Creative writing structure

CREATIVE WRITING
TEMPLATES
A practical tool for primary-
school students
Selena Sol presents…..
selena@selenasol.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/eric-tachibana/0/33/b53
http://www.slideshare.net/selenasol

Using Composition Templates to Facilitate Creative Writing
A tool for primary school students
Selena Sol | selena@selenasol.com | http://www.slideshare.net/selenasol/
Creative writing can be pretty intimidating to primary school students. They
might be asked a very broad question like, “What did you do on your summer
vacation?” and be staring at a blank word document for many hours
thinking/worrying about what to write.
But it need not be so scary!
In this deck, I propose 4 easy-to-use templates for common primary school
writing questions that can quell some of the anxiety. With a good structure
and a series of fill-in-the-blanks, a child can easily plan out the skeleton of any
standard school-type of writing and then tackle the work in less intimidating
chunks.

There are at least 4 generic types (archetypes) of creative
writing forms
ARCHETYPE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Narrative Tell a story What did you do on your school
holidays?
Descriptive Describe or explain
something
Describe the way your room looks at
home?
Positional Take a position on
something
What is your favorite color?
Persuasive Take a position and
try to convince
someone else to
share it
Who is the most powerful Avenger?

Each type of writing uses a specific structure. The nice thing
about a structure is that if you don’t know what to write, just fill
in the blanks
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIVE
POSITIONAL PERSUASIVE
To be continued….

Type 1: The Narrative Structure

You love to read stories! You should also love to write stories!
What did you do
on your summer
vacation?
What did you do
on your summer
vacation?
You are a famous detective. You
have just been hired to find out
why the school lunches tasted
awful last week. How do you solve
the case? Write a story about what
happens. Use your imagination!
You are a famous detective. You
have just been hired to find out
why the school lunches tasted
awful last week. How do you solve
the case? Write a story about what
happens. Use your imagination!
Suppose you woke up and
found out that you had become
a super hero for a day. What
happened? What powers did
you have? What did you do?
Write a story about your day. Be
creative!
Suppose you woke up and
found out that you had become
a super hero for a day. What
happened? What powers did
you have? What did you do?
Write a story about your day. Be
creative!
Imagine that the grocery store is
a town where different foods live.
Write a story about a day in
Grocery Town when one of the
foods does something that
changed the lives of all the foods
in the town. What did the food
do? What happened to it and to
the other foods afterward?
Imagine that the grocery store is
a town where different foods live.
Write a story about a day in
Grocery Town when one of the
foods does something that
changed the lives of all the foods
in the town. What did the food
do? What happened to it and to
the other foods afterward?

Many stories follow a very simple pattern.

It all begins with Act 1 where the author gets the reader
interested in the characters and excited about the story
1. Introduce characters
& context
ACT 1
The Setup
2.TheHook!W
hatsets
storyinmotion
M
AK
E
AU
D
IEN
C
E
IN
TER
ESTED

In Act 2, the hero is faced with a series of obstacles that force
her to grow and discover something meaningful.
& context
ACT 1
The Setup
2.TheHook!W
hatsets
storyinmotion
3.Facingaseriesof
obstacles
4. The Low Point!
ACT 2
Conflict
ACT 3
Enlightenment
M
AK
E
AU
D
IEN
C
E
IN
TER
ESTED
MAKEAUDIENCEANXIOUS
5.Thecomeback!
MAKEAUDIENCEROOT
6. Moment of
Enlightenment

5.Thecomeback!
MAKEAUDIENCEROOT
In Act 3, the hero’s new wisdom is tested (just to be sure). Of
course, the hero rises to the challenge and everyone is happy
& context
ACT 1
The Setup
2.TheHook!W
hatsets
storyinmotion
3.Facingaseriesof
obstacles
4. The Low Point!
6. Moment of
Enlightenment
ACT 2
Conflict
ACT 3
Enlightenment
M
AK
E
AU
D
IEN
C
E
IN
TER
ESTED
MAKEAUDIENCEANXIOUS
7.Onelasttest
8.Victoryatlast!
MAKEAUDIENCECHEER

The whole story looks like this!
& context
ACT 1
The Setup
2.TheHook!W
hatsets
storyinmotion
3.Facingaseriesof
obstacles
4. The Low Point!
5.Thecomeback!
6. Moment of
Enlightenment
7.Onelasttest
8.Victoryatlast!
ACT 2
Conflict
ACT 3
Enlightenment
M
AK
E
AU
D
IEN
C
E
IN
TER
ESTED
MAKEAUDIENCEANXIOUS
MAKEAUDIENCEROOT
MAKEAUDIENCECHEER

OK, I know what you are asking. There are thousands of
different stories out there. Aren’t they all different?
!

