In the writing community, people often talk about “progressing the story,” which is obviously something we all want to do. But years ago, I would often get stuck on this phrase. Yes, I want to “progress the story,” but what exactly does that mean? What exactly does that look like?

Well, if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I believe there are three core elements that make up a story, and I call them the Triarchy of Story. They are plot, character, and theme. Setting is important too of course–usually as the stage the story takes place on (though it can come in through plot, character, and theme, as well.)

While I plan to eventually address what “progressing the story” looks like for each element, today I would like to start with plot, which is usually what this phrase references.