1. Narrative Writing

4. What is narrative writing?
Narrative writing tells a story of something that has happened.
You will be asked to write about an imagined (fictional) experience or event based on a writing prompt.

5. Parts of a Narrative I = Introduce the setting and characters.
1st Paragraph
I = Introduce the setting and characters.
2nd Paragraph
C = Create a problem the characters can solve.
3rd, 4th, 5th Paragraphs
E123 = Write about 3 events; the 3rd event is the solution.
6th Paragraph
E = End the story with a strong conclusion.

6. Narrative Writing Tips
Organize your story - Use transition words such as first, next, then, and finally.
Make your characters speak – Use dialogue by putting quotation marks around words that your characters say. For example: “Mom, can you fix it?” I asked.
Activate the senses – Describe how things look, taste, sound, smell, and feel.
Use your best vocabulary words – Don’t say big when you can say enormous. Don’t say cold when you can say people were shivering.
Check your conventions – Conventions are spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Check each sentence you wrote and fix careless mistakes.

7. Writing Prompt
Write a narrative essay about a time when you found an amazing discovery.

8. 1st Paragraph: Introduce the setting and characters.
I suggest only 1 to 4 characters to begin with, you need to write 3 to 5 sentences to describe the setting and introduce the main characters. You will be the main character in the narrative. Example: The light of a thousand stars reflected off of the water as a warm wind blew through my hair. The salty smell of ocean water filled my lungs. I could feel the water tickle my toes while I walked along the shore with my parents and little brother. We were looking for little crabs on the beach, but we didn’t remember to bring a flashlight. I said to my dad, “There’s no way we’ll find crabs out here tonight.”

9. 2nd paragraph: Create a Problem
You want your story to be interesting, right? Then your main character must have a problem to solve. The problem in your story has to be important enough to be worth solving . A good problem makes the reader wonder what will happen next. Example: We were just about to turn back when my brother shouted, “Look!” We rushed over to him and discovered that he had found a mermaid! “Help,” the mermaid said weakly. “Help me find my family.”

10. 3rd, 4th, and 5th Paragraphs Events 1,2, and 3(solution)
Your main character will try to solve the problem in these paragraphs. The first 2 times will be a failure. In paragraph 5 things will work out and the problem will be solved.

11. Example:
First, my dad and I picked the mermaid up and dragged her over to the water. We splashed some water on her, and she felt a little better. “My name is Coralee. My sisters and I were swimming by when the waves overtook me. I washed up on shore here. I was just too weak to crawl back into the water.”
Next, we looked out into the water for any signs of other mermaids. “Do you see my sisters?” Coralee asked. We thought we saw one, but it turned out to be a dolphin. “I must get back to my home!” Coralee cried.
Then my mom asked Coralee, “Is there something we can do that might get your sisters’ attention?” Coralee thought for a moment, and then she answered, “Singing.” My mom sang in her prettiest voice and suddenly a group of mermaids swam up just a few yards away from us!

12. 6th Paragraph: Ending
When your main character has solved the problem, the story isn’t quite finished yet. You will to write a final paragraph to wrap up all of the loose ends and maybe even include a moral or lesson that the character learned. Example: Coralee’s sisters nervously swam closer. “These humans helped me,” she told them. One of her sisters removed her necklace and handed it to me. Then they took hold of Coralee and swam away with her. I didn’t find any crabs that night, but I found something better-how good it feels to help someone in need.

14. Practice
Writing Prompt: Your parents asked you to rake the leaves in the yard on a beautiful autumn day. You raked up a huge pile, and then you decided to jump in the pile. Oh no! You’ve fallen into a sinkhole beneath the leaf pile! Write a narrative about how you escape from the sinkhole.