For the story writing, we used Memrise.com to get familiar with at least 10 -15 verbs. Some of the students really love it, others not so much. The very visual learners enjoy it.
I used those words to tell in TPRS style (but very badly) a story using the different verbs, played a few games. Then said; "Be free little ones!", and allowed them free range in how they chose to tackle the story.
We focused on using characters from Kung Fu Panda, which has been the BEST free advertising promotion of learning Mandarin ever. The students absolutely LOVE the movie, and it really helped introduce China to them.
Below are some examples of the final result. I have been very impressed by the calibre in writing. Some students went crazy on Google/online dictionaries, but most didn't stray too far. They manipulated language they had learnt in class to create new sentences. It was interesting and very organic how they were able to procure the necessary knowledge to create a good story.