Welcome to Narrative Writing!
Have you ever told a friend about something exciting that happened over the weekend? Or listened to a wonderful fairy tale before going to sleep? If so, you already know what a narrative is! A narrative is simply a story. In this chapter, we will learn how to build our own exciting stories step by step.
Note: If you are writing a story based on a series of pictures given in an exam, please check our separate chapter on "Picture-aided story writing". Here, we focus on the core craft of creating stories from your own imagination or from given story ideas!
1. What Makes a Story? The Five Essential Parts
Every good story has a clear structure. Think of a story like a sandwich: it needs two slices of bread to hold it together and delicious fillings inside! In English, our story structure has five key parts:
1. Setting (Where and When?)
The setting tells the reader where the story takes place and what time it happens.
Examples of settings:
• Place: at school, in a park, in a kitchen, at the beach.
• Time: yesterday afternoon, last Sunday, on a stormy night, this morning.
2. Characters (Who?)
Characters are the people or animals in your story. Every story has at least one main character that the reader follows closely.
• Examples: a cheerful boy named Tim, a clever girl named May, a lost puppy, a kind teacher.
3. Problem (What Goes Wrong?)
A story without a problem can be quite boring! A problem is a difficulty or challenge that the characters must face.
• Examples: Tim loses his house keys; May finds an injured bird in the playground; a sudden thunderstorm starts while children are hiking.
4. Events (What Happens Next?)
Events are the actions that happen because of the problem. This is where characters try different things to fix what went wrong.
• Examples: Tim searches his school bag; he asks his teacher for help; they look around the classroom together.
5. Solution (How is it Fixed?)
The solution shows how the problem is solved and brings the story to a happy or satisfying ending.
• Examples: Tim's friend finds the keys under a bench; May takes the bird to a vet; the rain stops and the children walk home safely.
Memory Trick: Remember the word SCPES ("Super Cats Play Every Sunday"):
Setting → Characters → Problem → Events → Solution!
Key Takeaway: A complete narrative always answers: Who is there? Where are they? What went wrong? What did they do? How did it all finish?
2. Bringing Your Story to Life
Now that we have our story frame, how do we make our writing fun to read? Let's look at three powerful tools: descriptive words, feelings, and time order.
Descriptive Words (Adjectives)
Adjectives describe people, places, and things. They help the reader paint a picture in their mind.
• Instead of: The dog barked.
• Try: The tiny, hungry dog barked.
• Instead of: It was a day.
• Try: It was a cold, rainy day.
Describing Feelings
Good storytellers show how their characters feel when facing a problem:
• Feelings: happy, excited, scared, worried, surprised, relieved.
• In Key Stage 2, you can also use pairs of adjectives: something can be exciting, which makes a character feel excited; or a noise can be frightening, which makes someone feel frightened.
Connecting Events with Time Words
To help the reader follow your story in order, use connectives and time words:
• Beginning: First, One sunny morning, Yesterday...
• Middle: Next, Then, Suddenly, After that...
• Ending: Finally, At last, In the end...
You can also use joining words like and, but, or, because, and so to link your thoughts into smooth sentences.
Key Takeaway: Use adjectives to describe details, mention how your characters feel, and use time words to guide the reader smoothly from start to finish.
3. Using Verbs and Tenses in Stories
Verbs are action words, and they are the engines of your story!
The Simple Past Tense
Most narratives describe events that already happened. When writing about past events, we use the simple past tense.
• Regular verbs (add -ed): walk → walked, play → played, shout → shouted.
• Irregular verbs: go → went, see → saw, find → found, have → had, is/am → was, are → were.
The Past Continuous Tense (for KS2 / P4–P6)
Sometimes an action was already happening in the past when another action interrupted it. We use the past continuous tense (was / were + verb-ing):
• Example: Tom was walking home when he saw a shining box on the ground.
• Example: While the children were playing football, it started to rain.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't mix up your tenses! If you start your story in the past ("Mary opened the door..."), keep using the past tense ("She saw a kitten", NOT "She sees a kitten").
Key Takeaway: Keep your tense consistent throughout your story. Use the simple past for past actions, and the past continuous for actions that were ongoing when something else happened.
4. Adding Character Speech (Direct Speech)
Making your characters talk brings your story to life! In Primary English, we write down the exact words a character says using direct speech.
How to Punctuate Direct Speech
Follow these rules carefully:
1. Put quotation marks (speech marks) around the words the character actually speaks: "..."
2. Start the spoken words with a capital letter.
3. Put a comma, exclamation mark, or question mark inside the quotation marks before closing them.
Look at these examples:
• "Look at that puppy," whispered Ken.
• Ken asked, "Where is my book?"
• "Watch out!" shouted the boy.
Remember: In Primary English, we do not need to convert speech into reported speech (such as "Ken whispered that..."). We keep things natural and clear by using direct speech with speech marks!
Key Takeaway: Direct speech makes characters feel real. Always remember your quotation marks, capital letters, and punctuation inside the speech marks!
5. Step-by-Step: How to Plan and Write Your Narrative
Don't worry if writing a whole story seems tricky at first. Just follow these four easy steps:
Step 1: Think and Plan
Before writing a single sentence, jot down your ideas:
• Setting: A park, Saturday morning.
• Characters: Leo and his sister Lily.
• Problem: Lily drops her ice cream cone.
• Events: Lily cries; Leo checks his pocket for coins; he speaks to the shopkeeper.
• Solution: Leo buys Lily a new strawberry ice cream, and they both smile.
Step 2: Write in Paragraphs
Organise your story neatly into paragraphs:
• Beginning (Paragraph 1): Introduce the setting and characters. (One sunny Saturday morning, Leo and Lily went to the park...)
• Middle (Paragraph 2): Describe the problem and what the characters did. (Suddenly, Lily tripped over a stone and dropped her ice cream...)
• Ending (Paragraph 3): Describe the solution and how the characters felt. (Leo bought another ice cream for Lily. She smiled happily and said, "Thank you, Leo!")
Step 3: Check and Edit
Read through your work carefully with this quick checklist:
• Did I start sentences and names with a capital letter?
• Did I end sentences with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark?
• Are my verbs in the past tense?
• Did I check my spelling?
Quick Review: Narrative Writing Checklist
Before handing in your narrative, ask yourself these questions:
☑ Does my story have a clear beginning, middle, and ending?
☑ Did I include a setting, characters, a problem, and a solution?
☑ Did I use time connectives like first, next, then, or at last?
☑ Are my tenses consistent throughout the whole story?
☑ Is my handwriting neat and clear?
With practice and a little imagination, you can write wonderful, exciting stories every time!