Narrative structure Telling the story Definition Narrative writing

Narrative structure Telling the story

Definition • Narrative writing tells a story; it represents “what happened” (Norton 123)

Description • However, while some life events seem jumbled and chaotic, narratives follow a plot of one form or another, determined by a narrator or from a person’s point of view. There also must be a definite time and place (setting), and often the writer includes dialogue to invite the reader to better engage with the story.

Plot

Point of View Whichever POV you choose for your narrative, stick to it. Often writers start out in first person and then suddenly shift to third person (he she it they). From whose perspective would the story be most interesting? An all-knowing observer? Through your eyes? Or only through the eyes of one person?

Dialogue Listen to how people speak. You can allow the characters to speak for themselves, which can serve as a more direct communication with the reader From whose perspective would the story be most interesting?

• From Annie Dillard’s “Holy the Firm” Setting the situation Describe what the narrator would see, hear, feel at this time. • There is a spider, too, in the bathroom, with whom I keep a sort of company. Her little outfit always reminds me a certain moth I helped to kill. . . Her six-inch mess of a web. . . is in a corner behind the toilet, connecting tile wall and floor. . . under the web are sixteen or so corpses she has tossed to the floor” (3).

The Process How do I get started?

A Brief Guide to Writing a Perspective Paper Coming up with a subject Think of events –big and small— that have affected you

Consider your audience What is your purpose? Is it to instruct, entertain, or to incite? Judge reader knowledge and include background details as necessary

Generating Ideas • Just like a good journalist, you will consider the 5 Ws and H • Who • What • When • Where • Why • How

This is a story about _______. My story takes place in _____when______. What happened next was _____followed by ______ and ______. At this point, ______ happened. Template The climax of the events was _______. When X understood what had happened, he/she said, “_____. ” The last thing that happened to X was ______. My point in telling this story is to show that _________. (Norton 128 -129).

Work Session Develop an outline of your narrative, and then share with your neighbor