Moving house is always a momentous event, and in this month’s story we’re going to look at how taking two characters and putting them in a new environment can form the basis of a story. In Settling by Jan Carson our unnamed main character and her partner Matt have moved into a new flat and the experience turns out to have some surprises in store. As always, you will benefit most from the masterclass if you read the story for yourself.
The first part of the story is a reasonably straightforward accountof coming to terms with change. The couple discuss mundane things such as which saucepans should go in which cupboards in the new kitchen. There is a real sense of a new beginning in this story. Notice how the narrator notes that their bedroom is the emptiest it’ll ever be because their bed hasn’t even been assembled yet.