Planning a Story
Create and edit literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings.
Read this first
Every story has the same five parts. Plan them before you write.
Words you need
- Orientation
- The opening. Who, where and when.
- Complication
- The problem. This is what makes it a story.
- Resolution
- How the problem is fixed.
- Setting
- Where and when the story happens.
Worked example
e.g. Plan a story about a lost dog.
- Part one is the orientation. Name the who, the where and the when.
- Ella walks her dog Bo in the park each morning.
- Part two is the complication. Give them a problem.
- One morning the gate is open and Bo is gone.
- Part three builds the problem. Make it harder.
- It starts to rain and the park empties.
- Part four is the resolution. Fix it.
- Ella hears barking by the pond and finds Bo.
- Part five is the ending. Show how things have changed.
- Now Ella checks the gate twice.
No problem, no story. The complication does the work.
Practice
Orientation, complication, resolution.
1Which part names who, where and when?with a picture
AnswerThe orientation.
2Which part is the problem?with a picture
AnswerThe complication.
3A story has a boy, a beach and a sunny day. Nothing goes wrong. What is missing?with a hint
Need a hint?
What makes a story a story?
AnswerThe complication. There is no problem to solve.
4Write a complication for a story about a school trip.with a hint
Need a hint?
Something must go wrong.
AnswerThe bus breaks down halfway there.
5Write an orientation for a story about a storm.on your own
AnswerJai lived in a small house near the sea, and the sky turned grey on Sunday.
6Why plan before you write?on your own
AnswerSo you know where the story is going. You will not get stuck.
Think about it
1
Why do readers keep reading when there is a problem?
One good answerThey want to know how it ends. The problem creates the pull.
2
Could a story have two complications?
One good answerYes. Many do. Each one raises the tension a little more.
Common mistakes
A good story needs lots of action.
One clear problem beats a lot of action. Readers follow the problem, not the noise.
The plan has to be neat.
It does not. A plan is for you. Five short notes are enough.