Writing a story under time pressure

Many students write wonderful openings in exams and then run out of time before the ending. Managing time is a skill you can practise.

Divide your time before you start

For a 45-minute narrative task, try: 5 minutes planning, 33 minutes writing, 7 minutes checking.

Keep the story small

One main character, one setting and a short time frame. Big adventures with many characters cannot be told well in 40 minutes.

Know your ending before you begin

If you know where you are going, you will not wander. Write your final line in your plan.

Watch the halfway point

At half time, you should be roughly halfway through your plan. If not, speed up through the middle.

Save time to check

Use your last minutes to fix spelling, punctuation and any tense slips. These are easy marks to win back.

Try it: set a 30-minute timer and write a complete story called “The Wrong Bag”, using the five-minute planning method.