Stories are about significant change
Only with a laborer's tools, he toiled and carved a path through a mountain
Dear Reader,
This isn’t just about fiction. I’ll show you a 5-step storytelling trick used by novelists and demonstrate how they can enhance your writing, your work in journalism, non-fiction, and beyond.
Where to begin?
One of the trickiest parts of writing a short story or novel, after developing an idea, is figuring out where to begin and how to wrap it up.
Unlike some classics, modern stories don’t start at birth, and most don’t end at death. People simply don’t have to time to read those kind of stories anymore unless they are reading a biography. Experienced storytellers start their story when something significant changes in the life of the main character.
Every main character walks around with a self-concept like:
I’m a good doctor.
I’m an efficient secretary.
I’m the kind of person who always has things under control.
The story begins when you shake up their world. Put them in a situation where their self-image no longer works. Make the water murky, perhaps the ethics and virtues of the character is tested. That’s when the story begins. Now clarify the goal, obstacles, conflict for the first scene, and how the outcome is worse than the character had expected, and you have the barebones of a compelling scene. Repeat.
Good change, good conflicts are those where your character has no choice but to act. They act and fail, or better, land up worse than if they had done nothing. Their actions in one scene should lead them to form a new goal for the next one. These scene-by-scene chain of actions satisfy the reader by answering the overall story question in their mind:
Will she learn the new system?
Will he uncover the truth?
Couple it with the main character motivation
Does she want freedom? Will she find it?
Does he want revenge? How far will he go?
From then on, your reader is hooked. They’ll keep turning pages until they get an answer. And that’s exactly where your story ends—when the question is resolved. After that, tie some loose ends, and stop writing.
Golden Rules
Start the story as late in your initially planned timeline as you can—right at the moment of significant change. In my version of the Ramayana focusing on Sita as the main character, I start the story at Sita’s pregnancy and the circumstances that lead her husband to banish her from the kingdom for 14 years.
Keep your story centered on one big question. Subplots are fine, but only if they serve the main thread.
Forget about “happy endings.” What matters is a fitting ending—one that answers the question you set up at the start.
The Blueprint
Change → Goal → Question → Answer
That’s how you frame your story from page one to “The End.”
Where does your character’s world first crack? That’s your true beginning.
Mini-Workshop
Now, let’s put this blueprint into practice with a mini-workshop. Try this with the story of a person who inspires you and a story you know well.
1. Self-Concept Check
Write one sentence that sums up how your character sees themselves:
“I’m someone who…”
2. Break the Image
List one event that makes this self-image stop working. That’s your opening scene.
3. Set the Goal
How would your character try to “fix” or protect their self-concept? Write it down.
4. Form the Story Question
Turn the goal into a reader’s question:
“Will they…?”
5. Decide the Answer
Imagine the final page. What’s the outcome of that question? Yes? No? Something bittersweet? That’s your ending.
Example: Story of Dashrath Manjhi
Like the Taj Mahal, this memorial to a wife took 22 years to build—but it was made by a laborer, not a king.
Dashrath Manjhi, often referred to as the “Mountain Man,” was a poor laborer from India’s Gehlaur village in Bihar. In the 1960s, his wife fell seriously ill, but because a mountain stood between his village and the nearest hospital, she couldn’t get timely medical help and died.
Heartbroken, Manjhi decided no one else should suffer the same fate. Armed only with a hammer and chisel, he worked day and night for 22 years (1960–1982) to carve a path through the mountain.
By the time he finished, he had reduced the distance between his village and the nearest town from 55 km to just 15 km.
His determination turned him into a symbol of perseverance and selfless love. Today, Dashrath Manjhi’s story inspires millions as proof that one person’s resolve can move mountains—literally.
Story Mapping and Explanation from Manjhi's Story
1. Self-Concept Check: I’m someone who provides for and protects my wife and family.
Before his wife's death, his identity was tied to his role as a husband and laborer living within the village structure.
2. Break the Image: His wife, Falguni Devi, dies because the mountain prevents her from reaching timely medical care. This event shatters his self-concept as a protector. He could not protect his wife from the obstacle or the resulting tragedy. This is the Inciting Incident (the opening scene).
3. Set the Goal: To break the mountain and carve a road, ensuring no one in his village ever suffers the same fate again. This is how he attempts to fix the broken image, transforming his personal grief into a mission of communal protection.
4. Form the Story Question: Will Dashrath Manjhi, a single, poor laborer, be able to carve a path through the mountain with only a hammer and chisel? This question drives the 22-year narrative arc and holds the reader's interest.
5. [Slowly] Reveal the Answer: Yes, through decades of perseverance. (A positive, triumphant, and awe-inspiring answer). The story concludes with the finished road, a physical symbol of his resolve, proving that one person's determination can overcome seemingly impossible odds. The travel distance is reduced from 55 km to 15 km. And this was the accomplishment of a laborer, not a king. If that is not a labor of love, I don’t know what is?
I have shown you a 5-step storytelling trick used by novelists in this form, or with some variations. This can enhance your writing today be it your work in journalism, non-fiction, or your first short story.
Lets Write Better.
Regards,
A/B
Sources & Inspiration
The principles discussed here were first explored in my post, “Ingredients of a Story.” These ideas are heavily influenced by classic guides like Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure (I had to hit refresh twice to get this to work), which argues for fast-paced, contemporary storytelling. For more on the Dashrath Manjhi story, you can find a compelling Medium article or the Wikipedia entry or this video or this video. I also recommend David Samuel Levinson’s interview on Writing a Novel for deeper insights.