1. Narration: Telling Stories
Keena P. Day, M.A.

2. Narration: The Basics
To begin, you should generate a list of ideas (brainstorm) events you’d like to remember from your life
You should answer who, what, when, where, how about the events to figure out which will give sufficient details.
Generally, you want to find an event in which you learned a lesson or others can apply to their own lives.

3. Shaping Your Narrative
Your narrative should be a personal experience.
You should also try to entertain your audience with wit.
Narratives are structured around a conflict.
You should write in the first-person-point of view.

4. Shaping Your Narrative
With narratives essays, the thesis is often implied and the reader must deduce it.
The sequence of events can be shaped to emphasize different elements.
It may help to list the most important incidents in the narrative on a scrap paper
You can use flashback and jump in and out of chronological order.

5. Pointers for Using Narrative
What point do you want to make?
What happened?
Why and how did it happen?
Who or what was involved?
What is the setting and when did the story occur?
What conflicts were involved?

6. Drafting the Paper Know your Reader Know your Purpose
Establish the setting and time of action
Set out the characters
Clarify the action
Sharpen the plot
MAKE A POINT

7. Mentor Text “Eleven”- Sandra Ciseneros List the event she’s discussing
List the setting and characters
List the plot elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
List the point the author is making
List other techniques she uses (figurative language, dialogue, etc.)

8. Writing Process Step 1: Pre-writing
Brainstorm a list of events that have taught you a lesson OR your audience can take something from
Chose the one you can write the most about
Quick-write about the event to get what you want to say out. Go back and shape it as your first draft.