Lesson 17: Creative Writing and Storytelling
Develop your skills for writing compelling stories using techniques for building tension, vivid imagery, and nuanced expression at B2 level.
About this lesson
In this lesson, you will learn how to apply the "show, don't tell" principle to craft more vivid and impactful scenes. You will practise the passive voice and reported speech to add subtlety and narrative distance to your writing. You will discover how to build tension through pacing, foreshadowing, and plot twists. Finally, you will edit a paragraph for clarity, rhythm, and smooth transitions, so your story sounds truly professional.
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Recognise and apply the "show, don't tell" principle in paragraphs.
- Use the passive voice and reported speech to add nuance to your writing.
- Build tension through pacing, foreshadowing, and plot twists.
- Choose precise verbs and figurative language to create more powerful scenes.
- Edit a paragraph for clarity, rhythm, and smooth transitions.
Lesson vocabulary
- narrative The narrative shifts between past and present to build suspense.
- protagonist The protagonist had already left the village when the antagonist arrived.
- antagonist The protagonist had already left the village when the antagonist arrived.
- setting Had the author used more imagery, the setting would have felt more immersive.
- conflict If the protagonist had made a different choice, the conflict would have been avoided.
- resolution The resolution surprised every reader who had followed the subplot closely.
- climax Scarcely had the tension built up when the climax was revealed.
- tension The author builds tension through pacing, foreshadowing and plot twists.
- imagery Never had she seen such vivid imagery in her dreams.
- metaphor She had been writing for hours before she finally found the perfect metaphor.
- simile The simile 'like a storm in a teacup' captures the overreaction perfectly.
- foreshadow He should have noticed the subtle foreshadowing earlier.
- flashback A flashback revealed what the old lighthouse keeper had hidden for decades.
- subplot The subplot might have held a secret that changed the whole story.
- pacing Good pacing keeps the reader engaged from the first line to the last.