Narrative writing step by step

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✏️ Exercises

📖 Narrative Writing – Step by Step (B1+ English)

How to Write a Short Story from a Given Opening Sentence

🎯 The Task

“I never thought something like this could happen.” Use this sentence to begin a story. Write about 175 words.

Narrative writing tells a story with characters, events, and a clear sequence. The key is to plan before you write!

In this guide, you’ll learn how to brainstorm ideas, organise your story into paragraphs, and use the right tenses to make your writing vivid and natural.

🧠 Step 1: Brainstorm Events and Characters

Main Event

Think of the most important moment in your story. Example: I won the lottery.

Before & After
  • Before: I had a dream about winning and quitting my job. Then I bought a ticket.
  • After: I went to my boss’s office and told him I quit.
Characters
  • Main character: Me—an office worker fed up with my job.
  • Other character: My boss—horrible and rude.
Mind map showing events and characters for narrative writing

📝 Step 2: Organise into Paragraphs

Plan your story in 3 paragraphs:

  • Paragraph 1 (Main event): Start with the given sentence. Describe winning the lottery—where you were, how you felt.
  • Paragraph 2 (Before): Explain what led to it (the dream, buying the ticket). Use past perfect.
  • Paragraph 3 (After): Show the consequence—quitting your job dramatically.
Paragraph plan for narrative essay

📄 The Finished Story (175 words)

I never thought something like this could happen. A few nights ago, I was in bed watching TV. I had been working very hard all day and now I was angry and exhausted. I was trying not to think how much I hated my boss when the lottery show started. I looked at the numbers and I couldn’t believe it. I was rich. I was very rich!

The only reason I had bought that lottery ticket was because the previous night I had dreamed that after winning a lot of money, I paid a visit to my boss to tell him that he was a jerk. It felt so good that the following day when I was passing the lottery shop on my way to work, I couldn’t resist.

The next day, I got up and went to work, as usual, but first I went to the bank to deposit the ticket. When I arrived at the office, I went straight into my boss’s office without knocking at the door, obviously. When he looked at me angrily, I smiled and said, “You are the biggest jerk I’ve ever met. I quit!”

⏳ Key Narrative Tenses

  • • Past Simple: Main events in chronological order (I won… I went… I said…)
  • • Past Continuous: Setting the scene (I was watching TV…)
  • • Past Perfect: Actions before the main event (I had dreamed… I had bought…)
  • • Past Perfect Continuous: Longer past actions (I had been working all day…)
✅ Tip: Mix tenses to show time relationships clearly and make your story flow naturally.

💡 Narrative Writing Success Tips

✅ Always plan characters and plot first
✅ Organise into clear paragraphs
✅ Use a mix of past tenses correctly
✅ Keep your story focused and vivid