Story Writing

Key Areas of Focus

01 Structure

02 Content and ideas

03 Sentence types and openings

04 Grammar and range of

punctuation

05 Techniques and vocabulary

 Planning your story effectively

Title Setting

Time and Place

Characters
Planning your story

Narrative perspective

Unusual plot point

Structure
Tense
Structure
Story openings
Event order in a story
Chronological - telling the events of a story in time idea.
Flashbacks - flashing back to past events
Flash forward - going forward to future events
In medias res - starting the story in the middle
Cyclical - finishing the story in the same place it started

Linear Narrative (Normal Chronology)

The linear (i.e. in a line) telling of a story as a sequence of events as they happened in time.

Reverse Chronology
The telling of a story from the end to the beginning, sharing events in the reverse order from
which they occurred in time.

Nonlinear Narrative
The nonlinear (i.e. not in line) telling of a story as a series of separate events told out of
chronological order
 At the start of your story…

● Where is your protagonist? Seeking food, hiding, sleeping, keeping warm.

● What are they doing there are why?
● Thinking of all the sentence starters you have tried consider these techniques in
your first paragraph:
● Dialogue, onomatopoeia, starting a sentence with an adverb, speech, a one word
sentence, a simile, alliteration, double adjectives.
Structural Devices
Paragraphs
What are the rules
for when to start a
new paragraph?
What does TipTop
stand for?

Challenge:
How can we vary
our paragraphs for
effect?
 When do you start a new paragraph?
• Remember TiPToP Why do we change paragraph?
– Ti – Time. When there is
a change in time, start a
new paragraph.
– P – Place. When there is
a change in place, start a
new paragraph
– To – Topic. When there is
a change in topic/idea,
start a new paragraph
– P – Person. When there
is a change in person
(applies to dialogue as
well), start a new
paragraph
 Exciting and must-remember tips for
paragraphing:
• Paragraphs break up big chunks of writing.

• Tip Top paragraphing is the way to remember when

to paragraph.

• There are two ways to start a new paragraph:-

1. Start a new line with a small indent the size of your

finger.
Challenge: Can
2. Start a new line, leaving a gap between we think of any
paragraphs.
other tips for
• Paragraphs can be very long or very short but are writing
generally around 4 or 5 lines on a page. paragraphs?
 Dialogue
Speech in writing A conversation between two or
more people; speech.

A new paragraph should be used whenever somebody new speaks, even if

they have already spoken. Look at the paragraphing in this conversation
below:

“So, what do you have to say for yourself then?” enquired the police officer.
The young boy replied softly, “ Nothing, you can’t prove anything!”
Silence settled in the room for a minute. All that could be heard was the clock patiently
ticking on the wall, and the breathing from the two persons trying to outstare each
other.
Eventually, the silence was broken, and the police officer pulled a clear bag from behind
his back and slammed it on the table.
“What do you call this then, eh?”
Silence.
The boy’s favourite hat stared back at him from within the bag.
“Oh” was all he could manage.
 Discourse markers
Discourse markers Words or phrases used to organise
and connect segments of texts

