The Confident Writer Chapter 8: Narrating and Describing

“Salvation” by Langston Hughes What is Hughes’s thesis? Why is he writing? How are the details organized? What pattern(s) of organization does he use? Can you think of any such defining moments in your own life?

What Are Organizational Patterns? Organizational patterns are… ◦Thought patterns ◦Options for helping a writer achieve unity and coherence ◦Frameworks for ideas ◦Determined by topic, audience, and purpose

Use Narration to Tell a Story Use narration to develop your topic as a story. A narration develops a series of events that take place over a period of time. Tell your readers what you learned from the experience—reflect!

Use Narration to Tell a Story Determine the Story’s Significance Follow a Sequence of Events Try to understand the meaning of the event. On notebook paper, do Exercise 8.1 on page 201. In what order did the events occur? Which details are necessary? What transitions words will maintain a time sequence?

Use Narration to Tell a Story Choose a Point of View Add Dialogue for Accuracy & Variety POV=the perspective from which a story is told 1 st Person: I 3 rd Person: he, she, it 2 nd Person: you (Avoid using this one!) Dialogue=quoting what someone says Dialogue makes people come alive. Dialogue allows people to speak for themselves.

Rules for Using Dialogue 1. New speaker, new paragraph. 2. Put “ ” around the words of the speaker. George said, “Really? I can’t believe it!” 3. Attribute words to the speaker. Ron said, Alexis replied Hamilton quipped 4. Place ending punctuation inside “ ”. Trish murmured, “You know I love you.” “You know,” Trish murmured, “I love you.” “You know I love you,” Trish murmured. 5. After establishing speakers, you can omit attributions.

Larry approaches Bob, who is reading with a very intent look on his face, and asks him, “Whuh you reading, Bob?” “Ees book on how crocs keel prey with death roll,” answers Bob without looking up from the book. “I geet from child’s seshun of library.” Larry’s brow furrows with intrigue. “Roll keel dem?” His fists clench as he struggles toward an epiphany. “Oh, yeah. It snap neck,” Bob replies. When he notices Larry’s look of enthusiasm, he cannot help asking, “Why?” But Larry dashes off without a reply. Several hours later, Larry rings Zebra’s doorbell. “Peese,” he says, when Zebra opens the door, “Eet wid dinner.” Zebra just stares a Larry, wondering at his remarkable resemblance to the Pillsbury Dough Boy, the proffered basked of dinner rolls, and look of bland innocence.

Use the above cartoon to write a brief narrative that includes description.

Use Description to Enliven Your Writing Use description to bring your topic to life.

Use Description to Enliven Your Writing Find a Controlling Idea Choose Sensory Details A controlling idea— ◦Is the overall impression that a person, place or object conveys ◦Is part of your thesis ◦Controls your selection of details Sensory details appeal to your five senses: ◦Touch ◦Taste ◦Smell ◦Hear ◦See

Use Description to Enliven Your Writing Consider Your Audience & Purpose When you describe, you can have either: ◦An objective purpose ◦A subjective purpose To decide on a purpose, ask yourself: ◦Who am I writing this for and why?

Think through Your Topic Questions to Consider: 1. What is your topic, and why have you chosen it? 2. Is your purpose to relate an event or to create an impression? 3. If your topic is an event or story, then what makes it significant? 4. If your topic is an impression or feeling, then what is the controlling idea? 5. Is the topic something you know and care about? 6. Will the topic interest readers or seem important to them? 7. What is your central idea, thesis, or message? 8. What point of view will you take? 9. What examples or sensory details will bring this topic to life? 10. How will dialogue add realism to your story or enliven your description?

Plan and Write Your Essay Ask yourself the 5 Ws and a H Questions: ◦Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Plan your essay with: ◦A three-level outline  Main Idea  Major details  Minor details ◦A coherence pattern  Time order, emphatic order, and spatial order Look at Figure 8.4 on page 221.