As it turns out, this one structure works for probably 80% of the
stories you’ll come across (maybe 99% in primary & secondary
school)
STORYTELLING STAGE THE 3 LITTLE PIGS MULAN
THE INTRO
Introduce characters &
context
Meet the pig family • Shan Yu crosses the great wall
• Emporer sends general to fight and sends shifu to find
conscripts
• Mulan introduced as loveable oddball who cannot get a
man because she is too boyish
THE HOOK
The hook – what sets story
in motion
Mother pig sends brothers out into the
world to setup their own homes
• Shifu comes to enlist father, but Mulan steps in because
father is sickly, but does it against his wishes
• Mushu enters as mentor
THE CHALLENGE
Facing a series of obstacles
The pigs work hard to build their 3 types of
homes
• Many hijinks trying to maintain ruse
• Warrior training - Climbing the pole with weights!
THE LOW POINT The big bad wolf blows down the first 2
houses and the 3 pigs run to the safety of
the last house
• Village destroyed
• Battle at the snowy pass ending with discovery of Mulan
as a girl
THE COMEBACK The wolf tries and tries, but cannot blow
down the brick house
• Mulan and Mushu in the snow coming to terms
THE AH-HA!
A moment of
enlightenment
The pigs celebrate that the brick house is
the best and it is worth it to build for
quality
• Mulan enters capital city as a herself. No need for
deception! She can be brave and be herself!
THE TEST The wolf tries to come down the chimney • Battle at the castle where the boys dress like girls. Mulan
proves herself in battle again, but as herself
THE VICTORY The pigs start a fire and the wolf runs away
with a burning tail!
• Mulan gets gift from emperor and gives to father
• Captain comes to marry Mulan

Try mapping some of your storybooks and favorite movies
using the structure. You’ll be amazed at how many work!
ACTIVITY TIME!!!!!!STORYTELLING STAGE
THE INTRO
Introduce characters & context
THE HOOK
The hook – what sets story in
motion
THE CHALLENGE
THE LOW POINT
THE COMEBACK
THE AH-HA!
A moment of enlightenment
THE TEST
THE VICTORY
Advanced Writer Note:
If you get a book for really
young kids, sometimes they
stop at the end of Act 2 to
make it simpler for new
readers. Then it is just 1)
Intro, 2) Obstacles, 3) Victory

So what if you are asked to write a story in school? How would
you do it using the structure?
Q: What did you do during school
holidays?

No problem. Just fill in the blanks!
Start with the “Ah-Ha” moment, which some authors call, “the
moral of the story.” I think of it as the “Why?”
STORYTELLING STAGE THE STORY PLAN
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
motion
THE CHALLENGE
THE LOW POINT
THE COMEBACK
THE AH-HA!
“It’s not what we do, it is doing it together that matters!”
THE TEST
THE VICTORY
Q: What did you do during school holidays?
1

Next, you need to put some obstacles in front of your characters
so that they have to work hard to succeed. Try to make the
challenges help the hero discover the “ah-ha!”
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
The hook – what sets story in motion
THE CHALLENGE
We could not play on the beach as planned because we were
slow to wake up, then breakfast, then the hospital!
THE LOW POINT
THE COMEBACK
THE AH-HA!
THE TEST
THE VICTORY
2
Advice:
Think of maybe 3 obstacles
that the hero could
overcome that would lead
her to the Ah-Ha. Not all
obstacles will work. You
need to choose carefully.

And of course, all the challenges need to lead to the low point
where the reader feels worried about the hero!
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
THE CHALLENGE
THE LOW POINT The whole day was ruined
THE COMEBACK
THE AH-HA!
THE TEST
THE VICTORY
3

But unless you want to leave the reader crying, you need to turn
the story around and show the hero growing
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
THE CHALLENGE
THE COMEBACK We found another way to have fun despite missing the beach
THE AH-HA!
THE TEST
THE VICTORY
4
Advice:
The comeback needs to tie
the obstacles to the ah-ha!
This is how the hero learns
the ah-ha, so it needs to
make sense!

