elizabeth's prejudice vs. Darcy's pride).
Externalize an Internal Conflict like... (e.g., Hamlet's indecision, Raskolnikov's guilt, Winston Smith's "thoughtcrime").
Choreograph an External Conflict such as... (e.g., a duel like Hamlet vs. Laertes, a hunt like in Moby-Dick, a physical journey like The Odyssey).
Focus on a "Character vs. Self" struggle over... (e.g., a split personality like Fight Club, a moral failing like Scrooge's greed, a difficult choice).
Stage a "Character vs. Character" rivalry between... (e.g., a detective and a criminal like Holmes vs. Moriarty, a hero and a manipulator like Othello vs. Iago).
Build a "Character vs. Society" conflict where... (e.g., a character fights the state like Winston Smith, defies a community like Hester Prynne, rebels against a system like Katniss).
Craft a "Character vs. Nature" struggle against... (e.g., a great beast like in Moby-Dick or The Old Man and the Sea, an unforgiving environment like in Lord of the Flies).
Invent a "Character vs. Technology" problem with... (e.g., a rogue AI like HAL 9000, a creation gone wrong like Jurassic Park, a cyborg army like The Terminator).
Write a "Character vs. Supernatural/Fate" story where... (e.g., a character cannot escape a prophecy like Oedipus, a character fights a monster like in Frankenstein).
Clearly establish the Stakes by... (e.g., putting the world at risk, threatening the hero's life, endangering a character's love).
Build narrative Tension with... (e.g., Hitchcock's "bomb under the table" scenario, the silence before a duel, a character hiding).
Create Suspense by... (e.g., withholding information in a "whodunit," delaying the resolution of a "will they/won't they" romance).
🌍 Setting & World Prompts
Choose a symbolic Physical Location like... (e.g., the bleak marshes in Great Expectations, the isolated Overlook Hotel in The Shining).
Ground the story in a specific Time Period such as... (e.g., the Roaring Twenties in The Great Gatsby, the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities).
Use Time of Day to set the mood like... (e.g., the "witching hour" for horror, the oppressive midday heat in The Stranger, a hopeful dawn).
Use Weather as a plot device such as... (e.g., a storm that reflects the character's turmoil like in King Lear, a fog that obscures the truth like in Hound of the Baskervilles).
Establish a powerful Atmosphere/Mood of... (e.g., dread like in Dracula, nostalgia like in The Catcher in the Rye, whimsy like in Alice in Wonderland).
Define the Social/Political Climate as... (e.g., totalitarian like 1984, a rigid class system like Pride and Prejudice, wartime paranoia like Catch-22).
Define the story's Cultural Context by... (e.g., showing the rules of Puritan society, the disillusionment of the post-war era, the constraints on women in A Doll's House).
Engage in World-building by... (e.g., defining the magic system of Harry Potter, the districts of The Hunger Games, the history of Middle-earth).
Make the Setting symbolic of... (e.g., the green light representing hope in The Great Gatsby, the moors representing wildness in Wuthering Heights).
Employ Pathetic Fallacy where... (e.g., the weather reflects the character's mood, such as rain at a funeral or sun when they fall in love).
🗣️ Point of View & Narration Prompts
Tell the story in First-Person POV from... (e.g., a cynical teenager like Holden Caulfield, an observant neighbor like Nick Carraway, a determined survivor).
Tell the story in Second-Person POV by... (e.g., addressing the reader as "You," like in Bright Lights, Big City or "Choose Your Own Adventure" books).
Use Third-Person Limited POV to... (e.g., follow one character closely, filtering all events through their perspective, like Harry Potter).
Use Third-Person Omniscient POV to... (e.g., move between all characters' thoughts, like the god-like narrator in Middlemarch or War and Peace).
Use Third-Person Objective POV as... (e.g., a "camera lens" that only reports actions and dialogue, like in "Hills Like White Elephants").
