Elements of Descriptive and Narrative Writing Source: info found on pages R34-36 in McDougall Littell’s 10 th grade Literature textbook

Successful Descriptive Writing Should Have a clear focus Use sensory details and precise words to create a vivid image, establish a mood, or express emotion Present details in a logical order

Key Techniques of Descriptive Writing Consider your goals What will you accomplish with your description What do you want to “show”? Is something important to you? Do you want to make someone or something memorable? Do you want to explain an event? Identify your audience Who will read this? How familiar will they be with the subject? What background info will they need? What details will they find most interesting? Think Figuratively What figures of speech might the description vivid and interesting? What simile or metaphor comes to mind? What imaginative comparisons can you make? What living things does the inanimate object remind you of?

Key Techniques cont. Gather Sensory Details Which sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and textures make your subject come alive? You can make a chart to brainstorm evidence of these details. Gather Sensory Details Which details stick in your mind when you observe or recall your subject? Which senses does it most strongly effect? Create a Mood What feelings do you want to evoke in your readers? Do you want to soothe them with comforting images? Do you want to build tension with ominous details? Do you want to evoke sadness or joy?

4 Ways to organize using space: choose from one or more of the following techniques Move from top To botto m lefttoright outside inside near to far Model: Thunder’s nostrils quivered as he was led into the barn. How would this be as a place to spend nights from now on? In the stall to the left, the straw smelled fresh. Beyond that stall, a saddle hung from rough boards. To the right of his stall was another, from which a mare looked at him curiously. The author uses a combination of inside/out, left to right and near to far.

Organize by order of impression What you see after that/last What you notice next What catches your attention first Model: As her foot slipped on the pebbles, her first thought was of whether she would sprain an ankle sliding into the surf. Her heart began a dangerous thumping, but soon the soft sand provided a comfortable seat so that her body responded by calming down. She realized that the water was shallow and warm. Her hat would shade her eyes and prevent sunburn. Tip: Useful transitions for this technique: after, next, during, first, before, finally, then

Organize by order of importance Least important More important Most important Model: I checked my backpack for the comforting essentials. Book? Yes. Journal and pencil? Yes. Water bottle? Yes. Tissues? Yes. Then I checked for required essentials. Passport? Yes? Airline ticket? Yes. Map? Yes. Last of all, I checked the most important possessions for this trip—a light heart and a sense of adventure. I was beginning my first real vacation. Again, use of transitions helps move from least to most important ideas.

Successful Narrative Writing Should Hook the reader’s attention with a strong introduction Include descriptive details and dialogue to develop characters, plot, and setting Have a clear beginning, middle, and end Have a logical organization, with clues and transitions that help the reader understand the order of events Maintain a consistent tone and point of view Use language that is appropriate to the audience Demonstrate the significance of the events or ideas

Key Techniques of Narrative Writing Identify Main Events What are the most important events in your narrative? Is each event needed to tell the story? Describe the setting When do the events occur? Where do they take place? How can you use setting to create mood and to set the stage for the characters and their actions?

Key Techniques cont. Depict characters vividly What do your characters look like (physical)? What do they say and how to they act/react (social)? What do they think and believe (mental)? What details can show what they are like? Dialogue Is an effective means of characters Choose words that express your characters’ personalities. Choose words that show how the characters feel about one another and about events in the plot. Punctuate the dialogue correctly.

3 Ways to Organize Chronological order Introduce setting and characters Event 1/ProblemEvent 2/Problem End—resolution/significance or impact of events Event 1Event 2FlashbackEvent 3 Flashbacks introduce events that happened sometime before the beginning of the story. You can use flashbacks to how past events led up to present situations or to provide background about a character or event. Clue words (last summer, as a young girl, the previous year, his earliest memory) let the reader know you are interrupting the main action to describe earlier events.

Ways to Organize Cont. Focus on Conflict Describe main characters and settingPresent conflict Relate events that make conflict complex and cause characters to change Present resolution or outcome of conflict