1. Narrative Writing 1

2. What is Narrative Writing?
Definition: A story or an account of a sequence of events in the order in which they happened.
A narrative is a story containing specific elements that work together to create interest not only for the author but also for the reader.
Narrative writing makes the reader feel as if he or she were part of the story, as if it was being told directly to him or her. 2

3. Narratives should Include the following elements:
A significant problem, situation, or observation is introduced
A narrator and/or characters are introduced
A smooth progression of experiences or events; a clear and coherent sequence of events (a clear beginning, middle, and end--a plot line that makes sense)
Dialogue, description, reflection, and sometimes multiple plot lines
Sensory details that create good descriptions of the setting, characters, and events--this would include the use of figurative language
Precise language--language that is exact and unambiguous (avoid the use of words such as “thing,” “stuff,” “kind of,” “sort of,” “just,” “like” (when NOT used in a simile)
A specific desired outcome (a conflict is resolved, a character learns a lesson, a mystery is made clear, a problem is solved...there is a resolution!); a conclusion that follows from and reflects upon what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

4. Elements of Narrative Writing
PLOT
(A smooth progression of events)
The who, what, where, when, why, and how outline that gives the narrative direction.
What is the story about?
Events unfold as they happen.
The frame of the narrative. 4

5. Plot Structure of Narrative Writing
Beginning:
Enticing opening to capture readers’ interest.
Setting revealed.
Main characters introduced.
Conflict presented. 5

6. Plot Structure of Narrative Writing
Middle
Characters attempt to resolve conflicts or problems.
Action progresses sequentially, step by step.
Climax
The turning point of the narrative.
Reveals the process involved for solving the conflicts. 6

7. Plot Structure of Narrative Writing
End
Tells how the resolution of the conflicts have affected the characters.
No new characters or plot ideas introduced.
Theme or message understood by reader. 7

8. Elements of Narrative Writing
CHARACTERS
The people, animals, or inanimate objects who are affected by the actions of the plot or who are the cause of certain events.
Characters, real or imaginative, should be brought to life through the narrative.
If a character is not described well, the story will not be believable. 8

9. SETTING Where and when the narrative takes place.
Allows the readers to visualize the scenes and the characters in those scenes.
Although the setting may be clear for the author, he or she must create a picture for the readers. 9

10. Elements of Narrative Writing
CONFLICT
The problem that must be overcome or resolved so that the readers will not be left hanging.
Types of Conflict:
Internal Conflict: Person vs Self
External Conflict:
Person vs Person
Person vs Society
Person vs Machine/Technology
Person vs Nature
Person vs The Supernatural 10

11. Types of Conflict: Internal
Person versus Self: In this type of conflict, a person may struggle with a decision, their emotions, a moral dilemma, a fear, or other feeling of the need to break free of something or take action.
Ex: Katniss Everdeen hopes to maintain her humanity despite the atrocities of the hunger games. She also struggles with the decision to run away with Gale or stay and fight in the games. 11

12. Types of Conflict: External
Person versus Person: The outside force a character struggles with is another character
Ex: Katniss Everdeen fights numerous other contestants in the hunger games. Additionally, she takes on the one character who has made it his own mission to torment and destroy her: President Snow 12

13. Types of Conflict: External
Person versus Society: The outside force a character struggles with is society.
Ex: In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and several of the Tributes determine that the only way to change society is to fight against the Capitol and the Gamemakers who control society. 13

14. Types of Conflict: External
Person versus Machine/Technology: The outside force a character struggles with is some kind of technology.
Ex: Katniss and the other Tributes have to outsmart the many uses of technology that the Gamemakers have created as horrific types of technological warfare in the Games. Examples include the tracker jackers, the force field Dome, poison gas, and the many weapons of the other Tributes. 14

15. Types of Conflict: External
Person versus Nature: The outside force a character struggles with is some part of nature.
Ex: Katniss Everdeen and the other Tributes must deal with several forces of nature throughout the various hunger games including water, heat, lightning, and a jungle environment. 15

16. Elements of Narrative Writing
THEME
Theme: A central idea or message that conveys a message about life or human nature that could generally be applied to anyone across time or culture
It may be directly stated, like when the lesson or moral is told at the conclusion.
It may be indirect, leaving the reader to decide the story’s message.
There can be more than one theme for a narrative. 16

