How to Write a Story Based on a Real Character, especially for Paper 1, Question 5 of English GCSE

This story is written to model exactly what students should do to write a story that they can finish within 40 minutes, which is roughly the amount of writing time they get at GCSE. There are no published stories of around 500 words, so I have begun to write my own.

Writing one on a real character takes away the fear of planning - students already know how the story starts.

You get a comprehensive PowerPoint with the story on it.
The first section explicitly teaches skills that English teachers may be ignoring.

a. The Power of Verbs
b. How to introduce the character in an interesting way
c How to use humour, not jokes
d How to build tension using contrast and juxtaposition
e How dialogue must reveal character before plot
f The power of repetition and rule of three, or triplets, in building a rhythm
h Paragraphing for impact

The second half of the PowerPoint teaches more conventional story telling skills, with an additional focus on the importance of sound.
a. Metaphor
b. Similes
c. Personification
d. Alliteration
e. Assonance, Half Rhyme and Hidden Alliteration

Finally, you also get a completely free video on how to teach this at: http://bit.ly/WriteAboutARealCharacter

All the PowerPoint slides are included in the video, so you can see how to teach each skill explicitly. If you would like copies of the story, it is available as a separate resource.