How to Plan, Write and End a Short Story

When you are planning a story there are certain things that you should take in to consideration before you put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard).  Characters, setting, plot, language, structure – they are all vital elements to the success of your story.

These videos take you through how to plan a story in a particular circumstance – and that is the new GCSE English Language in the UK where students may be asked to write a story in one of their exams (Paper 1 to be exact).  However, these videos are useful if you are approaching writing a story for any purpose.  So, work past the parts to do with this qualification and you will find a lot of rewarding information.

The secret is in the planning.  The first video above guides you through some important steps.  Yes, of course the plot is important but what these videos truly show is that just as important is the way that the piece is structured (and this is focused on in the first video).


The second video looks more at the way that language can be used in order to keep the reader interested in reading your story to the end.


Then there is the end – did you know that there are ten ways (at least) to end a short story?  This entertaining video takes the story that has been planned in the first two videos and plans the kind of ending it could have.  You can decide for yourself which ending you prefer!


However, if you would like to see the finished piece, then try this video.  It is rather cheeky – it takes the finished story and imagines it as the text which students must respond to in an exam (a kind of neat, circular idea in some ways).

This series of videos was created by the YouTube channel Teaching and Learning Resources for Me.