Writing a story is like building a house. A story and a house both need a good foundation. The foundation of a story is the structure underneath. (This is the second trait of writing: organization.) Students don't always see the underlying stucture of a story at first, but as a teacher it is my role to provide that structure.

I have found that graphic organizers make it easier for students to see the structure of a story. As students plan out their story on a graphic organizer, the structure there helps them "build" their story. It helps the students think.