WRITING
STORY
(NARRITIVE)
B Y : FA T M A A L - R A S H D I
WHAT ARE THE MAIN
ELEMENTS IN THE STORY?
• Setting: the place and time can change throughout the story.
Where? : school, home, city, desert, beach ………
When? : past, daytime, winter, last summer, summer ………
Weather: sunny, cloudy, rainy, calm ………
• Characters: the people in the story (who?)
• Events or the plot: what happened in the story, and the problem and how was it resolved.
-Exposition: The beginning of the story: describing the setting, time, and the characters.
-Rising action: The beginning of the conflict or the problem that continues to cause tension for the characters
-Climax: The critical point of the conflict when the character makes the major decision
-Falling action: The characters resolve the conflict
-Resolution: The story officially ends. The author writes a happy ending or builds momentum for a sequel to the story.
THE TENSES THAT SHOULD
BE USED IN THE STORY
The tense The example
Past Simple It was a lovely day when my family decided to
go on a trip to Salalah.
Past Perfect After we had prepared everything we went to
the airport..
Past Continuous While I was cooking with my mother my father
and my brothers were playing football outside.
Past Perfect Continuous We had been trying to open the car for a while
when my father called for help.
Direct Speech “Wow that’s an amazing idea Dad” my brother
replied to my father’s suggestion.
( said, shouted, screamed, whispered,
pointed,asked……)
TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES
USED IN WRITING A STORY
Beginning Middle Ending
• First • Unfortunat At last…
One day…
• Meanwhile ely At the end…
It all started when… • After that • Immediatel As a result…
• Next y Finally…
It was ( summer, rainy
• Soon after • Long after In conclusion…
day …) that • Later To sum it all up…
• Suddenly • Therefore Lastly…
It began one (day,
• As you • As soon as
summer, morning, can • The
imagine following
holiday )
• Luckily day/night/w
One time… • Eventually eek
One day… • Fortunatel • Shortly
y after
In the beginning… • Pretty • In the
Last soon meantime
• In an • Before
summer/winter/holiday/w instant • Once I …
STORY STRUCTURE:
The body
The Main The
Introducti
Conclusion
on
settin event endin
g s g and
moral
• Undoubtedly, some situations or THE
INTRODUCTION
days pass by us that make us
appreciate the value of the things Setting the scene:
around us. The best day of my life Describe the time
was when I miraculously survived a Describe the place
car accident.
Describe the
• Last year on a sunny day I was
weather
cycling on the roads around the
Describe what the
park, which is close to my house,
main character was
and decided to get out on the doing
highway for a bit and try cruising
among the cars.
• Suddenly, a terrifyingly fast car
T H E B O DY
appeared and I did not notice it,
and the driver was talking on the The conflict and main
mobile as well. events:
I didn’t notice the car because it Describe the main
was coming from behind all I could action
hear was the sound of the brakes What happened
and I felt a collision from behind first?
that made me jump in the air. Then What happened
I fell to the ground next to another next?
car that almost passed over me. What happened
later?
How the character
• I was very scared and couldn’t
T HE C ONC LUS I ON
believe that I managed to survive
this accident, of course, this day The resolution:
taught me a lot like not taking risks What happened in
and it made me mature a lot. It the end
made me feel responsible and self- What did you learn
esteem and that I must maintain from it
my safety. What is the main
• As a result, this day made a huge moral
difference in my life and helped me
to mature and appreciate the good
things in my life.
HOW TO MAKE MY STORY INTERESTING?
Strong
paragra
beginni phs sentences
ng
Capitalizati
Use
conversation
on and rich
punctuatio
n word
s
Wow Show Figurative
word don’t language
s tell
STRONG BEGINNINGS
A conversation
An interesting fact
“Hurry or you will be late” A question
called my mother from the Shock is been known to kill ten-
Have you ever had a day
bottom of the stairs “Today year-olds. It can cause their
when you wished you had
of all days you want to be on brains to explode and their
stayed in bed? As I rushed to
time” heart to stop dead still. These
catch the bus I had no idea…
facts raced through my mind…
Sound effect
A vivid description
“Buzzzzzzz” The sound of
The sun was warm on my
my alarm clock drained in
back as I raced towards the
my ears as I struggled to
waiting yellow school bus…
come awake…
PARAGRAPHS/CAPITALIZATION AND
PUNCTUATION
C A P I TA L I Z AT I O N A N D
PA R A G R A P H S P U N C T UAT I O N
• Be sure your story has paragraphs. • Capitalize:
• How do I know when to start a new Beginnings of sentences.
paragraph: Proper nouns.
