Fictional worked example · Reusable template

The Bench by the Gate

Review date: November 6, 2026

Follow Noor’s goal through the attempts and the ending.

The story

  1. Before the neighborhood reading morning, Noor carried a box of donated books to the garden gate. She wanted visitors to notice the reading table before they entered the garden.
  2. The table stood behind a tall hedge. Noor put a paper arrow on the gate, but the wind folded it around the rail.
  3. She taped the arrow to a box. The next arriving family walked past without seeing it.
  4. Noor asked the caretaker whether she could use the bench beside the entrance. With permission, she moved a few books there and set the arrow flat against the backrest.
  5. The next family stopped to look at the books. Noor showed them the table behind the hedge.
  6. When the reading morning began, she left the remaining box at the table and returned to the bench to greet the next visitors.

The map

Goal · paragraph 1

Help arriving visitors notice the reading activity.

Setting · paragraphs 1–2

Garden entrance; the hedge hides the table and wind folds the first sign.

Problem · paragraphs 2–3

Visitors can pass without noticing the reading table.

Attempts · paragraphs 2–4

Gate arrow folds; box sign is missed; Noor obtains permission to use the entrance bench.

Resolution · paragraphs 5–6

A family stops. Noor directs them to the table and returns to greet later visitors.

Uncertainty

One family stops. Total attendance and every later visitor’s behavior are unknown.