But after the hero has grown and discovered the moral of the
story, we need to test her to make sure she really learned her
lesson!
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
THE CHALLENGE
THE AH-HA!
THE TEST Will it rain and we miss day 2 also?!? Here is where I prove
myself!
THE VICTORY
5

Finally let’s all say “Hooray!” Our hero has overcome all the
obstacles and learned a life lesson.
THE INTRO
I went to Penang Beach Resort with family
THE HOOK
I was very excited to play on the beach
THE CHALLENGE
THE AH-HA!
myself!
THE VICTORY No! We made it to the beach and had a great time.
6

But wait, we still need to go back to write the starting! You’ll need something to
make your reader “excited” enough to read your story. This hooks the reader like
a fish on the line. Think about what goal the hero had that was thwarted by the
obstacles you came up with earlier!
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
motion
THE CHALLENGE
We could not play on the beach as planned because we
were slow to wake up, then breakfast, then the hospital!
THE COMEBACK We found another way to have fun despite missing the
beach
THE AH-HA!
myself!
THE VICTORY No! We made it to the beach and had a great time
7

Finally, write the Intro. Sometimes authors say you should introduce
who, what, where, & when. Try to make your characters interesting to the
reader. After all, who wants to read about someone they don’t like!
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
motion
THE CHALLENGE
We could not play on the beach as planned because we
were slow to wake up, then breakfast, then the hospital!
THE COMEBACK We found another way to have fun despite missing the
beach
THE AH-HA!
myself!
THE VICTORY No! We made it to the beach and had a great time
8
Thought provoker:
Isn’t it interesting that we
write the intro last? Planning
is like that. You need to first
decide where you are going.
Then, you figure out how to
get there. Finally, you start
the journey! It’s all
backwards in a plan!

Alright, so here is our Story Plan! All you need to do now is fill
in the details following your plan and you’re done!
THE INTRO
THE HOOK
THE CHALLENGE
THE AH-HA!
myself!
THE VICTORY No! We made it to the beach and had a great time.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Even though everyone uses the same structure and even if their
plans are very similar, everyone’s story will be different. That is
the magic of writing!
STAGE THE STORY PLAN STORY
Introduce
characters &
context
I went to Penang Beach
Resort with family
During the last 2 weeks of school holidays, my family went to Penang to meet relatives and to learn about
Malaysia, where my mother’s family comes from. We went to a beach resort , so having fun at the beach was
also my plan. We arrived on Friday night and settled into our rooms, which were comfortable. The big bathtub
was my favorite part!
The hook I was very excited to
play on the beach
By 7AM on Saturday morning, my sister and I were awake and ready for the beach.
Facing a series
of obstacles
First , we were slow to
wake up, then
breakfast, then the
hospital!
It took every ounce of patience to wait until 7:30 when my mummy and daddy woke up. But they did. I couldn’t
wait! Unfortunately, it was not to be. Mummy insisted that we needed to eat a proper breakfast, so we had to
go down to the restaurant first. I had two eggs, bacon and bread. My sister had the chicken porridge (they
don’t eat pork in Malaysia). By 8:30, everything went wrong. My sister got very sick. There must have been
something bad in her porridge. She was vomiting and her temperature went up to 39. We all rushed to the
hospital and ended up waiting all day while my sister got treatment and medicine.
The low point The whole day was
ruined
By the time we got back to the hotel, it was already too late to go to the beach.
The comeback We found another way
to have fun despite
missing the beach
In the end, we ended up playing on our iPads for the rest of the evening and watching videos. At first I was really
upset. How could my sister waste the whole day?!? But as we played Dungeon Hunter 2 together, things just
seemed to get better and by the time it was bedtime, we were joking and laughing together like normal.
A moment of
enlighten-
ment
It’s not what we do, it is
doing it together that
matters!
I realized that it really didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing. Anything could be fun, if we did it
together.
One last test Will it rain and we miss
day 2 also?!? Here is
where I prove myself!
But, by the next day, I was really anxious to get going. Unfortunately, the sky looked dark and mummy said it
might rain. My sister looked like she was going to cry. So I said, “Don’t worry, let’s just cross our fingers and see
if the clouds go away. In the meantime, we can finish the final levels of Dungeon Hunter2”
Victory at last! No! We made it to the
beach and had a great
time.
And sure enough, within 30 minutes the clouds disappeared and we all went down to the seaside. My sister and
I had a really, really fun time playing in the water and collecting hermit crabs and putting them in the tide pools.
But even if we hadn’t, I knew I still would have had a fun time!
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Now you try!
ACTIVITY TIME!!!!!!