Key words and phrases to use for

smooth transitions between
paragraphs:
•When
•However
•In addition
•Although
•After
•Then…. and many more!
 Identifying discourse markers
I F YOU went too near the edge of the chalk pit the ground would give way. Barney had been told this often enough. Everybody had told him. His
grandmother, every time he came to stay with her. His sister, every time she wasn’t telling him something else. Besides, Barney had a feeling,
somewhere in his middle, that it was probably true about the ground giving way. But still, there was a difference between being told and seeing it
happen. And today was one of those grey days when there was nothing to do, nothing to play, and nowhere to go.
Except to the chalk pit. The dump.
At that point, Barney got through the rickety fence and went to the edge of the pit. This had been the side of a hill once, he told himself. Men had come to
dig away chalk and left this huge hole in the earth. He thought of all the sticks of chalk they must have made, and all the blackboards in all the schools
they must have written on. They must have dug and dug for hundreds of years. And then they got tired of digging, or somebody had told them to stop
before they dug away all the hill. And now they did not know what to do with this empty hole and they were trying to fill it up again. Anything people
didn’t want they threw into the bottom of the pit. He immediately crawled through the rough grass and peered over. The sides of the pit were white
chalk, with lines of flints poking out like bones in places. At the top was crumbly brown earth and the roots of the trees that grew on the edge. The
roots looped over the edge, twined in the air and grew back into the earth. Additionally, some of the trees hung over the edge, holding on desperately
by a few roots. The earth and chalk had fallen away beneath them, and one day they too would fall to the bottom of the pit. Strings of ivy and the
creeper called Old Man’s Beard hung in the air. Far below was the bottom of the pit.
The dump. Barney could see strange bits of wreckage among the moss and elder bushes and nettles. Was that the steering wheel of a ship? The tail of an
aeroplane? At least there was a real bicycle. Barney felt sure he could make it go if only he could get at it. They didn’t let him have a bicycle. Barney
wished he was at the bottom of the pit. And the ground gave way. Barney felt his head going down and his feet going up. There was a rattle of falling
earth beneath him. Then he was falling, still clutching the clump of grass that was falling with him.
This is what it’s like when the ground gives way, thought Barney. Then he seemed to turn a complete somersault in the air, bumped into a ledge of chalk
halfway down, crashed through some creepers and ivy and branches, and landed on a bank of moss.
His thoughts did those funny things they do when you bump your head and you suddenly find yourself thinking about what you had for dinner last Tuesday,
all mixed up with seven times six.
Barney lay with his eyes shut, waiting for his thoughts to stop being mixed up.
Then he opened them.

Challenge: how does the varied paragraph length affect the pace and mood of the extract?
 What is effective about these singular line paragraphs?

Tone
Challenge:Why do you think the writer has decided to make
Mood or atmosphere.
these lines stand alone?

• Barney lay with his eyes What atmosphere is created here? Why are
shut, waiting for his thoughts his eyes shut?
to stop being mixed up.
How does this link to the rest of
• Then he opened them. the extract?

How does this single line create an

air of mystery? What is the effect
of the cliff-hanger?
 Are the paragraphs effective?

Has the writer clearly separated the extract into paragraphs?

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? (what it is talking
about)?
Do the subsequent sentences build on this topic?

Time to improve
Highlight the topic (first) sentence in each paragraph.
Can you develop these topic sentences to make them more effective?
Have they used a one sentence paragraph? Can you add one in for effect?
 Are the paragraphs linked well?

2) Are the writer’s paragraphs linked somehow? (by topic,

development of ideas or through the use of connectives)

Time to develop
Can you develop the opening sentences to link
back to the ideas in the previous paragraph?
Have transition connectives been used?

Connected
ideas

Paragraphs
Contents and Ideas
1.Setting
What is setting in a story?
Setting in a story is your characters’ immediate
surroundings, their geographic location, natural
environment, time of day, season of the year, era in
history, social perspective, and dialect. It is the world
and all its messy cultural impact. When done well,
each layer of the setting you create brings you
deeper and deeper into your story.
Types of setting
1. Temporal setting refers to the historical period and the
cultural and political struggles that were common in that time
period, as well as the chapter of your character’s life, the
season of the year, and the time of day.
2. Environmental setting is the wider world of our story, not just
naturally but also socially and politically. A character’s values,
biases, and expectations can be a result of their natural world
or their cultural one.
3. Individual settings are the specific places where your story is
happening: where the action takes place. These are more
specific and distinct than environmental settings.
How to create your perfect setting

1. Look at time periods, seasons, and stages of life

2. Look at your story’s environmental and geographical
landscape
3. Create unique individual locations
Which setting would be the most suitable for a
war story? Why?
Which setting would be the most suitable for a
war story? Why?
Which setting would be the most suitable for a
war story? Why?
Which setting would be the most suitable for a
war story? Why?
Draw and label your own war city/setting from a distance

broken walls 💣 cracked roads 💣 contaminated water 💣 polluted sky 💣 broken down cars 💣 makeshift houses 💣
crumbling monuments 💣 flooded streets 💣 crowds of people 💣 no signs of life
Write a description of your setting using your drawing
from earlier.
A landmark and how it has The city from a distance Something changing the city
changed