When you start on a new topic.
When you skip to a new time. • Punctuate:
When you skip to a new place. End marks (question mark, period,
When a new person begins to speak. exclamation marks).
When you want to produce a Commas when joining two sentences
dramatic effect. with a conjunction, addressing a
person, with quotations, etc.
USE RICH WORDS/WOW
WORDS
USE RICH WORDS W O W WO R D S
• Use words that describe the action. • Show your reader that you have a
o Not high-quality.
o My dad went to work. Don’t use Use these instead
But
Good acceptable, admirable,
My dad raced to work. skilled,etc
Bad distressing, severe, offensive,
o Not immoral,etc
o Jane said she had a secret. Happy thrilled, content,joyous,
favorable,etc
But
Sad sorrowful, cheerless,
Jane whispered to me a wonderful gloomy,etc
secret. thing material, object,
concept,device,etc
SHOW; DON’T
TELL/CONVERSATION
SHOW DON’T TELL C O N V E R S AT I O N
• Create a picture in the reader’s • The five rules for writing direct
mind to get away from the speech:
repetition of empty words. 1. Add quotation marks.
o NOT 2. Separate the source phrase from
the quote.
o Susan exercised.
3. Capitalize the first word of the direct
quotation.
BUT 4. Add end marks.
Sweat poured from Susan’s 5. Add needed capitalization and
forehead as she continued to do punctuation.
one hundred sit-ups.
SENTENCES/FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
SENTENCES F I G U R AT I V E L A N G UA G E
• Be sure to vary your sentences. • Use a little figurative language to
Some should be short while add interest to your story like:
others should be long. Make sure • Simile.
the sentences use different parts
• Metaphor.
of speech.
metaph
• Make long and short sentences. simile
or
I have
• Start the beginnings differently. been
working buzz
• Sentences start with a speech. like a dog
As
hungry
• Sentences start with a noun or as a
hiss
pronoun. bear
as quick
as bang
lightning
NOW LET US MAKE USE
OF THESE ELEMENTS TO
MAKE A MORE
A D VA N C E D S T O RY F R O M
THE PREVIOUS ONE
• Once upon a time, I found myself in an unexpected and rather unfortunate situation—a car accident. It
was a sunny day, and I was driving along a winding country road, enjoying the scenic views that
surrounded me. Little did I know that this serene drive would soon take an unexpected turn.
• As I approached a sharp bend in the road, my attention momentarily drifted away from the task at
hand. In that split second of distraction, my car veered off course and collided with another vehicle
coming from the opposite direction. The impact was jarring, causing both cars to come to an abrupt
halt.
• Shaken but determined to handle the situation responsibly, I quickly checked myself for any injuries
before turning my attention to the other driver involved in this unfortunate incident. They too seemed
shaken but thankfully appeared unharmed.
• With adrenaline coursing through our veins and concern etched on our faces, we exchanged contact
information while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Despite the stress of the moment, we
managed to maintain a friendly demeanor towards one another—recognizing that accidents happen and
that it's important to remain calm and supportive during such times.
• As we waited for help to arrive, we engaged in conversation—sharing stories about our lives and
discovering common interests along the way. This unexpected connection amidst chaos helped alleviate
some of the tension surrounding us.
• When emergency services finally arrived at full speed with flashing lights illuminating our surroundings,
they swiftly assessed both vehicles' damages while ensuring everyone's safety remained their top
priority. Paramedics attended to us individually—checking for any hidden injuries or signs of shock
caused by this sudden event.
• In those moments of reflection, as I sat on the side of that country road awaiting assistance, it became
clear how fragile life can be—and how important it is not only to prioritize safety but also kindness
towards others during challenging times like these.
THE MOST COMMON TOPICS
IN WRITING A STORY
• Your favorite summer vacation.
• A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
• A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
• A memorable experience.
• An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
• A dangerous experience.
• A difficult decision that you had to make.
• A time when you experienced a historic event.
• A random act of kindness.
• A sad experience.
