Wednesday Lumen: Every Element Counts Exercise

Wednesday Lumen: Every Element Counts Exercise

The strongest stories gain tension not by adding more but by cutting beloved elements that cannot defend their presence. The heart of the story beats strongest when you silence the parts that only want to be heard.

Key techniques illustrated

1. Functional Precision Every element of the story must serve a clear purpose. Characters, scenes, and details advance conflict, deepen theme, or reveal character.

2. Micro-level Accountability Every line, gesture, and word must justify its presence. Nothing exists merely to fill space.

3. Energy Routing Emotional and thematic energy should move through every element to drive the story forward.

Writing Prompt (500 words, 2-hour exercise)

Place your story in a confined space such as a train carriage, a bar, or an office. Include at least four characters, each with an object or gesture that seems ordinary but carries narrative weight. Write three short paragraphs for each character. Introduce the character and their object or gesture. Show them interacting with another character. Reveal how their presence or action shifts the story’s emotional or thematic core.

After writing, take the role of a bouncer. Ask of each element, “Why must this exist here? What energy does it contribute?” Remove, revise, or deepen anything that cannot answer the question convincingly.

Strong response: Every character and object has a clear, specific role. Gestures or props spark tension, foreshadow conflict, or intensify theme. Interactions feel deliberate. Readers sense the story’s momentum.

Weak response: Characters and objects appear arbitrary. Scenes drift with no clear purpose. Emotional beats feel disconnected. Cutting lines does not alter the story.

Evaluation criteria

• Each element must justify its presence. Nothing is decorative.

• Narrative energy moves from one action or revelation to the next.

• Character and object choices reinforce theme.

• Interactions reveal or escalate conflict rather than fill space.

Follow-up questions for workshopping or revision

• If you remove a character or object, does the story collapse or remain intact

• Which element unexpectedly shifts the reader’s emotional or cognitive response and why

• Could a small change in gesture, object, or dialogue heighten tension without adding length

• Where is energy diffusing rather than concentrating and how can it be rerouted

Recommended published work

“The Third and Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri. Every gesture, object, and detail illuminates character, culture, and emotion. This Lahiri shows how ordinary elements carry narrative energy and thematic weight.

AI Disclosure Statement:

This writing prompt was created in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI model by OpenAI, to support creative practice. ChatGPT assisted with idea generation and drafting; the final text was edited by the author. The illustration was created using Google Gemini.