What Happened? Key Events

Find the most important things that happen in a story.

Events are the things that happen in a story. Key events are the important ones that move the story forward. Small details, like what color shirt someone wore, usually aren't key events. Read: 'Ava's balloon floated away.

She chased it across the park. A tall man grabbed the string and gave it back. Ava wore red shoes. ' The key events are: the balloon floats away, Ava chases it, and the man gets it back. The red shoes are just a detail.

Ask yourself: if I left this out, would the story still make sense?

• 1Events are what happens in a story.
• 2Key events move the story forward.
• 3Ask: would the story make sense without it?