Story Writing for Class 8 CBSE Format, Topics

Exercises, and Examples

Story writing is an art. It is the oldest form of written composition. It
is a work of imagination that is written in easily understandable
grammatical structure. A short story is meant to be read in a single
sitting and therefore it should be as direct and brief as possible.

To write a good story the writer needs to have a clear plot in his mind.
The events need to be arranged in a sequential manner. Then there
should be some interesting twists and surprise elements in the story in
order to make it interesting.

Key Elements for Story

A short story has five key elements

1. Characters: A short story has few characters.

2. Setting: Time frame and place constitute setting of short stories.
3. Plot: As simple and as interesting as possible.
4. Conflict: It is the struggle between two sides of the theme of the
story. Conflict can be between characters, emotions, beliefs, or
thoughts. It gives life to short stories.
5. Theme: The central idea or the main belief of the story is the
theme. Every word of the story should be written related to the
theme. As a student you will either be given opening lines or an outline
of the plot. You will be required to build the outline, or the theme
provided, into a full-fledged story. You should try to make it as
interesting as possible.
Sample Story Writing
Develop stories from given outlines. Remember to give the moral of
the story in the end.
An old lady becomes blind … calls in a doctor … agrees to pay large
fees if cured … doctor comes daily… Starts stealing one piece of
furniture daily … delays the cure … at last cures her … demands his
fees … lady refuses to pay, saying cure is not complete … doctor
objects lady says sight not restored as she cannot see all her
furniture … moral.

Title —> The Missing Furniture

Introduction - There was once an old lady. She meets with an
accident and loses her eyesight. She becomes very upset and calls in
the most qualified surgeon in town to treat her. She promises to pay
a large amount of fees to the surgeon if he is able to restore her
eyesight. The surgeon visits the old lady every day and gives her
some medicines. He takes advantage of the two facts that she is
blind and can’t see anything. He starts stealing pieces of expensive
furniture from the house.
Body —> He takes away one piece every day. For this purpose, he
delays the cure. When he takes away all the furniture from the
house, he restores the eyesight of the lady.
Conclusion - When he asks for the fees, the old lady refuses to pay
him. She says that her eyesight is not yet fully restored. The
surgeon disagrees. The lady plainly replies that she is not able to see
the furniture in the house, which means that her eyesight has not
been restored. The doctor feels ashamed and quietly leaves the
house.
Moral —> Cod watches our every action.

Solved Questions
Question 1:
Given below is an outline of a story in which a disciple is expecting
the visit of God. Develop a complete story on the basis of the input
given. Also state the moral of the story.

God’s promise to a disciple to visit her… disciple cleans her house and
waits for God … poor old lady knocks her door … disciple doesn’t help
her … tells her not to waste her time … next, beggar comes at her
doorstep ... she doesn’t entertain him either … Finally, a child knocks
her door … she sends him away too … dreams of God that night … God
tells him that he had come thrice at her doorstep, but she didn’t
bother … lady disappointed … moral.

Answer:
God Coming Home
God promised a devoted disciple that he would visit her that day. She
felt very happy. She started cleaning her house. She mopped, cleaned,
polished, and scrubbed every nook and corner of the house. Then she
sat and waited for God desperately. Suddenly there was a knock at the
door. She was very excited to see God standing at her doorstep. When
she opened the door, she found a poor hungry old lady asking for alms.
She points blank refused to talk to her saying, “Go away, don’t waste
my time. I am waiting for someone special. I am waiting for God.” The
old, helpless lady left, disappointed.
After some time, there was another knock at the door. She opened the
door thinking that this time it has got to be God at her doorstep. To
her utter dismay, when she opened the door, she saw a beggar standing
there. He was looking tired, helpless, and hungry. He asked for
something to eat. “Don’t waste my time, you old beggar. “The woman
replied.” Can’t you see I am expecting to see God any moment now. Go
away and come back another day.” She slammed the door at his face.
The beggar turned back with tears in his eyes.
There was a third knock at the door. The woman ran to open the door
to welcome God. To her surprise, she saw a hungry child standing
outside. He was crying and his clothes were torn. The woman lost her
temper and scolded the child for ringing her doorbell unnecessarily.
Again, she slammed the door angrily.
As evening approached, there was no sign of God. She went to bed with
a heavy heart. God came in her dream and said, “I knocked at your door
three times and every time you slammed the door at my face.” The
woman was shocked to hear this and repented her behaviour.
Moral —> God resides in every human being.
Question 2:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
A rich man … had many servants … purse with lot of money is stolen
from rich man’s drawer … rich man files a complaint in the police
station … all the servants called … stick of same length given to each …
servants told that stick of the thief will grow by one inch overnight …
the thief cuts his stick by one inch … he is easily caught the next day.

