Y05W15WR The Thing I Found

Part 1

How to Write

Narrative – Short story

A short story draws a reader into a character’s world and carries them through an experience that changes something. It is written for an audience who wants to be engaged and moved — not just informed. The tone is vivid and personal, making the reader feel present in the moment and curious about what comes next.

  • Ideas & content: Give your character a clear situation and a problem or tension that matters. Include specific details rather than general descriptions, and make sure something genuinely changes by the end.
  • Structure & cohesion: Move from orientation to complication to resolution. Use paragraph breaks to shift scenes or time, and connect moments with time words and action to keep the story moving forward.
  • Voice & audience: Find a consistent narrative voice that brings the reader close to the character’s experience. Show feelings through actions and reactions — not just by stating them.
  • Language choices: Choose strong verbs and sensory detail. Use dialogue to reveal character. Vary sentence length — shorter sentences create tension, longer ones build atmosphere.
  • Conventions: New speaker, new line — every time. Use speech marks correctly. Keep your tense consistent throughout.

Common pitfalls: Starting too slowly with too much backstory — get into the situation quickly and let detail emerge naturally. Telling the reader how a character feels instead of showing it through what the character does.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write a story about what you find and what you decide to do with it.

Stimulus: Every afternoon, an elderly man sits alone on the bench outside the library feeding pigeons. One day, the bench is empty. You notice he has left something behind.

Task Analysis: You find something the old man left behind. Your story is about whether you keep it, leave it, or do something else with it. Make the reader care about the man and wonder what you will do.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • What the man looks like — how often do you see him?
  • What you find — a wallet? A bag of seeds? Something else?
  • Why you care about it — does finding it worry you?
  • What you decide to do — give it back? Keep it? Try to find him?

Opening strategy

Start by showing the bench and the old man on other days. Then: ‘Today, the bench was empty.’ Now the reader knows something has changed. Now they are interested.

Show, don’t tell details

Describe what you find. What does it feel like in your hands? Is it old or new? Does it tell you about the man’s life? Use details to make the reader care.

Turning point

The moment you decide what to do is the most important part. Do you give it back? How do you do it? What does the man say? Make this moment real and full of feeling.