17. Points of View (Who is telling the story?)
First Person point of view
“I” as the narrator
Good for personal accounts.
Example: I will never forget the day that my Grandfather died… 17

18. Points of View Third Person point of view Limited
“He,” “she,” “it,” “they” perspective
Written as if the story is observed from outside of the characters.
Reader must guess the feelings of the characters by their actions and words.
Example: He pounded his fist against the wall and screamed, “Let me out!” 18

19. Points of View Third Person point of view Omniscient
“He,” “she,” “it,” “they” perspective
Narrator can write about the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.
Example: “She called him a liar, though she knew he was telling the truth.” 19

20. Elements of Narrative Writing
STYLE
The figurative language (similes, metaphors, etc.), sensory imagery, vivid verbs, strong sentences, dialogue, and point of view that make an author unique.
Every student has his/her own style and technique. Although you may have the same or similar topics, everyone will write differently. 20

21. Sensory Imagery
Using the five senses when writing a narrative helps the reader picture and feel what is going on.
Describe what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell to make your reader become involved in the story.
Use descriptive adjectives 21

22. Beginning your narrative:
5Ws + H Questions Method
Answering the 5 W and H questions provides the basic info needed to begin a story.
WHO will be in the narrative?
WHERE will the narrative take place?
WHY will the characters do what they do?
WHAT is the narrative about?
WHEN will the events happen?
HOW will the conflict be resolved? 22

23. Figurative Language
Figurative Language is language that conveys meaning beyond the literal meanings of the words. 23

24. Figurative Language SIMILES
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things, using like or as.
Examples: Her smile was so wide it looked like a piano keyboard.
He was as sick as a dog. 24

25. Figurative Language METAPHOR
A metaphor directly compares two unlike things without using like or as.
Example: The boy was a golden knight, protecting his little sister from the fire-breathing dragon that lives in the sandbox. 25

26. Figurative Language PERSONIFICATION
Personification assigns human characteristics and traits to non-human objects.
Example: The pencil fought furiously with the eraser, battling over question number three. 26

27. Figurative Language HYPERBOLE
Hyperbole is the use of gross exaggeration to describe something that could never happen in real life.
Example: The teacher’s voice was so loud the astronauts orbiting Earth could hear her lecture. 27

28. Alliteration is the repetition of two or more sounds.
Figurative Language
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is the repetition of two or more sounds.
Example: The witch’s washed-out, withered lips whispered, “Watch what awaits you at the bewitching hour!” (Alliteration of the “W” sound) 28

29. Figurative Language ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound.
Example: The cow moos in the pasture. (Moo is the onomatopoeia.) 29

30. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
This means:
...I can break a story down into its parts
...I understand that “aesthetic impact” is the appreciation of beauty
... I can analyze an author's choices about structure and organization of a story or drama (e.g. multiple points of view, in media res, flashback, etc.)
... I can determine and analyze the effect of an author's choices on the text itself and/or the audience.
...I can analyze the literary devices used to determine the rhetorical and/or aesthetic purposes of the text.
... I can analyze how author's choices impact the overall structure, meaning, and/or aesthetic impact of a text.

31. Identify each of the following elements of narrative and where they occur in ONE of the stories that we have read. Write your responses on a sheet of paper.
What problem or situation is introduced at the beginning of the story?
Who are the narrator and characters introduced at the beginning? When are other characters introduced into the story?
What is the setting?
What is the climax of the story?
Identify the BEST THREE examples of description in the story.
How is dialogue used? Who talks to whom the most?
Which character(s) reflect on what has happened at the end? What is their reflection about?
Are there any multiple plot lines? If so, what are they about?
When does the author use sensory details or figurative language? Identify THREE examples.
What is the specific outcome or resolution of the initial problem?

32. A Final Copy Should Be FLAWLESS!
Be sure to: * Revise – Check for Content - Be sure your paper has all elements of narrative * Edit – Check for Grammar, Usage, Punctuation, and Spelling Errors
A Final Copy Should Be FLAWLESS! 32