How to create a story structure

The structure of a story is the order that events take place in. Many stories follow a simple story structure called the story mountain.

In this article you can find out how to:

• Organise your plot
• Develop your story ideas
• Create an organised structure using a story mountain

This resource is suitable for creative writing for primary school learners.

Watch this video to learn how to create a story structure using a story mountain.

Every story needs an exciting series of events.

• Most stories follow a simple story structure called the story mountain.
• The structure of the story is how it is organised.
• The ideas in a story should flow. They should be linked and make sense.

• The foot of the mountain is the opening to your story with who, when and where.
• This is the beginning of the story where you introduce your hero, explain when the story is taking place and set the scene.

In our story we have a knight! A perfect character for our story.

• The next stage takes you up the story mountain. It’s called the build-up.
• Here you think about what’s happening and build up the main body of the story adding detail to interest the reader.
• A plot will always be engaging if you add a conflict – a fight or a mystery to solve.

The evil wizard in the castle on the other side of the mountain has kidnapped the heir to the throne. Our knight must do something about this!

• Now you’re at the top of the mountain where the story peaks and our characters come across a major problem, obstacle or dilemma.
• This is the most thrilling part of the story, be sure to keep your readers in suspense.

How is the knight in our story going to get past the dragon and the evil wizard with his army?

• This is the point at which your character has to solve or resolve a problem to reach their goal. This is the resolution.
• How does your character deal with the dilemma?
• It’s a good idea to try and make your resolution unusual and original.

The knight tames the dragon with a delicious sandwich. The dragon defeats the evil wizard by destroying his clothes!

• At the bottom of the mountain is the conclusion of the story with everything resolved.
• Even although it’s the end of the story, you can still be creative and add an unexpected twist.

Summary

Your story needs an exciting plot and an organised structure to keep the reader engaged with your ideas from the opening, through the build-up, problem and resolution, right up to the ending.

• story structure – The order that events take place in a story.
• organised – When something has been planned or arranged in a particular order.
• flow – When something moves smoothly.
• opening – The start or beginning of something.
• introduce – When you use something or make someone known for the first time.
• hero – A hero is someone who is admired for their bravery or special qualities. The hero is often the main character in a story.
• engaging – Something that is interesting and absorbing. An engaging story will make people want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
• conflict - A disagreement or clash.
• dilemma - A problem or challenge. This is usually a situation where someone has to make a difficult choice.
• suspense – An excited or nervous feeling we experience when we are not sure what might happen next.
• resolution – The solution or answer to a problem. A good story should end with a resolution to the characters' dilemma.
• original – A new idea. Something that hasn't been copied.

Create your own story mountain

Plan a short story. Draw a mountain and write your ideas for the short story on the correct parts of the mountain.

Before you start your story mountain…

• Borrow exciting words and phrases from stories and books you are reading. Write them down and save them to use later in your writing.
• When you are reading a story, pick out the parts of the story that match the story mountain and you could use these ideas in your own stories.

Ideas to help with your writing

• Write about personal experiences and imaginative situations
• You could write about The Magic Key, The Locked Door, The Treasure Box, When the Lights Went Out
• Use photographs, mystery objects, music, film and noises as inspiration for your writing
• Use the beginning of a story you’ve read and continue the story. What happens next?
• Use the ending of a story you’ve read and write the story leading up to the ending. What happened before?