1. Essay 1: Narration All information in this powerpoint, unless otherwise stated, is from Patterns for College Writing

2. What is Narration? Narration tells a story by presenting events in an orderly, logical sequence. It is also the dominant pattern in many works of fiction and poetry, and it is an essential part of casual conversation. In short, any time you tell what happened, you are using narration.

3. Using Narration -Although the purpose of a narrative may be simply to recount events or create a particular mood or impression, in college writing a narrative essay is more likely to present a sequence of events for the purpose of supporting a thesis. -For instance, a narrative about your first date may be to show your readers that dating is a bizarre and often unpleasant ritual. Accordingly you do not simply tell the story of your first date. Rather you select and arrange details to show your readers WHY dating is bizarre and unpleasant. -As in any other kind of essay, you may state your thesis EXPLICITLY: “My experiences with dating have convinced me that this ritual should be abandoned entirely.”

4. Planning a Narrative Essay INCLUDING ENOUGH DETAIL Narratives, like other types of writing, need rich, specific details if they are to be convincing. Each detail should help to create a picture for the reader; even exact times, dates, and geographical locations can be helpful.

5. Maintaining Clear Narrative Order Whether or not you want to follow strict chronological order in your essay depends on your purpose. Most personal experience essays, as we are writing, do not follow chronological order. Cut out the boring stuff and get to the good stuff!

6. Transitions are Critical In a narrative essay, transitions are critical. It allows the story to flow smoothly. Writing a narrative without transitions is like telling a story without transitions (annoying and confusing). Name a few substantial transitions for me.