Y05W26WR What Changed Between Us

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 happens and how things change — or do not — between you.

Stimulus: You and a classmate have never got along. Then one afternoon, through a situation neither of you expected, you are stuck together and have to work things out.

Task Analysis: You do not like this classmate. But something happens and you are forced to spend time together. Your story shows if and how the relationship changes. Make it real and honest.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • Why you do not get along — what annoyed you about them?
  • How you get stuck together — trapped in a room? A bus breaks down? Assigned as partners?
  • What happens between you — do they surprise you? Do you find something in common?
  • How things end — friends? Still not friends but less angry? Something in between?

Characters & want

Show what you each want at first. You want to get away. They want to ignore you. Show these wants clearly so when something shifts, the reader notices.

Show, don’t tell details

Show the change through small moments. They say something funny. You laugh. A real detail like this shows change better than saying ‘we started to like each other.’

Turning point

Find the moment when something shifts between you. It might be small: a shared joke, a moment of honesty, realising something you have in common. Give this moment space.