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How to plan a story using a story mountain A story mountain is a simple plan for a story. The story climbs up to the most exciting moment and then comes back down to a satisfying end. Planning first stops a story from wandering or ending suddenly.
Ages 7–14 (rough guide)
Level Foundation
Subject Creative Activities
Time 20–30 minutes
Format Online + printable 1 Learn it2 See it worked3 Try it online4 Print it5 Check your answerBefore you start
Who it's for and what to know first Can write a few sentences about a character and a setting.
Opening: introduce the main character and setting. Build-up: something starts to happen; hint that trouble is coming. Problem (climax): the most exciting or difficult moment — the top of the mountain. Resolution: how the problem is solved. Ending: how things are now, and how the character feels or has changed. Show, don’t tell: ‘Her hands shook’ shows fear better than ‘She was scared’. Worked example 1
Plan a story called ‘The Lost Key’. Opening: Mo arrives at his gran’s seaside cottage. Build-up: Gran asks him to fetch something from the locked shed. Problem: the only key has been lost on the beach and the tide is coming in. Resolution: Mo spots a glint near the rock pools and grabs it just in time. Ending: inside the shed is Gran’s old kite, and they fly it together. Answer: A five-part plan ready to write up.
Try it online · print it · check it
Practice questions Foundation · ages 7–14
Planning a story (story mountain) Name Date
Write one or two words. Then print the planner to write your own story.
1. What is the first part of a story mountain? 2. What is the most exciting point at the top called? 3. Which part solves the problem? 4. Which part comes straight after the opening? 5. Which part is last? 6. Which shows rather than tells: ‘She was scared’ or ‘Her hands shook’? Write one or two words. Then print the planner to write your own story.
1. What is the first part of a story mountain? opening 2. What is the most exciting point at the top called? climax 3. Which part solves the problem? resolution 4. Which part comes straight after the opening? build-up 5. Which part is last? ending 6. Which shows rather than tells: ‘She was scared’ or ‘Her hands shook’? her hands shook Spending most of the story on the opening and rushing the ending. Solving the problem by magic or ‘it was all a dream’. Too many characters for a short story — two or three is plenty. Last reviewed: 25 September 2026