Create an Unreliable Narrator who is... (e.g., deceitful like Humbert Humbert, deluded like the narrator of Fight Club, naive, or insane).
Develop a unique Narrative Voice that is... (e.g., cynical and teenage like Holden Caulfield's, formal and archaic like Dracula's, folksy and oral like Huckleberry Finn's). s
Write a Stream of Consciousness passage to... (e.g., capture the raw, unfiltered flow of a character's thoughts, like in Ulysses or Mrs. Dalloway).
Construct an Epistolary Narrative using... (e.g., letters and journals like Dracula, emails, text messages, or diary entries like The Color Purple).
Employ a Frame Story where... (e.g., a story is told within another story, like in Frankenstein or One Thousand and One Nights).
💡 Theme, Tone & Style Prompts
Define the core Theme as... (e.g., "Absolute power corrupts" in 1984; "Class and wealth do not equal happiness" in The Great Gatsby).
Explore a Thematic Concept like... (e.g., "Love" in Romeo and Juliet; "War" in All Quiet on the Western Front; "Justice" in To Kill a Mockingbird).
Imply a Moral such as... (e.g., "Slow and steady wins the race"; "Don't judge a book by its cover"; "Be careful what you wish for").
Weave in a recurring Motif like... (e.g., the green light in The Great Gatsby, the motif of blood in Macbeth, the "whiteness" of the whale in Moby-Dick).
Incorporate Symbolism using... (e.g., an object like the scarlet "A" or the conch shell, an animal like the mockingbird).
Write an Allegory where... (e.g., the story stands for something else, like Animal Farm for the Russian Revolution, or The Pilgrim's Progress).
Establish a consistent Tone that is... (e.g., satirical like Pride and Prejudice, somber like Oedipus Rex, cynical like 1984, whimsical).
Choose your Diction (Word Choice) deliberately to be... (e.g., simple and concrete like Hemingway, ornate and "eldritch" like Lovecraft, academic).
Define your Syntax (Sentence Structure) as... (e.g., short and declarative like Hemingway, or long and winding like Faulkner).
Write a Pastiche that... (e.g., imitates the style of another work, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead does with Hamlet).
Write a Parody that... (e.g., mocks the conventions of a genre, like Don Quixote with chivalric romance or Spaceballs with Star Wars).
🛠️ Literary Device Prompts
Create a Metaphor like... (e.g., "All the world's a stage"; "The road was a ribbon of moonlight"; "He is a shining star").
Create a Simile like... (e.g., "As solitary as an oyster"; "He fought like a lion"; "O my Luve is like a red, red rose").
Use Personification to... (e.g., make the wind whisper, make death "be not proud," make the city "never sleep").
Evoke strong Imagery (Sensory Detail) by... (e.g., describing the sounds of a battlefield, the smell of a location, the look of the Valley of Ashes).
Insert a meaningful Allusion to... (e.g., the Bible in Moby-Dick, The Tempest in Brave New World, another famous work).
Use Juxtaposition to... (e.g., place "light" and "dark" imagery together, contrast two cities, put a poor character next to a rich one).
Write an Oxymoron such as... (e.S., "O brawling love, O loving hate"; "Parting is such sweet sorrow"; "living dead").
Formulate a Paradox like... (e.g., "I must be cruel, only to be kind"; "War is peace"; "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times").
Set up Dramatic Irony where... (e.g., the audience knows Juliet is only asleep but Romeo doesn't; the audience knows Oedipus's true identity).
Use Verbal Irony (Sarcasm) like... (e.g., Mark Antony calling Brutus "an honourable man," the dry wit of Mr. Bennet).
Engineer Situational Irony such as... (e.g., a fire station burning down, a marriage counselor getting a divorce, the ending of "The Gift of the Magi").
Build to a Catharsis that... (e.g., provides an emotional release for the audience, like at the end of Oedipus Rex or King Lear).
Use Anaphora (Repetition) to... (e.g., create rhythm: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."; "I have a dream...").
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