Writing A Story

Writing a
story
Narrative structure
Narratives are written about a series of real or imaginary events which happened to us or somebody else and
they should consist of:
a) an introduction in which you set the scene (who was involved, time, place, etc) in an interesting way to make the
reader want to continue reading;
b) a main body, consisting of two or more paragraphs, where you develop your
story, presenting the events in the order they happened; and
c) a conclusion which includes what happened at the end of the story, as well as
people's feelings, final comments or reactions. A surprising ending makes a longlasting
impression on the reader.
You should normally use past tenses in such pieces of writing, as well as a variety of rich adjectives or adverbs to make
your story more attractive to the reader. Narratives can be found in articles, letters, novels, etc. To attract the
reader'sattention, give interesting and catchy titles to your stories, especially if they are for a magazine, newspaper, etc.
Techniques to begin
your

story
An interesting beginning is as important as an interesting ending. An interesting beginning is as important as
an interesting ending. An interesting beginning will catch the reader’s attention and make him/her want to
continue reading. A good ending will make him/her feel satisfied.

You can START your story by:
 using your senses to set the scene and describe the weather, atmosphere, surroundings or people’s actions
to create mistery or suspense. e.g. I could hear the wind howling around me. It was quite dark that night
and it felt strange to be out all alone.
 using direct speech. e.g. Always look on the bright side of like, kids” Mr. Fisbain used to tell us.
 addressing the reader directly. E.g. I am sure you all know what a bargain is.
 referring to your feelings or moods. E.g. I was exhausted because I had been painting the walls all day.
Verbs in your story
You can use various past tenses in your story:
past simple, to describe actions which started and ended in the past, or actions which happened one after the other
in
the past.
I walked past the bank and stopped at the post office to buy some stamps.
past continuous, to set the scene or to describe events/actions in progress at

a certain time in the past.
It was pouring with rain that evening.
We were all sitting in the living room.
past perfect simple and continuous, for actions which happened before other past actions, or to
give the background of the story
I decided to call MrJones and tell him the truth about what had happened*
Verbs in your story
Try to be specific in the choice of your verbs: Look for synonyms of verbs that you normally use:
walk, say, look. Instead you can be more specific and use other words like stroll, exclaim, stare,
etc.
Look at the following example:
Basic language:
“Here he comes! “, said Carla looking anxiously through the sunlit blinds. And he’s got a parcel!”
The postman was smiling as he walked up the path.
Enriched language:
“Here he comes! “, yelled Carla peering anxiously through the sunlit blinds. And he’s got a parcel!”
The postman was grinning as he strolled up the path.

Linking words
Before you start your story, it is absolutely necessary that you plan it. You can link the events of the story with time
words such us: meanwhile, immediately, at once, eventually….
Check an example below:
The aeroplane had only been in the air for about 20 minutes when suddenly it began to dive
towards the ground. Immediately, passengers began to panic. As soon as the flight
attendants realised what has happening, they did their best to calm everybody down, while the
plane continued to lose attitude .
Check a list of linking words at:
https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/4_writingskills/writing_tuts/linking_LL/linking3.html
https://www.aau.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/sbp_Englisch_linking_words.pdf
Use of adjectives and adverbs
Avoid using simplistic adjectives or adverbs. ( good, nice, well) as they will make sound your
composition uninteresting. Try to use more sophisticated ones (luxurious, extravagant…)

 To make writing more vivid, you should always follow a sentence that uses as an adj, adv or active verb with
a sentence that gives a detail. This detail usually describes the why or how of the detail.
 (Why) The play was so dull. The actors spoke with no emotion and the acting was not convincing anyone in
the audience. I looked around and saw more than one person asleep in their chair.
 (Why) The lake was breathtaking. The sun’s rays reflected across the water. The ducks swam peacefully
across the water, all of the babies lined up in an obedient single file behind their mom. Flowers lined the
shoreline representing all of the colors of the rainbow.
 (How) She had a trembling voice. As she tried to speak, each word came out shaking. She sounded like she
was speaking for the first time in her life.
 (Why) They walked at full speed down the hall. They kept looking over their shoulders, completely certain
they had been caught.
Collocations of adverbs and adjectives
 Collocations of adjectives- unlikely, unusual, successful, competitive, profitable, effective, controversial and recommended.
Examples:
a. It is highly unlikely that I’ll finish my work on time.

b. Jill’s highly unusual behavior began to worry her parents.
 Collocations of adverbs. Bitterly, deeply, ridiculously and strongly
Examples:
a. I was bitterly disappointed when I failed the exam.

b. Professor Smith was always deeply committed to her students.
c. The dress was ridiculously expensive. I don’t think I’ll buy that.
d. I would strongly recommend that you learn a foreign language.
 To learn collocation of verbs, adjectives and adverbs please check :
https://prowritingaid.com/en/Collocation/Dictionary/?word=run
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/rate_1?q=rate
cambridge
Techniques to end
your story

You can END your story by:
A. using direct speech.
e.g. “Thank you, sir,” the boy said to me.
B. referring to your feelings or moods.
e.g. We were shivering but we were happy to have made it.
C. asking a rhetorical question.
e.g. “Why did I have to suffer so much?”
D. describing people’s reactions to/feelings about the events developed in the main body.
e.g. My brother had become the hero of the day and I was extremely proud.
E. One further technique is to engage the reader by creating a sense of mystery or suspense.
F. Practice with a story: http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L6185/index.html

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Writing a

they should consist of:

reader want to continue reading;

story, presenting the events in the order they happened; and

people's feelings, final comments or reactions. A surprising ending makes a longlasting

impression on the reader.

past continuous, to set the scene or to describe events/actions in progress at

It was pouring with rain that evening.

We were all sitting in the living room.

Look at the following example:

The postman was smiling as he walked up the path.

The postman was grinning as he strolled up the path.

words such us: meanwhile, immediately, at once, eventually….

Check an example below:

plane continued to lose attitude .

Check a list of linking words at:

a. It is highly unlikely that I’ll finish my work on time.

 Collocations of adverbs. Bitterly, deeply, ridiculously and strongly

a. I was bitterly disappointed when I failed the exam.

 To learn collocation of verbs, adjectives and adverbs please check :

A. using direct speech.

e.g. “Thank you, sir,” the boy said to me.

B. referring to your feelings or moods.

e.g. We were shivering but we were happy to have made it.

C. asking a rhetorical question.

e.g. “Why did I have to suffer so much?”

F. Practice with a story: http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L6185/index.html

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