• Plan your story before you write it. Be sure about what is going to happen throughout. Use a story staircase to help you.

• Write it in the third person "Gorde ran towards the child", rather than "Gorde ran towards me".

• Use past tense throughout your writing, as you are telling the story of something that has already happened, and not something that is happening now. *If you are going to use speech, remember that the speech will be in the present tense.

• Include your 'good' and 'bad' characters and make sure that they are described well. A well described character can help to carry a story along.

• Think about the verbs that you use throughout your story. Can you think of more powerful verbs to replace them with? 'The dragon stood over the knight' would sound much better with 'The dragon towered over the knight'.

• Use adjectives, similes and other effects to add impact to your story; 'the furious dragon towered like a mountain over the cowering knight'

• Read the story, either to yourself or a friend. Does it sound right? Alter any parts that need to be improved.

• Write it down and have it checked and corrected before being published.

Close this window to return to Dragonsville