How to write a story

What should contain a good story for FCE

• A good plot
• A good ending: fun, dramatic, shocking…
• The paragraphs must be well linked and should convey an atmosphere with adjectives and verbs (you can visualize what is happening)
• The narrative tenses should be used correctly.

How to write a story

Let’s asume that you have to build up a story from this sentence…

It had been a long and rainy day....

1. Prepare the plot using your imagination to visualize the first sentence you have.

If you can’t imagine the story in English, think about the story in Spanish, and then use your best English to write it.

2. Ask yourself these questions and answer them:

• Who is the main character and what is his name: myself? Someone else? Several people?
• What is the main idea: Do unexpected things happen all the time? Is it hard work to study all the time? Are we surrounded by aliens? Will monsters attack us?
• What did the main character do before that moment: Was he working? Was he studying? Was he alone/ accompanied/happy/sad?
• What will he do after that moment: Will he have a rest? Will he take a few beers? Will he go to the cinema/dinner/to see some friends?
• What is the climax of the story: Is it the protagonist with someone he knows? Do you have an accident? Something unexpected happens?
• How is the outcome: Happy ending? Do you receive a gift? Does he win a prize? Unexpected? Are you on another planet? Is it extraterrestrial? Dramatic? Does he end up in hospital? Die?

3. Prepare a draft

Write down your draft in Spanish (if you cannot do it in English) with the answers that you have given to your questions.

For example:

• Beginning/Start: It had been a long and rainy day....
• What happened before: Michael had been working all day and was very tired. He is hungry and thirsty
• What happens during the story: He decides to go to dinner at a restaurant.
• Climax: suddenly he sees a woman who he knows. It's Margaret, a schoolmate. They greet each other. Both feel happy to see each other.

Ending/outcome: Michael and Margaret realize that they work in offices very close. The unexpected has happened.

With the draft in hand think of the verbal tenses that you will use. Here’s a table to help you. Think about the "Past Perfect" (had been...habia sido....) and "Simple Past Tense" (went/saw/ did/ fue, vio/hizo) they are the Kings of Narration. When I want to create more closeness, emotion and reality I use "Simple Present Tense" (como, duermo, descubro, I eat,sleep, find out).

Correspondencia de tiempos verbales para narraciones (stories) FCE 

Español	Inglés	Ejemplo
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto       Sujeto + habia visto/hecho	Past Perfect       Subject + had+    seen/done/been	They had never been so       happy.    Ellos nunca habían sido    tan felices.
Pretérito    indefinido/imperfecto    Sujeto + verbo en pasado    ganó/comió/vio	Simple Past Tense    Subject + simple past tense    won, ate, saw	She won the lottery. Ella    ganó la lotería.
Pretérito    indefinido/imperfecto    Past Tense Verbo “to be”.    Sujeto +fue+ era + estaba	Past Tense verb “to be”    Subject + was/were	She was very happy. Ella       estaba muy contenta.
Pasado para diálogos    Él dijo, pensó, preguntó,    ordenó, contó, recordó	Past tense (for dialogues)    Suject + said, thought,asked,       told, remembered	He said to his friend:    “Wait”    Él le dijo a su amigo:    “Espera”.
Pasado continuo    Sujeto + ser/estar + v.p. en    participio pasado	Past Continuous    Subject+ was/were +    winning, eating, looking	He was working.Él    estaba trabajando.
Presente    Sujeto + come, mira,    camina	Present Tense    Subject + eat, look, walk	They eat, drink and    smoke a lot.Ellos comen,    beben y fuman mucho.
Presente continuo (para    diálogos)    Sujeto + ser/estar/ presente    comiendo, mirando,    caminando.	Present Continuous (for    dialogues)    Subject + am/is/are + eating,    looking, walking	I’m coming – she    answered.    Voy – dijo ella.
Futuro (para diálogos)    Sujeto + comerá, mirará,    caminará	Future (for dialogues)    Will/Won’t    Subject + will eat, will look,    will walk.	She said: I will go    there. Ella dijo: Yo iré    allí.

Remember: The tenses used in English and in Spanish are very similar, although sometimes the translations do not coincide.

4. Write your story in English

• Think each sentence in English,taking special care of every single verbal tense.
• Write short paragraphs.
• Link ideas. Each idea is a paragraph.
• Create an atmosphere using verbs and adjectives.

Here you’ve got the example of a story with the previous draft.

