Y05W23WR When I Found Out the Truth

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 when you find out and what you decide to do.

Stimulus: Your school holds an art competition. You enter a drawing you worked hard on. When the results are announced, your name is not on the list — but later you discover your drawing was displayed in the wrong category and won first place under someone else’s name.

Task Analysis: You discover something unfair. Your art won but someone else got the credit. Your story is about finding out and deciding what to do. Build the mystery. Make the reader care about fairness.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • Your drawing — what was it? How hard did you work on it?
  • The results day — how did you feel when you were not on the list?
  • How you find out — how do you discover the truth?
  • What you decide to do — say something? Stay quiet? Try to prove it is yours?

Opening strategy

Start with results day when your name is not called. Show your disappointment and confusion. Then: ‘The next day, I found out the truth.’ Now the reader is curious.

Show, don’t tell details

Show what you feel when you realise the unfairness. Are you angry? Sad? Both? Use these feelings to pull the reader in. Make them feel the unfairness with you.

Turning point

When you decide what to do is the heart of the story. Do you tell someone? Do you look at the wrong entry? Do you stay silent? Show this decision moment clearly.