STAGE THE STORY PLAN STORY
Introduce
characters &
context
The hook
Facing a series of
obstacles
The low point
The comeback
A moment of
enlightenment
One last test
Victory at last!
PRINT THIS WORKSHEET
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Type 2: The Descriptive Structure

Throughout life, you will be asked to describe something!
Pretend that you have a
cousin you've never met.
Your cousin lives in
another state, but you want
him or her to get to know
you. Write a letter to your
cousin describing yourself.
Include what you look like,
your personality, and your
interests.
Pretend that you have a
cousin you've never met.
Your cousin lives in
another state, but you want
him or her to get to know
you. Write a letter to your
cousin describing yourself.
Include what you look like,
your personality, and your
interests.
Think about something that
made you happy recently.
Describe fully what
happened and how you
felt. Also explain why it
made you feel that way.
Think about something that
made you happy recently.
Describe fully what
happened and how you
felt. Also explain why it
made you feel that way.

ISAHASADOESAWASAINASOWHATA! It’s kind’ve fun to say
right? Well this is a good way to describe something
IS-A-HAS-A-DOES-A-WAS-A-
IN-A-SO-WHATA

First off, all things can be described by explaining what type of
thing they are
IS-A-HAS-A-DOES-A-WAS-A-IN-A
IS A
He is a
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
Q: Describe yourself!

Things can also be described by explaining the pieces that
make them up
ISA HAS A
He is a
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
He has a:
• Finger
• Hand
• Arm

In addition, things can be described by explaining the things
they do
IS A HAS A DOES A
He is a:
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
He has a:
• Finger
• Hand
• Arm
He does:
• Gymnastics
• Dancing
• Homework

Further, things can be described by explaining what happens
to them over time
IS A HAS A DOES A WAS A
He is a:
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
He has a:
• Finger
• Hand
• Arm
He does:
• Gymnastics
• Dancing
• Homework
He was a:
• P1 Student
• Toddler
• Baby

Finally, all things can be described by explaining where they
are in space
IS A HAS A DOES A WAS A IN A
He is a:
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
He has a:
• Finger
• Hand
• Arm
He does:
• Gymnastics
• Dancing
• Homework
He was a:
• P1 Student
• Toddler
• Baby
He was in a:
• City
• Country
• Planet

When you are writing a description, you can’t write about everything, or
you’d write a 1000 page book! Instead, choose only a few things to write
about from isahasadoesawasaina. But which ones to choose?!?
IS A HAS A DOES A WAS A IN A
He is a:
• Human
• Boy
• Singaporean
He has a:
• Finger
• Hand
• Arm
He does:
• Gymnastics
• Dancing
• Homework
He was a:
• P1 Student
• Toddler
• Baby
He was in a:
• City
• Country
• Planet
BUT WAIT!!!!!

The final bit of a Description brings everything together into one simple
message. That means you need to choose isahasawasadoesaina items
that fit like a puzzle piece into a single sowhata!
SO-WHATA
IS A HAS A WAS A DOES A IN A
SO-WHATA
• I love to be different
• I am a responsible person
• I just like to have fun

Of course, you know by now that we always need a hook to start
the reader reading. Your introduction is the hook! Try to write
something that will entice the reader to read….
INTRO
IS A HAS A WAS A DOES A IN A
SO-WHATA

Look at this example….
Q: Describe yourself
STAGE THE DESCRIPTIVE PLAN THE DESCRIPTION
INTRO It is nice of you to ask!
IS A Girl
P4 class
Singaporean
HAS A Strong legs
Short hair
DOES A Runner
Swimmer
Dancer
WAS A Medalist in Perth CSTD
IN A Singapore
Asia
SO WHATA When I grow up, I want to
be an athelete

Now you try!
Q: Describe yourself
STAGE THE DESCRIPTIVE PLAN THE DESCRIPTION
INTRO It is nice of you to ask!
IS A Girl
P4 class
Singaporean
HAS A Strong legs
Short hair
DOES A Runner
Swimmer
Dancer
WAS A Medalist in Perth CSTD
IN A Singapore
Asia
SO WHATA When I grow up, I want to
be an athelete

Type 3: The Positional Structure

Throughout life, you will be asked to take position, to state your
view on something or other!
Of all the wild animals that you have
ever seen in a zoo, movie, or book,
what is your favorite? Which animal
would you most like for a friend? Write
an essay describing your favorite
animal, including its appearance, its
habitat, and its behavior. Explain why
the animal is your favorite.
Of all the wild animals that you have
ever seen in a zoo, movie, or book,
what is your favorite? Which animal
would you most like for a friend? Write
an essay describing your favorite
animal, including its appearance, its
habitat, and its behavior. Explain why
the animal is your favorite.

