Narrative Essay Writing Expanding our Knowledge of Writing
- Slides: 14
Narrative Essay Writing Expanding our Knowledge of Writing Styles
Reviewing Narrative Writing you With your partner, write down three important pieces of information that remember about narrative writing.
A Narrative Essay ØHas similar features as a narrative paragraph Ø Introduction, Body, Conclusion Ø First person Ø Main idea Ø Setting Ø Reflection Ø Descriptive language Ø Transitions Ø Is about a single event Ø Chronological Order
A Narrative Essay A narrative essay expands on what we already know, but now we have an opportunity to develop our ideas more The Structure of a Narrative Essay: Introductory Paragraph Body Paragraphs ( 3 -4) Concluding Paragraph Now we will look at each part more closely.
Introductory Paragraph An introductory paragraph has three jobs: ØTo hook the reader ØTo provide a setting and introduce the characters Ø What is the basic idea of the story? Ø Where is the story taking place? Ø When is the story taking place? Ø Who is in the story? ØTo give a purpose to the essay
Introductory Paragraph Another way to look at an introductory paragraph: Hook Who What When Where Thesis (the purpose of your essay)
What is your Hook? The hook is the FIRST sentence of the introductory paragraph. The purpose of a hook: ØTo pull the reader ØGrab the reader’s curiosity Your hook should transition smoothly into the rest of your introductory paragraph.
What is a thesis? Your thesis does the same job as the topic sentence in a narrative paragraph. It has a main idea and a claim. It is the PURPOSE of your essay. If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t have a purpose and your essay will be very confusing for the reader. Your entire essay will develop to support your thesis. ØYour thesis is ONLY ONE sentence. ØYour thesis is the LAST sentence of your introductory paragraph.
The Body Paragraphs The body paragraphs look similar to the body of a narrative paragraph. They develop the story. Climax: the event Rising Action: leading up the event The story is told in chronological order. Falling Action: what happens afterwards
Thinking about Transitions will help signal the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next. They provide a link between ideas and paragraphs. They will give your essay a feeling of unity and allow the reader to follow the story easily.
Common Time Transitions Before Second Later Meanwhile After Then At last Since During Finally Last Now First While Eventually Soon Remember to use a comma after a transition.
Concluding Paragraph The concluding paragraph has the same function in a narrative essay as in a narrative paragraph. It must synthesize your main idea and claim as well as provide your reflection. It can: ØMake a prediction or revelation about future actions that will happen as a result of the story ØIt can challenge the reader’s thoughts and beliefs about the main idea ØIt can tell what the writer has learned from her experiences.
Concluding Paragraph Another way to look at the concluding paragraph: Synthesizing the main idea and claim Reflecting on your event Finishing Sentence “Clincher Sentence”
Some Final Notes: 1. Choose details to move your essay forward and bring your experience to life for the reader by appealing to her 5 senses. 2. Choose details that are specific enough to show clearly what happened. 3. Control your tenses and transitions. Remember a narrative essay shares an event from the past, so you should write in the past tense.
