In every story, there must be a beginning, a middle,
and an end.  It must contain a main theme that holds
everything in the story together.  The story should also
have a main character who has to achieve a goal in
the story.  There should also be an opposing force,
an antagonist, and/or a villain who has the same goal,
but for a different reason and who goes about achieving
the goal in a different way.

Another key element to writing an effective story is
to make sure you are “showing” the story and not
“telling” the story.  The way you accomplish this is
to pay special attention to your verb usage.  Using
passive verbs results in “telling” the story.  Using
action verbs results in “showing” the story.  You
must have the instinct to know when to use
passive verbs and when to use action verbs.  This
will make a big difference in the effectiveness of
your story.

A compelling story always contains these story
elements.  It is in the execution of these elements
that determines how compelling your story will be.

I hope this is of help to you.