Creative Writing Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is the title?
A New Direction
1st paragraph:
The doors slammed shut with a metallic thud, and the train began to crawl out of the station, wheels screeching against the wet, rusting rails. Jamie stood, breathless and defeated, on the platform, raindrops beading in his hair, his heart pounding with the kind of frustration that makes your chest ache. Five steps too late. Two seconds too slow. He’d missed it. His only ticket home was gone.
2nd paragraph:
He slumped onto the nearest bench, dragging his damp, dirt-covered backpack into his lap. Inside was the letter — still sealed — that was meant for Mum. Meant to explain everything. But now it would stay sealed. His only ticket home was gone.
3rd paragraph:
A voice cut through the hum of the rain. “Missed it too, did you?”
4th paragraph:
Jamie turned, startled, and saw a man sat on the far end of the bench, bundled in an old coat, his cap low over his eyes. He looked like he belonged to a different time — or had simply waited here for too long.
5th paragraph:
“Mum would’ve warned me to stay away from a guy like this,” Jamie thought. But she was all he could think about.
6th paragraph:
“Yeah. Brilliant night for it,” Jamie muttered hesitantly as the rain continued to relentlessly pour down.
7th paragraph:
The man chuckled. “Strange thing, missing a train. Feels like the end of the world. But sometimes… it’s just a different track being laid.”
8th paragraph:
Jamie gave him a sideways glance, becoming more curious. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
9th paragraph:
The man tapped his fingers on the bench like he was remembering something distant. “Years ago, I had a train to catch. Just like you. Big interview. Big city. Big future. But I missed it. Got stuck on this same platform, in this same rain.”
10th paragraph:
Jamie raised an eyebrow, now unable to stop himself from asking for more. “And?”
11th paragraph:
“I thought I’d ruined everything. Sat here for hours. Then I noticed someone crying by the vending machines — a young lad, lost, couldn’t find his mum. I helped him, so I missed the next two trains as well. But it led me somewhere else. Somewhere better.”
12th paragraph:
He smiled faintly. “See, I always thought life was like one long track, straight and simple. You stay on it, do what’s expected, end up where you’re supposed to. But it’s not. It’s switches and wrong turns that turn out right.”
13th paragraph:
Jamie looked down at the puddle gathering by his feet. The man’s words settled in his mind like slow-falling snow.
14th paragraph:
“That kid,” the man continued, “was my nephew. My sister had died the week before, and I didn’t even know. I ended up raising him. Never made it to that job, but I found something more important. Something real.”
15th paragraph:
Jamie opened his mouth to ask something — maybe what happened next — but the platform was empty. The bench beside him was bare. The man was gone. The only sign he’d been there was a train ticket, half-soaked and yellowing, tucked beneath the edge of the bench. It had no destination printed on it. Just a date from fifteen years ago. Today’s date.
16th paragraph:
Behind Jamie, a train rumbled into the station — a different one, going the opposite way. A new route. He hesitated, then rose up from the bench.
17th paragraph:
Maybe life wasn’t about sticking to the original plan. Maybe missing this train wasn’t the end, but the start of a different track — one he hadn’t expected, but one he was meant to take. A sudden gust of wind stirred the puddles, and for a moment, Jamie thought he heard the man’s chuckle carried through the rain. With the letter still in his bag, Jamie stepped forward, and boarded. A new ticket had arrived.
