English · Writing craft
Plan a story
Beginning, middle, end — with a mini-plan on paper.
Why plan a story?
Writers plan their stories before they write them. A plan helps you organise your ideas. It reminds you what happens next. Planning saves time and makes your story better. You can change your mind easily on a plan.
The three parts of a story
Every story has three main parts. The beginning introduces your character and the setting. The middle is where the problem or adventure happens. The end shows how everything is sorted out or finished.
What goes in each part?
The beginning tells who and where. The middle is the biggest part with the exciting action. The end wraps up the story and shows what changed. Each part has a special job in your story.
Making a mini-plan
A mini-plan is a simple list or diagram. Write one or two sentences for each part. You can use headings like Beginning, Middle, End. Draw boxes or use bullet points. Keep it short and clear.
Worked examples
1. Plan a story about a lost puppy using beginning, middle, and end.
- Beginning: A girl called Mia gets a new puppy named Patch.
- Middle: Patch runs away in the park and Mia searches everywhere.
- End: Mia finds Patch hiding under a bench and takes him home.
2. Plan a story about finding treasure in a garden.
- Beginning: Two friends are digging in a garden on a sunny day.
- Middle: They find an old box with a map inside it.
- End: The map leads them to gold coins buried by the shed.
3. Plan a story about a magic paintbrush that makes things real.
- Beginning: Sam finds a silver paintbrush in his grandma's attic.
- Middle: Everything Sam paints comes to life and causes chaos at home.
- End: Sam paints a special eraser to undo the mess safely.
Try it yourself
Plan a story about a child who wakes up able to fly. Write one sentence for the beginning, one for the middle, and one for the end.
Ready to test yourself?
Take a short topic test — every question maps to a syllabus point so you’ll see exactly which parts you’ve mastered.