The trenches or no A memorial field A ruined city street

man’s land
A graveyard Flashback to the Abandoned part of the
catastrophe city
What happened before you story starts to spin the world out of
control?
• WW1 or WW2?
• A civil war?
• Nuclear war/apocalypse?
 Time to peer assess

Success Criteria Checklist

★ Writing clearly suits the purpose (Descriptive or Narrative)
★ Writing is interesting and original
★ Writing is developed with detail
★ Appropriate details of setting are described
★ Effective Vocabulary choices
★ Effective use of descriptive techniques, such as figurative language
★ Clear organisation of ideas
★ Clear and appropriate paragraphs
★ Clear and appropriate punctuation
★ A range of sentence structures for effect
 Imagine you are an animal living in your city/setting.
Write about the setting from their perspective

Consider: Write in the first

✔ Their reactions to the person using I
destruction and me.
✔ What they do in the city
as it is
✔ Whether the city is a
positive or negative
environment
✔ What they eat and how
they feel about it.
 2. Characters
Describe your protagonist
• Age.
• Gender
• Appearance/clothes
• Who they live with, family unit.
• Weaknesses:
fears/phobias/insecurities/loves.
• Strengths.
 In truth, your
My characters…. characters needs
to be an all-
rounder no
matter what the
situation is, they
will have to cope
James – high-flying, popular, able to
with it!
formulate plans and driven to achieve.

Laura – studious and hard working, but

lacks confidence. Friendly but reserved.

Andrew - a super cool

teenager. Thinks he’s
‘banging’ with ‘epic moves’
and a bad boy persona? Tom – enjoys a social life, out-going,
Likes to be called ‘A Dogg’ confident, lucky, bit of a joker
 Putting it into practise – time to plan your protagonists

• Who are they?

• What is their personality like?
• What is their personal background like?
• How do they know each other?
• What are their like/ dislikes/ hobbies?
 5 minute plan!

• You have five minutes to plan ideas for the following narratives and craft
your opening few sentences:
Write a story about a group of friends experiencing a shared event. Focus
on their different reactions to the experience and how they express their
feelings.

• Try to drop your character(s) into these narratives simply, yet effectively.
• Remember, don’t make your ideas too complicated, as you have just 40
minutes to write it all!
• Focus more on the character’s emotional journey rather than too much of
a physical one.
 5 minute plan!

• You have five minutes to plan ideas for the following narratives and craft
your opening few sentences:
Write the opening part of a story about Christmas in a strange place.

• Try to drop your character(s) into these narratives simply, yet effectively.
• Remember, don’t make your ideas too complicated, as you have just 40
minutes to write it all!
• Focus more on the character’s emotional journey rather than too much of
a physical one.
 5 minute plan!

• You have five minutes to plan ideas for the following narratives and craft
your opening few sentences:

Write a story with the opening line, “It became clear very quickly that I
shouldn’t have bothered getting out of bed that day.”

• Try to drop your character(s) into these narratives simply, yet effectively.
• Remember, don’t make your ideas too complicated, as you have just 40
minutes to write it all!
• Focus more on the character’s emotional journey rather than too much
of a physical one.
 5 minute plan!

• You have five minutes to plan ideas for the following narratives and craft
your opening few sentences:

Write the climax to a story about a group of friends who have gotten lost
and found themselves in a dangerous situation.

• Try to drop your character(s) into these narratives simply, yet effectively.
• Remember, don’t make your ideas too complicated, as you have just 40
minutes to write it all!
• Focus more on the character’s emotional journey rather than too much
of a physical one.
3. Plot
 4. Narrative
Perspectives

Narrative perspective:
The point of view from
which a story is written.
 Advantages?
Third Person Limited Disadvantages?
The gruel disappeared; the boys Third person limited:
whispered to each other, and
winked at Oliver; while his next
A story told from an external narrator who only
neighbours nudged him. Child as knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.
he was, he was desperate with
hunger, and reckless with misery.
From Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Write a paragraph about this image

from the third person limited point
of view, with the main focus on
the man with the rifle, nervously
waiting to attack the enemy.
 Multiple Narrator Multiple narrator –
My heart was racing, my legs pumped hard on the A story which alternates
sluggish tarmac. I turned my head to try and see between two or more
what advantage I had over my enemy – fatal error!
My feet lost their grip and the next moment I was different narrators within a
flung on the ground. Winded, I waited for the text.
inevitable.
Advantages?
Disadvantages?
I knew I had the advantage over the boy. I was
stronger. Faster. Above all I was under orders. He
could run as fast and as far as he liked, but there
would be no escape in the end.