Answer:
Mystery of the Stolen Purse
There was a rich man who has many servants to serve him. One day he
realises that his purse is missing from his drawer. The rich man is
shocked as there are? 10,000 in the purse. He decides to file a
complaint in the local police station. The chief of police writes the
complaint and decides to solve the matter himself. He calls all the
servants of the house and gives a stick to each one of them. All the
sticks are of equal size. He further tells them that the stick of the
thief would grow longer by one inch, overnight. He calls all the servants
to the police station along with their sticks, the next day.
The servants go back home and sleep peacefully. The one who had
stolen the purse, spends a sleepless night. He is worried about his stick
growing longer by one inch. He keeps measuring the stick from time to
time. At last, in the small hours of the morning, he cuts his stick by one
inch, as he is scared of being caught.
The next day as all the servants reach the police station with the
sticks, the chief inspects the sticks. He finds the stick of the servant
who had stolen the purse, shorter by one inch. He immediately cuffs
him up and puts him behind bars. He recovers the purse and returns it
to the rich man.
Moral —> Theft is a punishable crime and honest is priceless. Always
think before you act.
Question 3:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Son falls into bad company … disobeys his parents … loses interest in
studies … father decides to bring the son back to the right path …
gives him a few apples … places a rotten apple among the good ones …
after a few days the good apples also become rotten … son understands
that one rotten apple spoils all the apples … tries to mend his ways …
gets transformed … moral.

Answer:
A Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole Barrel
Once there was a man whose son fell into bad company. Under the
influence of his friends, he got into some bad habits. He started
disobeying his parents. He would waste his time watching TV with the
result that his grades in school, came down and he even flunked in one
or two subjects. His father grew worried and decided to teach his son,
a lesson.
He gave a few apples to his son. He then quietly placed a rotten apple
among the good ones. After a few days when the son was about to take
out an apple from the basket, he found that all the apples were rotten.
He asked his father the reason for this. His father pointed out that he
had deliberately/quietly placed one rotten apple in the basket. His son
was surprised to see that one rotten apple had spoilt the entire lot. He
now understood the reason for his downfall. He thanked his father for
making him realise his mistake in his choice of friends. He immediately
left their company and was transformed into a new individual.
Moral —> person is known by the company he keeps.

Question 4:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases.
Fill in the blanks to create the complete story.
Apple tree in a house … small boy plays around it … tree becomes
fond of the boy… boy grows up… has no time to play with the tree …
tree feels sad … boy comes back after many years … asks tree to
give him money for toys … tree asks boy to pick apples and sell them
… boy is happy and goes … doesn’t return for many years… tree feels
sad … after few years comes again and asks for house to live in …
tree tells him to cut wood from its branches and make a house … boy
takes wood and again doesn’t return for a few years … after many
years comes back and asks for a place to rest … tree offers its
roots as a resting place … tree compared to parents … parents
always ready to give … selfish children always ready to take … moral.

