1. THE COMPETITION OF THE MONTH 2ºESO
ENGLISH
WRITING YOUR OWN SHORT STORY
To win this competition of the month you will have to write
a short story in English, but first you have to follow some
steps. COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT!!! CHEER UP!!!
A. Make your own character´s portrait. Use
some of the following words.
WORD BANK
Physical description
Fat A moustache
Overweight A beard
Slim Mustache
Skinny Curly
Thin Straight
Well-built Dreadlocks
Tall Freckles
Handsome/Pretty A Scar
Ugly Glasses
Attractive Toothless
Blue-eyed A wooden leg
Wrinkled Well-dressed
Dark-haired Scruffy
Bald Smart
Fashionable Casual

2. Personality
Friendly Angry
Amusing Absent-minded
Funny Selfish
Brave, Fearless Mean
Honest Irresponsible
Confident Foolish
Reliable Dull
Easy-going Pessimistic
Generous Uptight
Patient Naïve
Tolerant Impatient
Stubborn
B. Fill in the following information and create your main
character! Use the word Banks.
• Personal information
 Full name _______________________________
 Age ____________________________________
 Address _________________________________
 Nationality _______________________________
 Marital status ____________________________
 Job _____________________________________
• Physical description
 Height __________________________________
 Weight/body-built _________________________
 Hair ___________________________________
 Eyes ____________________________________
 Clothes __________________________________
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 Distinguishing marks (Smell, voice, nervous habits…)
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3. C. Now write your main character´s description!!!
Now that you have collected enough information, write a
physical and moral description of your main character. Use the
past tense! (about 80 words).
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4. PART 2. DEFINING THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR STORY
STEP 1: AT THE BEGINNING
Instructions Hints Your Ideas
WHO? Imagine a few other characters Name/age/
personality
WHEN? Imagine the moment when the
scene took place
- in the morning/
afternoon/evening…
- in spring/summer/
autumn/winter
- in 2006…
- the day before
yesterday…
- a couple of weeks
ago
- …
WHERE? Imagine the place where the
scene(s) took place
- at school
- in the forest
- in a castle
- In the Highlands
- …
Write a precise
description of
the place where
the scene took
place. Use the past
tense!!!
WHAT? What was happening? - what was your
main character
doing?
- what were the
minor characters
doing?

5. STEP 2: AT THE END
Now imagine the last sentence of your short story.
“He died” or “they married and had a lot of children” are too common!!!
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STEP 3: SUDDENLY…
Your character was doing something special when
suddenly something unexpected happened. Imagine what it could be.
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6. STEP 4: ACTIONS
A) How did the characters feel after this event?
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B) What did he/she/they do?
Find at least 2 different actions. Keep the end of your story in mind!
Actions Useful vocabulary
Feel free to change some elements during the writing!!!
PART 3: NOW IT´S TIME TO WRITE YOUR SHORT STORY!
Now you have to write your short story with the help of your preliminary
works. Don´t forget to find a good title! CHEER UP!

7. STEP 4: ACTIONS
A) How did the characters feel after this event?
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B) What did he/she/they do?
Find at least 2 different actions. Keep the end of your story in mind!
Actions Useful vocabulary
Feel free to change some elements during the writing!!!
PART 3: NOW IT´S TIME TO WRITE YOUR SHORT STORY!
Now you have to write your short story with the help of your preliminary
works. Don´t forget to find a good title! CHEER UP!