01
Make the tempting action visible
Describe the sign, its crooked angle and the tool the goblin reaches for. Give the character a concrete reason to think the repair would help: perhaps the sign looks as though it might slip. Keep that belief separate from what the goblin actually knows. The opening should make the impulse understandable without deciding that it is correct. A sketch could show the raised hammer and the untouched sign, giving the reader a clear moment just before the choice is made.
02
Introduce information that changes the meaning of help
Let the neighbour arrive and explain that the sign is tilted so a particular window remains visible. This fictional detail gives the neighbour a reason to care about the arrangement. The goblin can now ask whether anything needs fixing instead of treating the first impression as permission. Avoid making the neighbour merely an obstacle to the hero’s cleverness. Their answer should change the scene, giving the writer two points of view and a practical detail that matters to both characters.
03
End with a chosen action and a small consequence
Choose whether the goblin offers to check the loose cord, puts the hammer away or asks to learn how the sign was hung. Show what the neighbour does in response. A satisfying ending need not make the repair perfect; it can establish a new understanding between the two characters. Record the initial impulse, new information and final choice in three lines. Those notes make it easier to revise the scene while preserving the moment when consideration changes the goblin’s behaviour.