Litfogg- A Smartclass Initiative

Top Tips to Make Your Story Awesome!

- Plan for 5 Mins: Before you start writing, spend a few minutes brainstorming your plot. Jot down the key points for the beginning, middle, and end.

- Show, Don't Just Tell: This is magic advice!

- Tell: "She was scared."

- Show: "Her hands trembled, and a cold shiver ran down her spine."

- Keep it Simple: For a short story, stick to 1 or 2 main characters and one main event.

- Talk the Talk: Use dialogue (conversations between characters). It makes your story lively. Remember to use quotation marks: "Where are we going?" she asked.

- Paint a Picture: Use sensory words. Describe what you see, hear, or smell. Instead of "The forest was dark," try "The tall trees blocked the sun, and the air smelled of wet earth and pine."

- Stick to the Past Tense: Usually, stories are written in the past tense (e.g., walked, said, found).

- Read and Edit: Always save 2-3 minutes at the end to read your story. Check for spelling mistakes and punctuation errors. A neat story makes a great impression!

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10 Story Writing Examples for Practice

1. The Honest Woodcutter

Points: Woodcutter's axe falls into river. Goddess appears. Offers golden axe. Woodcutter refuses. Offers silver axe. Refuses again. Finally, returns his iron axe. Rewarded for honesty.

A poor woodcutter was chopping wood by a river when his axe slipped from his grasp and sank into the deep water. He was devastated, as this axe was his only means of income. He sat on the bank and wept. A river goddess, hearing his cries, emerged from the water. To test his honesty, she first brought him a gleaming golden axe. "Is this yours?" she asked. The woodcutter shook his head. She then presented a shiny silver axe. Again, he refused, saying it was not his. Finally, she showed him his old, rusty iron axe. "That is mine!" he cried with relief. Pleased with his truthfulness, the goddess rewarded him by giving him all three axes.

2. The Ant and The Grasshopper

Points: Grasshopper sings all summer. Ant works hard storing food. Winter arrives. Grasshopper is hungry and cold. Asks ant for help. Ant teaches a lesson.

Throughout the long summer, a grasshopper spent his days singing, dancing, and enjoying the sunshine. He often saw an ant working tirelessly, carrying large grains of wheat to her nest to store for the winter. "Why are you working so hard?" the grasshopper would ask. "Come and enjoy the day with me!" But the ant would always reply that she was preparing for the winter and advised him to do the same. The grasshopper just laughed and continued his merry ways. When winter came, the ground was frozen and covered in snow. The grasshopper, cold and starving, went to the ant's house and begged for food. The ant reminded him that he had sung all summer while she worked. She gave him a little food but told him he must learn to be responsible. The grasshopper understood that it is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

3. The Thirsty Crow

Points: Crow is very thirsty. Finds a pitcher with little water. Water level too low to reach. Crow gets an idea. Drops pebbles into the pitcher. Water level rises. Crow drinks water.

A crow was flying on a very hot day and became extremely thirsty. He searched everywhere for water but could not find any. Just as he thought he might die of thirst, he spotted a pitcher in a garden. He flew down and saw there was some water at the bottom, but his beak could not reach it. He tried to tip the pitcher over, but it was too heavy. The clever crow then had an idea. He began picking up small pebbles from the ground and dropping them into the pitcher. One by one, the pebbles went in. Slowly, the water level began to rise. After dropping many pebbles, the water finally reached the top. The crow was able to drink the water and save his life. His intelligence and patience had solved his problem.

4. The Lion and The Mouse

Points: Lion spares a mouse's life. Mouse promises to help him one day. Lion laughs. Lion caught in a hunter's net. Mouse hears roars. Chews the net. Frees the lion.

A mighty lion was asleep when a tiny mouse ran across his body. The lion woke up and caught the mouse. He was about to eat him when the mouse pleaded for his life. "Please let me go," said the mouse. "One day, I may be able to help you." The lion laughed at the idea that someone so small could ever help him, but he was amused and let the mouse go. Some time later, the lion was caught in a hunter's net. He roared in anger and struggled, but could not break free. The mouse heard the lion's roars and recognized his voice. He ran to the spot and saw the trapped lion. Without delay, the mouse began to gnaw on the ropes with his sharp teeth. He chewed through the net until there was a big hole, and the lion was able to escape. The lion was grateful and learned that even the smallest friend can be a great help.

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5. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Points: Bored boy watching sheep. Cries "Wolf!" for fun. Villagers come running. Boy laughs. Repeats the trick. Villagers annoyed. Real wolf appears. Boy cries for help. No one believes him. Wolf attacks sheep.

