Narrative writing

The golden rule: one change

At 450 words, you cannot tell a life story. You can, however, tell a story about a single moment where something changes: a decision, a realisation, a loss, a meeting. The examiner report uses the phrase “shapely and purposeful” - shapely means it has a beginning, middle and end; purposeful means the reader leaves knowing what has changed. Everything in the story should serve that one change.