This study examined changes in kindergarteners' writing complexity after implementing writing instruction based on story elements (character, setting, problem, and solution). Writing samples from six students of three ability levels (i.e., beginning, intermediate, and advanced) were collected over a six-week period within a guided writing context. These samples included three types of texts (oral language, pictures, and written text)and were analyzed using two analytic rubrics specifically created for this study, one for writing development and the other for the inclusion of story elements. Findings from this study suggest that all students, regardless of ability level wrote in more complex ways when they used story elements as cues to incorporate detail into their writing. Additionally, all of the students included the four story elements in varying degrees, and the acknowledgment and use of different types of text in each writing sample provided a more accurate representation of the student authors' thinking.