Plan in five minutes

Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! Some tests ask you to write a story. It's tempting to start straight away. But five minutes of planning makes the writing much easier.

A simple plan has three parts. A beginning: who is there, and where are they? A problem: what goes wrong? And an ending: how is it solved?

Here's a title: The Locked Gate. Beginning: Maya and her dog are in the woods. Problem: the dog runs through a gate, and it locks behind him. Ending: Maya finds the key under a stone.

Don't write full sentences in your plan. A few words for each part is enough. Add two or three strong words you want to use.

Let's try one together. The title is The Lost Kite. What could the problem be? Here's a tip: think about what goes wrong. Say it out loud!

You could say: the kite gets stuck at the top of a tall tree. There are lots of good answers, as long as something goes wrong.

Here's a common mistake. Starting with no ending in mind. The story drifts on, and time runs out. Know how it ends before you start.

Your turn! Which line is the problem in this plan? Pick the right card. You've got ten seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! It's the second card! Something goes wrong, and that's what the story is about.

Quick review. Spend five minutes planning. Write the beginning, the problem and the ending. Use a few words, not full sentences. Know how it ends before you start. See you next time!