Write a paragraph about this image using

multiple narrative, for this father and son that
serve in the military together.
 First Person
First person narrator–
With greedy ears I learned the history of that
A story told from the point of view of one of the main
murderous monster against whom I and all the
characters.
others had taken our oaths of violence and
revenge.
Advantages?
From Moby Dick by Herman Melville Disadvantages?

Write a paragraph about this

image from the first person
narrative perspective of the
soldier walking through no man’s
land alone.
Third Person Omniscient
A small figure emerged from the shadows, looked frantically one way then the Third person omniscient-
other, then darted across the road and disappeared down an alleyway.
A story told from an external narrator, who is
Several streets away, a door opened and a man stepped out. He took not part of the story, who knows what all of
something from his pocket and studied it carefully. He nodded and smiled the different characters are thinking and
grimly to himself. Then he strode out and began to head purposefully along
the street. feeling.

Advantages?
Disadvantages?

Write a paragraph about this

image from the third person
omniscient point of view,
including an insight into what
each soldier is feeling.
 Second Person Second person narrator -
A point of view where the narrator tells the
Yours is a well rounded personality; your story to another character using the word
'you.'
horoscope is usually good; your school
report says ‘satisfactory’. But somehow Advantages?
you are restless. Your life is missing Disadvantages?
challenge and excitement.
Write a paragraph about this
image using second person.
Focus on trying to tell the story
of the soldier standing away
from the tank, how he got
there and how he’s feeling.
 Time to reflect on perspective

Third
perso Third
First n om perso
perso nisci
n/ p r tense ent/ pre n lim
tense esent . sent tense ited/ pas
. . t

p ast re
rati ve/ n/ f u t u
le n ar e rso
ltip tense nd p e
M u S eco tens

•Read through your partner’s work and check whether an appropriate narrative perspective has
been stuck to for each task.
•For the extra challenge, have they managed to consistently use the relevant tense?
•Which narrative perspective is your partner best able to craft clearly for effect?
•W.W.W. & E.B.I.?
Sentence
Types and
Openings
 Challenge – When do we use different
Sentence types types of sentences?

Simple Compound Complex

One main idea/clause. Two main ideas/clauses. At least two clauses. One
Must contain a noun and a Both can stand alone. main (can stand alone)
verb. Usually joined by and one subordinate
The cat sat on the mat. ‘and’/‘or’/‘but’. The cat (doesn’t make sense
sat on the mat and the alone)
dog sat in front of the fire. After they had finished
eating, the children went
to the cinema.

Using different sentence types!

Long ones for a happy, calm atmosphere
Short one for a tense, violent scene
Simple Sentence Compound Sentence Complex Sentence
One main idea/clause. Two main ideas/clauses. Both can stand At least two clauses. One main
Must contain a noun and a alone. Usually joined by ‘and’/‘or’/‘but’. (can stand alone) and one
verb. subordinate (doesn’t make sense
alone)

Sentence Openings

Write a description of this

image.
Challenge: Include a simple,
compound and complex
sentence.
Ultra Challenge: Try to vary
your sentence openings for
effect.
 Self Assess

• Read back through your work.

• Have you started your sentences in a variety of ways?
• Are you happy with the overall quality of your work?

• Cross out any sentences that begin with:

– The/As/A
– He/She/They/I
– There/ This
– It/Is

– What are you left with?

Challenge: label your different

sentence types.
 Think:

• Why is it important to vary the ways we begin our

sentences?
• What different ways are there for us to start a
sentence?

Challenge: what different effects can be created by

varying sentence openings?
 Challenge: did you use any of
these sentence openings in
Varying Sentence Openings your starter paragraph?

