The 6 Core Competencies of Storytelling

What is it?

The Six Core Competencies framework posits that a successful story relies on deliberate story engineering split into 4 elemental components and 2 execution skill sets:

1. Concept: The dramatic premise and underlying “what if?”.
2. Character: The protagonist, their internal flaws, and driving motivations.
3. Theme: The deeper meaning and commentary on human nature.
4. Story Structure: The sequential architecture of events driving narrative tension.
5. Scene Execution: The craftsmanship of individual dramatic units.
6. Writing Voice: The stylistic vehicle through which the story is delivered.

A story fails if any single competency is neglected or poorly executed.

How to apply it to a short story?

• Pre-Flight Checklist: Ensure all four elemental categories (Concept, Character, Theme, Structure) are active before drafting.
• Targeted Revision: When a draft feels flat, diagnose which competency is failing. Lyrical prose over a weak plot points to a Structure issue; complex plots with uninteresting leads point to Character or Theme deficits.
• Integrated Design: Ensure the concept naturally forces the character to face internal demons through the structural plot points.

“A failure, even a mediocre execution, in any one of the core competencies will almost certainly kill your chances.” — Larry Brooks

⚠️ Common Pitfalls / What NOT to do

• Over-relying on Voice: Assuming lyrical sentences can mask a lack of narrative movement or stakes.
• Pure Discovery Writing Without Standards: Writing without knowing the character’s core flaw or the thematic core of the conflict.
• Isolated Mechanics: Developing character profiles disconnected from the story’s structural turning points.

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