It had been a long and rainy day. Michael had been working all day and was very tired and hungry.(1) He decided to go and have dinner at a restaurant which was very near his office.(2) He put his raincoat on, took his umbrella and headed to the street. (3) He walked briskly to “Le Chezon”.(4)

The restaurant was half-full. As usual, he decided to sit at the bar and order some fish and chips. The waiter, Paul, knew him and said: ‘Right away Sir’, while he served him the usual beer. Michael had a first sip and looked around. (5)´Wow- he thought- that’s Margaret- I haven’t seen her for ages’. (6) 

Margaret had been his classmate at secondary school. She seemed to be having a drink with a friend. She was calling the waiter, and suddenly saw Michael sitting at the bar.

They both smiled at each other.Michael went over to her to say hello. It was an exciting encounter, and they were both very happy to see each other again.(7) As they talked they came to realise that they had been working at offices which were very near for almost a year. ‘That’s life – Michael Michael- unexpected things happen every day.’(8)

No matter if you exceed the maximum number of words a Little. In this case I’ve used 202 words.

Analysis of the story

What happened before (1)

Michael had been working all day and was very tired and hungry.

Observations/Remarks:

1. I’ve invented a name for my character: Michael.

2. I have used the Past Perfect Continuous. "Michael had been working/ Había estado trabajando, to make it match Past Perfect of the previous sentence "It had been a long/ había sido...

What happens during the story: (2) to (5)

Observations:

1. I use Simple Past Tense: He decided to go and have dinner at a restaurant which was very near his office. Decidió ir a cenar a un restaurante que estaba muy cerca de su oficina.

2. Narrated action after another in Simple Past Tense, to give rhythm to the story. He put his raincoat on, took his umbrella and headed to the street. Se puso la gabardina, cogió un paraguas y se dirigió a la calle.

3. I use "briskly" an adjective not so common that means "brío" to create an atmosphere. I make up the name of the restaurant "Le Chezon." He walked briskly to “Le Chezon”. Caminó con brío a Le Chezon.

4. I build up on the atmosphere. The restaurant was half-full. As usual, he decided to sit at the bar and order some fish and chips. The waiter, Paul, knew him and said: ‘Right away Sir’, while he served him the usual beer. Michael had a first sip and looked around. El restaurante estaba medio lleno. Como de costumbre decidió sentarse en la barra y pedir pescado con patatas fritas.

El camarero, Paul, lo conocía y le dijo: "Ahora mismo señor", mientras le servía la cerveza de siempre. Michael tomó un trago y miró a su alrededor.

5. Climax. With just a sentence I introduce a twist in the story.

´Wow- he thought- that’s Margaret- I haven’t seen her for ages’.

"Vaya- pensó- esa es Margaret. No la veo desde hace siglos."

I set up the story background so that the readers understand the high point.

Margaret had been his classmate at secondary school. She seemed to be having a drink with a friend. She was calling the waiter, and suddenly saw Michael sitting at the bar.

They both smiled at each other.Michael went over to her to say hello. It was an exiciting encounter, and they were both very happy to see each other again.Margaret había sido su compañera de clase en la escuela secundaria. Parecía que se estaba tomando una copa con una amiga. Cuando llamaba al camarero vio a Michael sentado en la barra. Se sonrieron. Michael se acercó a saludarla. Fue un encuentro emocionante; ambos estaban muy contentos de volver a verse.

6. Ending. I come to a conclusión which is the outcome of my story.

As they talked they came to realise that they had been working at offices which were very near for almost a year. ‘That’s life – Michael thought- unexpected things happen every day.’ Según hablaban se dieron cuenta que llevaban trabajando en oficinas que estaban muy cercanas durante un año. "Esa es la vida - pensó Michael- cosas inesperadas ocurren todos los días."

5. Check your writing

This step is very important. A review of what you have just written can avoid many mistakes. Also try to write clean and clear.

6. Read stories to get inspiration.

The best way to learn to write is by Reading.

Remember that Reading feeds on Imagination.

7. Practice writing more stories.

Here, you’ve got different sentences to begin your story:

• I was busy all day.... Estuve todo el día ocupado
• We were trying to contact them.... Estuvimos intentado contactar con ellos
• It was a dark and cold night.... Era una noche oscura y fría.

Here, there are some sentences to finish your story. (Remember that they can also give you sentences to finish your story). In this case the outcome is already written.

• Eventually everything turned out fine....Al final todo salió bien.
• They smiled and went back home...Sonrieron y volvieron a casa
• It had to be that way... Tuvo que ser así.