Fiction: Novels are fictional. The stories being told have been created by the author.
Setting: Novels have a recognisable and defines setting. The setting does not have to be realistic, but in a novel, it should be fully developed and therefore plausible.
Plot: Novels are fictional and therefore the plot is central. Without a plot, there is no story.
Characters: Novels need complex and developed characters. Readers should be able to relate to them.
Dialogue: Dialogue is key to progression and how the characters interact .
Narrator: This is how the story is told and can be told in first, second, or third person. They have impact the reliability of the readers perspective.