Answer:
The Apple Tree
Once there was a huge apple tree in the front yard of a house. A
small boy lived in that house who loved to play around the apple tree.
He would spend hours climbing the tree and running around it. He
climbed to the tree top, plucked and ate the apples and even took a
nap in the shadow of the tree. He grew fond of the tree and so the
tree loved him. Time went by, the little boy grew up.
He no longer had time to play around the tree. One day, the boy
came to the tree, but he looked sad. The tree asked the boy, “Why
don’t you come and play with me? I miss you a lot.” “I am no longer a
kid, I do not play around trees anymore.” The boy continued “1 need
money to buy toys.”
“Sorry, but I do not have any money. You can pick all my apples and
sell them. That way you will have enough money to buy toys.” The
tree suggested.
The boy happily picked all the apples from the tree and went away .
He did not come back for many years. The tree was sad.
After many years, the boy who had grown into a man returned. The
tree was excited. “Come and play with me, ‘the man said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a
house for shelter. Can you help me?” The boy asked. “Sorry, but I do
not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your
house.” So, the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy. The man didn’t come back for
many years. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the man returned. “Sorry, my boy, but I do not
have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you.” The tree
said . “No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite,” The man replied.
“The only thing left are my dying roots.” The tree said with tears. “I
do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these
years.” The man replied. “Old tree roots are the best place to lean
on and rest.” The man sat down, and the tree was glad and smiled
with tears.
This story is of everyone. The tree is like our parent. When we were
young, we loved to play with our mum and dad. When we grow up, we
leave them and go. We come to them only when we need something or
when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there
and give everything they can, to their children, just to make them
happy.
Moral —> Treat your parents with loving care for, you will know their
value when you see their empty chair.
Question 5:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Lazy king … liked to eat and sleep all the time … became inactive …
doctor called to cure him … minister of king meets a holy man … sadhu
offers to cure the king … calls the king to his hut on foot … king does
as he is told … walks all the way to the hut … starts sweating … Sadhu
gives iron ball to the king and asks him to do exercise with it every
day… king does as he is told … loses weight … gets cured … moral.

Answer:
The Lazy King
There was a king, who was very lazy. He did not like to do anything. He
waited for his attendants to serve him every moment. He used to lie on
his bed always. A time came when he really became inactive. Only
eating and sleeping made him fat and lazy. He became so fat that he
could not move around. He felt sick, doctors were called in to treat
him. Nothing could help him to become fit and fine. All his subjects
were sorry to learn about the fact that their king was unwell.
One day the minister met a holy man (Sadhu) on the outskirts of the
city. While conversing with each other, the Sadhu came to know the
fact that the king was unwell. He told the minister that he could cure
the king. Hearing this, the minister’s face brightened. He arranged
immediately for a meeting of the Sadhu and the king.
The Sadhu had a talk with the king for a while and then said that
nothing serious had happened and that the king would be alright. From
the next day the treatment would start. He asked the king to come to
his hut which was at a distance from the palace. The king had to come
on foot to the hut. The king agreed, after many years the king had
come outside to walk on the road. By the time he reached the Sadhu’s
hut, he was breathless and started sweating. The Sadhu came out of
the hut. He gave an iron ball to the king and asked him to roll the ball in
the palace grounds every morning and evening. The king thanked the
Sadhu and left. After 15 days the Sadhu came to the palace to meet
the king. The king had lost a considerable amount of weight. He was
feeling much better and was active. All his sickness had disappeared.
Moral —> Health is Wealth.
Question 6:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Salt merchant … had a donkey who carried heavy loads of salt on its
back … donkey had to cross a stream to transport the salt to other
villages … once the donkey slipped in water … salt dissolved in water …
load became lighter … donkey felt happy … repeats the process of
falling in water every day to lessen the burden … merchants suspects
the donkey’s evil intentions … plans to teach it a lesson … loads cotton
on donkey’s back … as donkey falls in water cotton becomes heavy ...
donkey repents his actions … moral.

Answer:
The Clever Donkey
Once there was a merchant. He used to deal in salt. He possessed a
donkey, who would carry heavy loads of salt to faraway places.
Sometimes the donkey had to cross a stream to transport salt from
one village to another. Once it so happened, that the donkey slipped
and fell into the stream while carrying the load of salt. As a result,
much of the salt got dissolved in water. Even though the merchant
incurred a loss, the donkey was relieved as the load became lighter and
it was now able to cross the stream easily. Next time when the donkey
was about to carry the heavy load across the stream, an idea struck it.
It deliberately fell into the stream so as to make the load lighter. The
merchant suspected the intentions of the donkey. The clever donkey
again repeated the same trick the next day. The merchant was now
sure about the donkey’s evil intention.
He decided to teach the donkey a lesson. He loaded the donkey with
cotton instead of salt. The donkey once again repeated the same trick.
He fell into the stream. This time his load became very heavy. It was
very tiring for him to move on. The donkey now realised his mistake. He
stopped falling down into the stream anymore. He realised that it was
not good to play tricks. The merchant had taught the donkey a good
lesson.
Moral —> You can be fool a person a few times but not always.
Question 7:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Rich man … plans to give a feast to his friends … all dishes are prepared
except fish as it is unavailable … declares reward for anyone who would
get fish … poor fisherman catches a big fish and brings it … gatekeeper
refuses to let him enter the house unless he agrees to give him half
the reward … fisherman thinks of a plan … instead of the reward he
asks the rich man for 100 lashes on his back … gives 50 lashes to the
gatekeeper… moral.

