Story Writing: Format, Rules and Examples for School
Story writing is the skill of telling a made-up (or retold) event in a clear order, with characters, a problem and an ending. In school exams (CBSE and ICSE) you are usually given a beginning, an outline (a few points) or a prompt (a picture or a line) and asked to write a story of about 100–250 words, depending on the class and board. A story needs a title, a beginning, a middle with a problem, a climax, an ending and, if the question asks, a moral.
Stories are written mostly in the past tense, with paragraphs and correct dialogue punctuation. This lesson shows you the structure, the rules, two complete sample stories and a checklist you can use in the exam.
Story Writing Format and Structure
Title (short and interesting)
Beginning: introduce the main character, the place and the time. Set the scene.
Middle: a problem or a challenge appears. The character tries to solve it, and things become more difficult.
Climax: the most exciting or tense moment, where the problem is faced or solved.
End: what happens as a result. The problem is solved (or not), and the story closes.
Moral (only if asked, or if the story is a fable): one sentence saying what the story teaches, such as Honesty is the best policy.
A common plan for a 200-word story is: beginning 40 words, middle 80, climax 50, end 30. Spend the first three to four minutes of the exam planning, not writing.
The Three Types of Story Questions
1. Story from a given beginning
The question gives the first line (It was a stormy night, and Rohan was alone at home…). Continue naturally. Do not repeat the first line, and keep the same character, place and tense.
2. Story from an outline
You get points such as a boy finds a wallet → wants to keep it → remembers his mother’s advice → returns it → gets a reward. Use every point, in the same order, and add details, dialogue and feelings between them. Do not only copy the points into sentences.
3. Story from a prompt or picture
You invent the characters, the problem and the ending, so choose a simple idea you can finish in the word limit.
Rules for Story Writing
1. Write in the past tense
Narrate the story in the simple past tense (walked, saw, decided), with the past continuous for actions in progress (The rain was falling) and the past perfect for events before the story’s main time (She had forgotten her umbrella). Keep the same tense through the story. Practise this with the narrative tense consistency practice test.
✅ Meera walked to the gate. The sky was dark, and it had started to rain.
❌ Meera walked to the gate. The sky is dark, and it starts to rain.
2. Use paragraphs
Start a new paragraph for a new scene, a new time or a new speaker. A story in one block of text is hard to read and loses marks.
3. Punctuate dialogue correctly
Dialogue makes a story lively. Put the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks, start a new line for each new speaker, and place commas and full stops inside the closing quotation mark. (Direct speech follows the same rules as in direct and indirect speech.)
1. Begin the spoken words with a capital letter.
2. Put a comma (or ? or !) before the closing quotation mark.
3. If the speaker is named after the speech, the next word is lower case: “I am ready,” said Neha.
4. Each new speaker begins a new line.
✅ “Where are you going?” asked Mother.
✅ Mother asked, “Where are you going?”
✅ “I am going to the library,” replied Arun, “and I will be back by five.”
❌ “Where are you going” asked Mother.
❌ “Where are you going?” Asked Mother.
4. Show, do not only tell
Instead of saying Rahul was scared, show it: Rahul’s hands trembled and his voice would not come out. Use details from the five senses (what the character saw, heard, smelt, felt).
5. Keep to one main character and one main problem
In 200 words you cannot tell a long adventure with ten characters. One main problem with a clear solution is best.
6. Give the story a proper ending and a moral if asked
Do not stop suddenly. Close the story: what happened to the main character, and how did he or she change? If the question asks for a moral, put it in the last line, usually after the word Moral:.
7. Stay within the word limit
If the limit is 150–200 words, write between 150 and 200. Count your words after practising.