A young boy was given the job of watching over the village sheep. To amuse himself, he decided to play a trick. He ran toward the village shouting, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!" The villagers heard his cries and ran up the hill to help him drive the wolf away. But when they arrived, they found the boy laughing. There was no wolf. The villagers were annoyed but returned to their work. A few days later, the boy played the same trick again. The villagers came running again, only to be fooled once more. They were very angry. Then, one day, a real wolf actually came. The boy was terrified and ran toward the village shouting, "Wolf! Please help! A real wolf is here!" But this time, the villagers thought it was another trick and did not come. The wolf attacked the flock, and the boy learned that nobody believes a liar, even when he is telling the truth.

6. The Golden Touch

Points: King loves gold more than anything. Goddess grants him a wish. Wishes everything he touches turns to gold. Touches apple, rose, chair – all turn to gold. Hugs his daughter. She turns into a golden statue. Asks goddess to take wish back. Learns lesson.

There was a king named Midas who loved gold more than anything. He wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. A goddess granted his wish. He was overjoyed. He touched a table—it turned to gold. He touched a vase—it turned to gold. But his joy soon turned to horror. When he was hungry, he touched an apple—it turned to gold and he could not eat it. He reached for a piece of bread—it also turned to gold. His beloved daughter, seeing his distress, ran to hug him. The moment he touched her, she turned into a golden statue. The king was heartbroken. He cried and begged the goddess to take back the wish. He learned that some things, like food and love, are far more valuable than gold.

7. The Fox and The Grapes

Points: Fox sees juicy grapes. Tries to jump and get them. Tries again and again. Fails each time. Finally gives up. Walks away saying, "The grapes are sour anyway."

One hot day, a fox was walking through an orchard when he saw a bunch of ripe, juicy grapes hanging from a vine high above. His mouth watered. He took a step back, ran, and jumped. He missed the grapes. He tried again, jumping higher. He still could not reach them. He tried again and again, jumping with all his might, but he failed every time. The grapes were just too high. Finally, tired and disappointed, he gave up. As he walked away, he said to himself, "I am sure those grapes were sour anyway. I didn't want them." This story shows how people often pretend to dislike something they cannot have.

Letter to the Editor

8.The Hare and The Tortoise

Points: Hare makes fun of slow tortoise. Tortoise challenges him to a race. Hare runs very fast. Far ahead, he takes a nap. Tortoise walks slowly but steadily. Overtakes sleeping hare. Wins the race.

A hare was always making fun of a tortoise for being so slow. "How do you ever get anywhere?" the hare would ask. Tired of the teasing, the tortoise finally said, "Let's have a race." The hare agreed, laughing. The race began, and the hare quickly raced ahead. Soon, he was so far ahead that he could not see the tortoise. Confident of winning, the hare decided to take a nap under a shady tree. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept moving. He walked slowly but steadily, never stopping. He passed the sleeping hare and continued on his way. The hare woke up much later and saw the tortoise was near the finish line. He ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. The tortoise had already won the race. The hare learned that slow and steady wins the race.

9. The Wind and The Sun

Points: Wind and Sun argue who is stronger. See a man wearing a coat. Decide to make him remove coat to win. Wind blows hard. Man holds coat tighter. Sun shines warmly. Man gets hot. Removes coat. Kindness is better than force.

The Wind and the Sun were arguing about which one was stronger. They saw a traveler walking down the road wearing a heavy coat. They agreed that whoever could make the traveler take off his coat would be the winner. The Wind went first. He blew as hard as he could. But the harder the Wind blew, the colder the traveler became, and the tighter he wrapped his coat around himself. The Wind blew until he was exhausted but could not make the man remove his coat. Then it was the Sun's turn. The Sun shone gently in the sky. The traveler felt the pleasant warmth and loosened his coat. The Sun shone a little brighter. Soon, the man felt so warm that he willingly took off his coat and carried it. The Sun had won, proving that gentle kindness is more effective than fierce force.

10. The Goose that Laid Golden Eggs

Points: Farmer has a special goose. Lays one golden egg every day. Farmer becomes rich. Grows greedy. Wants all the gold at once. Cuts open the goose. Finds nothing inside. Loses everything.

A farmer and his wife discovered that their goose was laying a solid gold egg every single day. This made them very rich. But instead of being happy, they became greedy and impatient. They began to think, "If the goose lays golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold! Why should we wait for one egg a day? Let's cut the goose open and get all the gold at once." So they killed the goose. But when they cut it open, they found nothing inside. It was just like any other goose. They had destroyed the wonderful goose that laid the golden eggs. In their greed, they lost the source of their wealth forever. They learned that greed leads to loss.

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