Answer:
Half the Profit
Once there was a rich man. He wanted to give a grand feast to his
friends. He got all kinds of dishes prepared, but he was unable to get
fish. He offered a reward to the man who would bring it. A poor
fisherman heard about the reward and caught a big fish. He decided to
give the fish to the rich man. When he reached the man’s house, the
gatekeeper wouldn’t let him in till he promised to give him half the
reward. The gatekeeper was an evil person. The fisherman thought of
teaching him a lesson. The fisherman agreed to give half his reward to
the gatekeeper. When the fisherman went inside to give the fish to
the rich man, he was highly pleased and wanted to give him Rs. 100, but
the fisherman refused to take it. Instead, he demanded a hundred
lashes on his back. Everybody was surprised. At last the rich man
ordered a servant to give him a hundred lashes. When the fisherman
had received fifty, he asked them to stop as he had a partner in the
business. The gatekeeper received the remaining 50 lashes. He had to
suffer the torture because of his greed. The rich man understood the
whole thing. After giving the gatekeeper fifty lashes he dismissed him
from service. The rich man gave the fisherman a handsome reward.
Moral —> Too much greed becomes the reason for your downfall.

Question 8:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Famine in a village … people became desperate with hunger … there was
a rich man in the village … he was very generous … decided to feed the
children with bread … everyday children came and fought hard to grab
loaves of bread ... a small girl waited patiently for her turn … got the
smallest loaf in the end … rich man was impressed by her
patience … thought of rewarding her … kept Rs. 200. In the smallest
loaf … girl finds the money and returns it to the rich man ... he is
impressed with her honesty ... gives her Rs. 200 more … moral.

Answer:
The Patient Little Girl
Once upon a time a famine broke out in a village. People became
desperate with hunger. There was a rich man in the village. He was very
sympathetic towards the people of the village. He could not see the
plight of the hungry people. He decided to feed the people with bread
every day. The children of the village would flock outside the rich
man’s house to get loaves of bread. As soon as the servants brought
out loaves, they fought among themselves and struggled hard to get
them. One little girl did not fight. Every day, she waited patiently for
her turn and got the smallest loaf, last of all. The rich man noticed this
small girl. He was impressed by her patience. He decided to reward
her. He kept some money in the smallest loaf of bread. Next day as
usual, she got the smallest loaf. When she was about to eat it, she
found two hundred rupees in it. She thought that the rich man had, by
mistake, kept the money inside the loaf. She was a very honest girl.
Even though she was hungry, She went back at once to return the
money. The rich man was pleased at her honesty. He gave her not only
those two hundred rupees, but two hundred rupees more, as a reward.
Moral —> Honesty and patience bring their own reward.

Question 9:
Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill
in the blanks to create the complete story.
Elephant in a village … went for a bath to the river every day … passed
a tailor’s shop ... tailor gave him something to eat … one day tailor has a
fight with a customer … pricks elephant’s trunk with a needle instead
of giving him food … elephant fills water in his trunk … spoils tailor’s
stitched clothes … tailor sorry … moral.

Answer:
The Elephant and the Tailor
There lived an elephant in a village. He went to the river every day to
take a bath. On the way to the river, he passed a tailor’s shop. The
tailor grew fond of the elephant as he would see him every day going to
the river. The tailor would give him something to eat. The two became
good friends. One day the tailor had a quarrel with a customer. So he
was not in a good mood. The elephant didn’t know about the quarrel as
he approached the tailor’s shop. As usual, he put his trunk inside the
shop expecting to get something to eat. The tailor instead of giving him
something to eat pricked a needle into his trunk. The elephant was
shocked at his behaviour and wanted to retaliate, but silently went
away thinking he would come back and teach him a lesson. The elephant
reached the river and .took his bath. After that he filled muddy water
in his trunk. On his way back he stopped at the tailor’s shop. He saw
some new clothes kept there, all ready to be delivered to customers.
He threw the muddy water on the new clothes in the shop. All the
clothes were destroyed. The tailor had to bear heavy losses. The tailor
promised himself never to punish anyone who was not at fault.
Moral —> As you sow, so shall you reap.