Verb
The action within a sentence.
• Start with a verb (“-ing”)
Smashing against the bottom of the rocks, the waves
sent white foam shooting into the air. Preposition
A word used to link nouns,
• Start with “as” or “while” (prepositions – you can also pronouns, or phrases to other words
use prepositions like under, behind, before etc …) within a sentence. They act to
As the skies darkened, raindrops began to pour down. connect the people, objects, time
While the gulls screamed overhead, a lonely dog raced and locations of a sentence.
along the wet sand.
Adjective
• Start with an adjective (a describing word) A word used to describe the noun.
Grotesque images danced before my eyes.
Adverb
• Start with an adverb (a word that describes the verb) A word used to describe the verb,
Silently, he crept towards the exit explaining how the action is
performed.
 Thinking about your sentence openings

Let’s consider appropriate verbs, adverbs,

adjectives and prepositions for this trench:

1) List at least ten verbs and adverbs.

2) Create a list of adjectives to describe the
image.

Challenge:
Consider if you can come up with any better
synonyms for your chosen words.

Preposition Synonym Adverb Verb

A word used to link nouns, A word or phrase A word used to The action within a sentence.
pronouns, or phrases to other that means exactly describe the verb,
words within a sentence. They act or nearly the same explaining how the Adjective
to connect the people, objects, as another word or action is A word used to describe the
time and locations of a sentence. phrase. performed. noun.
 Synaesthesia
Time to put it all together Appealing to more than one sense at a
time

Craft a paragraph of description about a trench, using the

image below.
Include:
1) A range of sentence openings
2) A wide range of vocabulary
3) Descriptions which appeal to a range of the senses
(sights, sounds, smell, touch)
4) A range of sentence types

Extension:
Develop your description, imagining that you go beyond the
trench – what do you discover beyond it?

Preposition Synonym Adverb Verb

A word used to link nouns, A word or phrase A word used to The action within a sentence.
pronouns, or phrases to other that means exactly describe the verb,
words within a sentence. They act or nearly the same explaining how the Adjective
to connect the people, objects, as another word or action is A word used to describe the
time and locations of a sentence. phrase. performed. noun.
 Time to self assess

1) Underline the sentence openings you

have included
2) Circle the three best sentence openings
3) Highlight your 5 best vocabulary
choices
4) Label your different sentence types

Extension:
5) Explain your choices for (2), explaining
the effect you think you have achieved
6) Explain what the effect has been
created by your sentence types
Grammar and
Punctuation
 Match the punctuation to the definition

Used to write two separate sentences which should

Dash have a full stop or connective between them, but are
closely linked.
Challenge:
Write a Used to add information to a sentence which will give
sentence with Colon greater, not always necessary, detail.

each piece of
Semi- Used to introduce a list or to join two complete
punctuation. colon sentences where the second explains or follows
the first.
Used to separate a sentence where there is an
Brackets interruption that disrupts the flow
 Match the punctuation to the definition

Used to write two separate sentences which should

have a full stop or connective between them, but are
Dash
closely linked.

Used to add information to a sentence which will give

Colon
greater, not always necessary, detail.

Semi-colon Used to introduce a list or to join two complete

sentences where the second explains or follows
the first.

Brackets Used to separate a sentence where there is an

interruption that disrupts the flow
 Learning stop – put the identified punctuation in the right place.

1. Jamie doesn’t like Kirsty’s cat or so he says.

2. All bands desire fame and fortune some even achieve it but it is easier said than done.
3. Barack Obama the president of the United States gave a speech on Monday.
4. Connor Aimee’s boyfriend bought the tickets.
5. That is the secret to my extraordinary life always do the unexpected.
6. This was first said by Shakespeare “To thine own self be true.”
7. David is doing poorly in school his parents have grounded him.
8. I went to the supermarket today I bought a lot of fruit.
 Answers

1. Jamie doesn’t like Kirsty’s cat - or so he says.

2. All bands desire fame and fortune - some even achieve it - but it is easier said than done.
3. Barack Obama (the president of the United States) gave a speech on Monday.
4. Connor (Aimee’s boyfriend) bought the tickets.
5. That is the secret to my extraordinary life: always do the unexpected.
6. This was first said by Shakespeare: “To thine own self be true.”
7. David is doing poorly in school; his parents have grounded him.
8. I went to the supermarket today; I bought a lot of fruit.
https://engdic.org/adjectives-for-war/

Techniques and
Vocabulary
 Punctuation Variety
Let’s use advanced punctuation to
help us describe the image:

1) Write a sentence with a dash.