Useful Words and Phrases for Stories
| Part | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Beginning | Once upon a time… / One rainy morning… / It was the last day of the holidays… |
| Time passing | Soon… / After a while… / The next day… / Meanwhile… |
| Sudden events | Suddenly… / All of a sudden… / Just then… |
| Climax | To everyone’s surprise… / Without a second thought… / At that very moment… |
| Ending | In the end… / From that day on… / Finally… |
Sample Story 1: From an Outline
Question: Write a story in about 180 words using these points: a boy finds a wallet → wants to keep the money → remembers his mother’s words → returns it to the owner → gets a reward.
The Lost Wallet
Arjun was walking home from school one afternoon when he noticed a brown wallet lying near the bus stop. He picked it up and looked inside. There were five notes of one hundred rupees each, and an identity card.
“Five hundred rupees!” he thought. He had wanted a new cricket bat for months, and no one was around to see him. He put the wallet in his bag and started to walk away.
Then he remembered his mother’s words: “Whatever is not yours, Arjun, is not yours to keep.” His steps slowed down. At last he turned back, took out the identity card and read the address.
An hour later, Arjun rang the bell of an old gentleman’s house. “Uncle, I think this is yours,” he said, holding out the wallet.
The old man’s eyes filled with tears. “I was searching everywhere for it! My medicine money was in it,” he said. “You are an honest boy.” He gave Arjun a bar of chocolate and a bundle of blessings.
Arjun went home happy. Returning the wallet had cost him a cricket bat, but it had given him something better.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy.
Check how the story uses every outline point, includes dialogue with correct punctuation, and ends with a moral.
Sample Story 2: From a Given Beginning
Question: Complete the story in about 150 words, beginning with: “It was a stormy night, and Neha was alone at home when the lights went out…”
The Night of the Storm
It was a stormy night, and Neha was alone at home when the lights went out. Her parents had gone to the hospital to see her grandfather, and the wind was howling outside.
Neha felt her heart beating fast. She remembered the torch kept in the kitchen drawer and slowly felt her way there. As she opened the drawer, something crashed against the window. She froze.
“It’s only a branch,” she told herself. She switched on the torch and shone its light on the window. A broken branch of the neem tree was tapping against the glass.
Neha took a deep breath and laughed at herself. She lit a candle, took out her storybook and sat down by the table. By the time her parents returned, the storm was over and she was fast asleep.
“Our brave girl,” whispered her father, covering her with a blanket.
Moral: Courage means facing your fear, not hiding from it.
Story Writing Checklist
- Does the story have a title?
- Is there a clear beginning, middle, climax and ending?
- Have I used all the points of the outline, in order?
- Is the tense the same all through (past)?
- Is dialogue punctuated correctly, with a new line for each speaker?
- Have I shown feelings with details rather than just naming them?
- Is there a moral, if asked?
- Is the story within the word limit, with correct spelling and punctuation?
Read more about telling a story well in Master Narrative Communication: How to Tell Your Story Effectively.
✍️ Quick Practice — Story Writing
- Which tense is mostly used to narrate a story?
- Punctuate correctly: where are you going asked mother
- Choose the better sentence: (a) Rahul was scared. (b) Rahul’s hands trembled and his voice would not come out.
- Put the parts in order: ending, climax, beginning, middle.
- Correct the tense: “Meera opened the door and sees a stranger.”
- True or false: when the outline has five points, you may leave out one.
- Write a one-line moral for a story about an honest boy.
- Which word makes a good start for a sudden event? (a) Meanwhile (b) Suddenly (c) Finally
Answers: 1. The past tense (simple past, with past continuous and past perfect where needed). 2. “Where are you going?” asked Mother. 3. (b). 4. beginning, middle, climax, ending. 5. “Meera opened the door and saw a stranger.” 6. False; use every point in order. 7. Any suitable moral, e.g. “Honesty is the best policy.” 8. (b) Suddenly.
Summary
A good school story has a title, a beginning that sets the scene, a middle with a problem, a climax, an ending and, when asked, a moral. Write in the past tense, use paragraphs, punctuate dialogue correctly and keep to the word limit. Revise the tense rules in Simple Past Tense and the quotation rules in Direct and Indirect Speech, then move on to article writing.