Just like you use the Story Structure to tell great stories, you
can use the Positional Structure to take a position! The
Positional Structure looks more like a Plus Sign.

There are 5 parts to the Positional Structure. In primary school this
usually means that you have to write 5 paragraphs. In High School it
means 5 pages! In University, 5 chapters!!! But the key to remember is 5.
1
3 4 5
2

First you need to state your position! In this case, the position is
you liking the color blue.
POSITION
1
I like the color blue
Q: What is your favorite color?
For Advanced Writers…
In your position section, you should
provide some context. Why is it
that we want to talk about the
topic? In this case, why are we
talking about colors at all? Try to
“hook” the reader by writing
something kind’ve interesting
For Advanced Writers…
In your position section, you should
provide some context. Why is it
that we want to talk about the
topic? In this case, why are we
talking about colors at all? Try to
“hook” the reader by writing
something kind’ve interesting

At the other end is the Ah-Ha. In the Ah-Ha you tie the position to
something meaningful or interesting to the reader.
POSITION
1
I like the color red
2
THE AH-HA!
Blue makes me feel calm and
comfortable.

Finally, you need 3 observations that link the position to the ah-ha. Why
3? I don’t know!?! Whatever the case, remember you can choose any 3
things, but they all must lead to the Ah-Ha!
POSITION
1
OBSERVATION
3
OBSERVATION
4
OBSERVATION
5
2
THE AH-HA!
comfortable.

When you are making an observation, it can be powerful to describe in
terms of one of your 5 senses. Great writers even describe one sense
using another like, “it tastes loud!” just to be cheeky.
POSITION
1
OBSERVATION
3
OBSERVATION
4
OBSERVATION
5
Because blue feels
relaxing
2
THE AH-HA!
comfortable.

When you are making an observation, you can also think about
context. Where does this thing occur? Is it left, right, up or down?
POSITION
1
OBSERVATION
3
OBSERVATION
4
OBSERVATION
5
Because blue feels
relaxing
2
THE AH-HA!
comfortable.
Because water in a still
lake is blue

Finally, it is always good to appeal to emotion! Try to make your
reader ‘feel’ something about what you are saying rather than just
‘think’ something
POSITION
1
OBSERVATION
3
OBSERVATION
4
OBSERVATION
5
Because blue feels
relaxing
2
THE AH-HA!
comfortable.
Because water in a still
lake is blue
Because my mummy’s
eyes are blue

OK, so when you need to take a position, you can use the Positional
Plan to organize your ideas!
STAGE THE POSITIONAL PLAN THE POSITION
POSITION I like the color blue There are so many colours around us. They are in our clothes, in rainbows, in
animals, and especially in the photos on Instagram. But if I had to choose only
one colour as my favourite, I would definitely have to choose blue.
OBSERVATION Because blue feels
relaxing
To me, blue is the most relaxing colour. Red makes me feel excited and yellow
makes me feel curious. But blue definitely calms me down.
OBSERVATION Because water is blue Blue is also the color of still water. Now I don’t mean seawater, which has lots
of crashy white foam in it. I mean still water, like in a mountain lake.
OBSERVATION Because my mom’s eyes
are blue
Blue is also the colour of my mummy’s eyes. Although she wears glasses at work
and when she comes home, when we are chatting in bed before we go to sleep,
the night light always lights up her eyes.
AH-HA Blue makes me feel clam
and comfortable.
I guess, if I had to sum everything up into a single word, I would say “peaceful.”
Blue makes me feel peaceful. It is calm, it makes me feel cool and still like water,
and it makes me feel loved when I am with my mummy.
The Advanced student
Did you notice I
referred back to all 3
observations at the
end?!? Do that!
Teachers love it!

Type 4: The Persuasive Structure

Creative writing structure

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