2) Write a sentence with brackets.
3) Write a sentence with a colon.
4) Write a sentence with a semi-colon.
Challenge:
Can you include a sentence with ellipsis?
Can you vary your sentence openings?

Dash Colon Ellipsis Brackets Semi-colon

Used to separate a Used to introduce a list or to Used to suspense Used to add information Used to write two separate
sentence where there is join two complete by adding a pause to a sentence which will sentences which should have a
an interruption that sentences where the second before the end of give greater, not always full stop or connective between
disrupts the flow explains or follows the first. the sentence. necessary, detail. them, but are closely linked.
Alliteration
The repetition of the Language and Techniques
same letter or sound at
the beginning of words
next to or close to each Adjective
other. A word used to describe
the noun. Pathetic Fallacy
When nature, especially
Metaphor Onomatopoeia the weather, is used to
Chremamorphism A comparison whereby the formation of a word reflect the mood of plot
Giving characteristics of one thing is described as from a sound associated or characters in a work
an object to humans; if it is something else. with what is named. of fiction.
objectification.
Simile Synonym
A word or phrase that means
Personification A comparison of one
exactly or nearly the same as
Giving human qualities thing with another using another word or phrase.
Zoomorphism
to animals, objects or ‘like’ or ‘as’; used to i.e. shut is a synonym of Giving animal
ideas. highlight a particular close. characteristics to
quality. humans and inanimate
objects.
Adjectives and Synonyms

Adjective
A word used to describe the
noun.

Synonym
A word or phrase that means
exactly or nearly the same as
another word or phrase.
i.e. shut is a synonym of close.

Task: write down as many adjectives as you can think of to describe this image.
Challenge: select 3 of your words and come up with synonyms for them.
 What colours can we see in this image? Write
Colour Imagery them down.
How can we make those
colour adjectives better?
Select 2-3 words
for each colour to
help improve your
vocabulary in
your assessment.
Similes
Simile
A comparison of one thing
with another using ‘like’ or
‘as’; used to highlight a
particular quality.
Write two of your own
similes to describe
this image.

e.g. Charlie’s
expression was as
mischievous as a
monkey.
Alliteration

Alliteration
The repetition of the same letter
or sound at the beginning of
words next to or close to each
other.

Write an alliterative
sentence to describe this
image.

e.g. The siblings stared

silently and scathingly at
each other.
 Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia the formation of a word from a
sound associated with what is
named.

Write 2 sentences
containing
onomatopoeia to
describe this image.

e.g. The explosion

crashed, clanged…
then KABOOM!
Chremamorphism
Chremamorphism -
Giving characteristics of an object to humans;
objectification..

Write three of your own

examples of chremamorphism
to describe this image.

e.g. The man wandered lonely

as a cloud.
 Metaphor
Metaphor A comparison whereby one thing
is described as if it is something
else.

Write two of your own

metaphors to describe
this image.

e.g. Satan trotted

sluggishly through the
field, brandishing his
rifle.
 Pathetic Fallacy
When nature, especially the weather, is
Pathetic Fallacy used to reflect the mood of plot or
characters in a work of fiction.

Write two of your own

examples of pathetic fallacy
to describe this image.

e.g. The melancholic tank

released a scream into the
electric sky.
Personification Personification
Giving human qualities to
animals, objects or ideas.

Write three of your

own examples of
personification to
describe this image.

e.g.The helicopter
blades danced and
swished through the
air.
Zoomorphism Zoomorphism
Giving animal characteristics
to humans and inanimate
objects.

Write three of your

own examples of
zoomorphism to
describe this image.

e.g. The clouds howled

and barked as the
soldier strolled through
the field of poppies.
 Planning your story effectively

Title Setting

Time and
Place

Planning your story

Characters
Narrative perspective

Unusual plot
point Structure
Tense
Writing Assessment
 War – Story Writing
To develop an effective war story
Must: Identify key features to describe

Should: Plan a logical structure

Could: Add descriptive words and phrases.

Writing Assessment Narra
tive
Your Task: Write a war themed story set in a location linked to war.

This is the
description of a
top-level answer,
one that would
score 25/25.
You are also given a mark
out of 3 for your spellings.