Narrative And Stories
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Myths, Legends & Fables
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Film Narrative
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Stories from Other Cultures
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More Story Openers
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Super Resource From Scholastic... Story Openers
These super posters from Scholastic give your children different suggestions on how they might like to start a story. It avoids the all too familiar, 'once upon a time' that children get in their heads from their early days of writing and also the numerous fairy tales that are read to them as they are growing up. Click on each of the images below for a downloadable PDF that you can print for your own classroom or learning environment.
*I take no credit whatsoever for these resources but they are very good and needed sharing- for the original source, please click on the emboldened 'SCHOLASTIC' in the title.
*I take no credit whatsoever for these resources but they are very good and needed sharing- for the original source, please click on the emboldened 'SCHOLASTIC' in the title.
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Story Mountain... Stages 1 and 2
A good story or piece of narrative writing requires a Story Mountain. The mountain is a metaphor for the highs and lows of a story that ensure that it is as exciting as possible for the reader.
Opening:
The key features of a good opening and build up:
- Clear description of the setting
- Clear description of the key characters (also known as the protagonists)
- Try and answer the 5Ws
- Include some dialogue between two characters
Build Up: This is the first point in the story where the problem is introduced.
Opening:
The key features of a good opening and build up:
- Clear description of the setting
- Clear description of the key characters (also known as the protagonists)
- Try and answer the 5Ws
- Include some dialogue between two characters
Build Up: This is the first point in the story where the problem is introduced.
Story Mountain... Stages 3 and 4
Throughout the remainder of the story, the writer should continue to use a blend of description, action and dialogue (or better known as DAD!)
Description: lots of adjectives and adverbs to describe setting and character as well as the five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste and sound)
Action: lots of verbs to describe what is happening in the story and the more vivid, the better
Dialogue: a great opportunity to get two or more characters talking. Top tips: remember speech marks before and after speech; use an exciting said word; and a new speaker goes on a new line.
Description: lots of adjectives and adverbs to describe setting and character as well as the five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste and sound)
Action: lots of verbs to describe what is happening in the story and the more vivid, the better
Dialogue: a great opportunity to get two or more characters talking. Top tips: remember speech marks before and after speech; use an exciting said word; and a new speaker goes on a new line.
Story Mountain... Stages 5 and 6
Not all stories need to be resolved, however you can resolve one problem and hint at another one beginning. Some authors choose to leave their story open with a problem, so that they can write a sequel. This is known as a cliffhanger.