PLANNING A STORY
There are four main steps in planning a story. Follow each step making notes on a planning sheet. This will make your story easier to write and much more interesting to read once you have written it.
Remember, it’s fine to make rough, scribbled, notes when planning (as long as you can read them!) but always use neat, clear writing when it comes to writing the story.
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?
The first thing to remember is that stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. A story has to be in the right order or your readers won’t understand it.
Endings
In the end you tell readers what happens to the characters and how they solve the problems you gave them at the start.
Don’t leave any questions unanswered at the end of the story and make sure your reader knows what happens to all your characters - unless you are planning a sequel (second part), in which case don’t tell the reader everything! Then they’ll want to read your next story to find out what happens.
Style
It’s important to get your style right from the beginning of a story, so readers get the feel of your story early on.
Whatever sort of story you are writing, use adjectives (words that describe nouns) and adverbs (words that describe verbs) to make your writing more interesting.
If you are writing a ghost story, for example, choose dark, scary adjectives to create a dark, scary atmosphere (feeling).
You can also choose whether your story will have lots of characters, dialogue (people talking) and action, or long, slow descriptive pieces of writing. Or all of those things!
Setting
Your setting is the place and time where your story takes place. Letting your readers know where and when your story is set will help them picture the scene.
By using descriptive language and the right words you can create the right atmosphere around your setting. Two stories can be set in exactly the same place, but feel completely different because of the words the writer chooses to use.
Characters
When you introduce characters (people) you need to describe them so that the reader gets a feeling for what they are like. Some authors, such as Dickens, give their characters names that help describe what they are like. For example Mr Slyme is a slimy character.
Also think about the words you give your characters to say (dialogue). Make sure the words they use and the way they say things suit the sort of people they are.
The middle
In the middle you develop your story and tell the reader what happens to the characters.
The beginning
A well-planned story has a plot that develops from the scene-setting at the beginning, through the action in the middle, to the end of a story where you tell your reader what happens to the characters, clear up any mysteries and tie up loose ends.
In the beginning you set the scene (where the story is set and what’s happening) and introduce the characters (people). Often a writer will give his characters a problem to solve. This keeps the reader interested, as they’ll want to find out what happens.
Beginnings
The beginning of a story is where you introduce your readers to your style, setting and characters. Often a writer will give his characters a problem to solve. This keeps the reader interested, as they’ll want to find out what happens.
Who's in the story?
You need to list your characters (the people in your story) and make a note of what they are like.
What do they look like?
What do they sound like?
What sort of person are they?
Make sure you describe them to your reader and that you give them dialogue (things to say) that suits the sort of person they are.
Some authors give their characters descriptive names. Do you think a character called Mr Sneak would be nice or nasty?
Where does the story happen?
Every story needs a setting (the place where the action takes place). If the setting is somewhere your readers don’t know very well you may want to describe it in detail.
What style are you going to use?
Before you start, think about what sort of story you are writing. This will help you choose the sort of words and language you use. It’s important to get your style right from the beginning, so readers get the feel of your story early on.
Whatever sort of story you are writing, use adjectives (words that describe nouns) and adverbs (words that describe verbs) to make your writing more interesting.
If you are writing a ghost story, for example, choose dark, scary adjectives to create a dark, scary atmosphere (feeling).
You can also choose whether your story will have lots of characters, dialogue (people talking) and action, or long, slow descriptive pieces of writing. Or all of those things!
How to become a good storywriter
Being a good writer isn’t just about planning. The best way to become a good writer yourself is to learn from writers you enjoy reading. So read lots of stories!
Think about how your favourite writers write beginnings, middles and endings. Think about how they describe places and characters and think about how they have chosen words that suit a particular story.
Another way to become better is to read your own stories some time after you have written them. Pretend that someone else wrote the story and see how well you think the story is written. And then re-write your story to make it better. Most authors, even famous ones, re-write their stories many times before they are happy to let someone else read them.
