Telling a single story (or series of related stories) Narration Telling a single story (or series of related stories)
WhAt’s the point of narration? Generate audience interest Tell about yourself (or someone else) Freeze a particular moment, memory, story in time
Narration is Used in fiction Used in nonfiction Used in speeches Used in editorials Used in classroom lectures Used as examples Used in arguments
Narration can Show the significance of a conflict Develop details to advance plot Be organized in different ways: Flashback Flashforward Keep point of view consistent OR switch between points of view
Revise the following sentence First revise with a positive tone and then again with negative. A bell rang. It rang loudly. Students knew the last day of class was over.
Still personal/expressive writing but NOT about a specific incident Description Still personal/expressive writing but NOT about a specific incident
What is description? What can be experienced by the five senses Freezes the subject in time Brings the reader into the world of the writer
Purpose and audience The purpose of your writing and the intended audience will affect how much description is needed in your piece Be sure to give adequate background information
Types of Description Objective Subjective Straightforward and literal No attitude/feeling Imagine what you’d see in a hard-hitting news piece Subjective Highly personal Trying to elicit strong emotional responses Reflective Opinion pieces, blogs, etc.
strategies Determine what impression you want the reader to have of your topic Be selective of details – only include what is most important Organize the details in a logical way
Revise the following Rewrite these sentences twice. Once with an unmistakable mood (of your choice) and once with a sharply contrasting mood. A long line formed outside the movie theater. People didn’t want to miss the show. The movie had received a lot of attention recently.
Practice Choose a place in Lexington (or another town if you feel strongly about it) to describe to an unfamiliar audience. Use the five senses to come up with details to really bring the reader into the place. Write a minimum of four sentences.
Dialogue
Format Speech in quotation marks, punctuation inside the quotation marks When a new person is speaking, start a new paragraph Use variations of “said” Dialogue tags go outside the quotation marks and are separated by a comma. If a sentence ends in an exclamation point or question mark, the dialogue tag should still be lowercase (unless, of course, there is a proper noun). For quotes within a quote, use single quotation marks. Example: “Hurry!” the girl shouted as she and her friends ran toward the car. “If we don’t make it in time, the mall will be closed, and we won’t be allowed to shop!” “Don’t worry,” her best friend called, strolling toward the car. “We have ages of time.”