Writing a Story
Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Learn how to plan and write your own story!
The Three Parts of a Story
Every story has three parts. Think of it like building a tower: you need a strong base, a tall middle, and a top to finish it off!
Beginning
- • Introduce the character (who?)
- • Describe the setting (where?)
- • Set the scene
Middle
- • Something happens — a problem!
- • The character tries to fix it
- • This is the most exciting part
End
- • The problem is solved
- • Tell how the character feels
- • Wrap up the story
Story Planner: Character + Setting + Problem
Before you write, plan your story by choosing a character, a setting, and a problem. Here is an example:
Character
A boy called Tom
Who is the story about?
Setting
A sandy beach
Where does it happen?
Problem
Tom loses his toy boat in the waves
What goes wrong?
Example Story with Structure
See how our plan turns into a story. Notice the beginning, middle, and end.
One sunny morning, Tom went to the beach with his mum. He brought his favourite toy boat. It was bright red with a white sail. Tom loved sailing it in the rock pools.
Suddenly, a big wave came and washed the boat away! "Oh no!" cried Tom. He watched his boat float further and further out to sea. Tom felt very sad. He tried to reach it, but the water was too deep.
Just then, a friendly dog ran into the water and brought the boat back! Tom was so happy. "Thank you!" he said, giving the dog a pat. Tom and his mum laughed all the way home.
Sentence Starters
Not sure how to start? Use these sentence starters to help you write each part of your story.
Beginning
- "Once upon a time..."
- "One sunny morning..."
- "Long ago, there lived..."
- "On a cold winter's day..."
Middle
- "Suddenly..."
- "Oh no!"
- "Then something happened..."
- "Without warning..."
End
- "In the end..."
- "Finally..."
- "At last..."
- "From that day on..."
Key Vocabulary
Character
The person or animal that the story is about.
Setting
The place and time where the story happens.
Problem
Something that goes wrong in the story and needs to be fixed.
Solution
How the problem gets fixed at the end of the story.
Knowledge Check
Test what you have learned about story writing!
Question 1
What are the three parts of a story?
Question 2
Which part of a story introduces the character and setting?
Question 3
Put these events from Tom's story in the correct order:
A) A dog brought the boat back B) Tom went to the beach C) A wave washed the boat away
Question 4
Which sentence starter would work best for the middle of a story?
Question 5
Which is the best beginning for a story about a lost kitten?
Key Concepts Summary
- ● Every story has three parts: beginning, middle, and end.
- ● The beginning introduces the character and the setting.
- ● The middle has the problem — the most exciting part of the story!
- ● The end is where the problem is solved and the story is wrapped up.
- ● Use sentence starters to help you begin each part of your story.